MP3: Katatonia - O how I enjoy the light
It was pretty exciting to see Katatonia for the first time last night in Seattle. Not only have they been one of my long-time most favorite bands, but they've also introduced me to tons of new music through the recommended listening lists they used to post on their website. Paatos, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Ben Christophers, 16 Horsepower... I could go on and on. Yes, the irony of a Swedish band introducing me to American music has been sorely noted. So while I was greatly looking forward to the show, I was also skeptical as I've heard plenty of bad things about their live show. Even the band themselves admitted that their initial US debut at Milwaukee Metalfest some years back was a disaster and best left forgotten. Good news: my fears were laid to rest as Katatonia proved themselves to be plenty capable of delivering a solid performance with a good balance between old and new material (and to all your kvlt old-school fans: no, they did not play anything pre-"Discouraged ones"). They also graciously avoided common live metal clichés, such as always referring to the audience by the name of the city ("Hello Seattle!") and announcing songs in the metal voice ("This next one is called grrgsdlgjsgdsg!"). While all that's fine and good every so often, it gets old pretty damn fast. While there's still definitely room for improvement, I still left happy and felt fulfilled. As for today's download, instead of offering up one of the band's many would-be hits, I'm throwing a bone to you indie rockers with a Will Oldham cover. Enjoy!
Katatonia - O how I enjoy the light