Portland - “Show me love. Show me love.” These words seemed suspended in air, plaintive and fragile like snowflakes, before wafting gently into the ears of the audience. The room was almost dead silent when Hundred Waters began their performance Sunday night at Portland’s Mississippi Studios. Each line from the band’s first song, “Show Me Love,” struck an emotional chord among the audience, peeling back what may be real to seep into something more sonically pure. It was performed unaccompanied by singer Nicole Miglis, who resembled a sort of Gothic harpy bathed in the deep red lighting. After a somewhat lengthy set-up, Hundred Waters could have easily disappointed from the get-go. Instead, they set the bar for what an aural, visionary live performance can accomplish; it was pure synthetic bliss.
As the first song melded seamlessly into “Murmurs,” I was reminded of how each lyric on the band’s second album The Moon Rang Like a Bell seems like a distant fragment of thought. The record is quieter than their first self-titled outing, but also seems more sure of itself. “Murmurs,” for example, is a densely layered piano ballad dotted with rhythms that crash and collide more often than they sync. As the set progressed, it became clear that Hundred Waters have forgone the ethereal folk sound of their debut for something more pensive, even sensuous. Richly layered standouts like “Boreal” and “Thistle” were noticeably absent from the set, though not particularly to its detriment. Hundred Waters prefer to occupy a dark vacuum, emitting shreds of light here and there, but ultimately relying on the listener to fill the void themselves.
The show definitely had stretches of tempered quietude, but it was far from a snooze-fest. The audience became physically shaken during songs like “Cavity,” whose haunting melodies grow increasingly more shrill before dissolving into a seriously deranged climax. It’s clear why the bro-step baboon (a.k.a. Skrillex) signed Hundred Waters to his OWLSA label; most songs have a sort “drop the bass” moment, though they are so scattered you might be hard pressed to find a proper groove to dance to. A looming bass line often lies just below the surface, just waiting to explode into some destructive force of nature. “Animal” and “Out Alee” were some of the most energetic by movement’s standards, and were made all the more intoxicating by a masterful light show.
Though most of the set was committed to bringing new songs to life, some of its best moments were deep cuts from the Hundred Waters LP. The crystalline magnificence of the aptly named “Caverns” was pure storybook fantasy with a twist of Lovecraftian horror. Indecision runs deep in “Are/Or,” a soothing drift through the cosmos that is equal parts Bjork and Animal Collective. There was much to love though from the glimmering likes of “Xtalk” and “Seven White Horses,” both choice selections from The Moon Rang Like a Bell.
Singer Nicole Miglis couldn’t help but steal the show. Her voice is unlike any of her peers; some moments a barely-there whisper, others a breathy languish that wakens and penetrates the spirit. Her comforting vocals even have the tendency to distract from what she is actually saying, though this only speaks to the vibrant collage of textures that Hundred Waters are creating as a whole. Trayer Tryon, Paul Giese and Zach Tetreault tended to dwell in the shadows during most of the show, but their masterful execution did not go unheard. Too often I found myself thinking, “Wow, I’ve never heard anything like that before.”
In a stroke of luck, Hundred Waters were forced to save their song “Down From the Rafters” for an encore. It was truly the perfect send-off: warm synths seemed to come out of the woodworks to take residence among the stunned audience. Nicole Miglis’ rich vocals and a colorful flute solo could only help to immortalize this song’s performance further in my mind. The entirety of Hundred Waters’ show proved to be an exceptional display of talent and originality, at all times captivating and emotionally satisfying. Few artists today are crafting such lush, loving sanctuaries for their passions to find a home. Only The XX and perhaps London Grammar are at the same level of emotional intensity. While those groups hail from the U.K., it is comforting to find similar depth in a place like Gainesville, FL. You’d be doing yourself a great disservice to pass up a chance to watch Hundred Waters bridge a gap to the moon.
Photo By Gabriele Florentino