Nashville – Erik Hall is In Tall Buildings, a stripped-down Chicago-based solo act that pulls so much feeling out of working with so little. Fresh after the release of his sophomore album Driver (on Western Vinyl) in February, In Tall Buildings has since launched a U.S. tour (with two stops in Canada). Famous for his strikingly undressed vocals and sparsely arranged instrumentals, Hall’s live performance in Nashville this past Monday night managed to be even more bare bones than his digital releases. Though not totally unplugged, there was a quality to the show that was entirely intimate and focused, further reinforcing the pervasive and successful subtlety of In Tall Buildings.
Things are beginning to warm up in Nashville, but a chilly drizzle descended over the city, reminding us that it’s not quite summer yet, and that it might be too early to pack up the coats and the boots. Dreary though it was, the weather seemed to be the perfect companion to In Tall Buildings’ stormy kind of earnest sound. The rain drew us inside, and Hall answered the mood with a misty set that drifted in and out of heartbreak, uncertainty, contemplation, and resignation. The High Watt—a normally boisterous, bouncing concert hall nestled within Cannery Row—was comparatively subdued.
The setup on-stage remained equally as understated, and Hall alternated between only his guitar and his keyboard, occasionally leaning over to a separate microphone that compressed his voice. While I was able to match each song he sang to its digital companion, there was an apparent difference between his live performance and his recordings. But this was refreshing—the focus was on the artistry, the improvisation, the purity of the guitar chords and the lyrics in an unprocessed environment. It was one of the most unique shows I’ve seen so far this year.
The biggest juxtaposition appeared in the live version of “When You See Me Fall.” While the sound of Hall’s vocals are steadfast and unmistakable—bridging the gap between live and recorded—something so intensely distinct remained in his performance of this tune. In the digital version, this song practices a balance between tentatively upbeat and woeful. Live, however, “When You See Me Fall” took on a considerably darker hue, with the guitar rumbling beneath the lyrics before rising into a mournful lilt. Here, in this setting, under the rainy sky in a dark room, this song was distilled into pure feeling.
Besides Hall himself and his characteristic, unassuming confidence, the true star of the show was the guitar. It rippled, rang, and flowed so perfectly throughout his set and totally eliminated the want for other background instruments. Reaching a peak in “Flare Gun,” the repetitive lyrics take a backseat to the guitar that plays in crystal waves, almost lyrics in and of themselves. Once again, the digital version is so slightly upbeat with percussive quips making up the backbone of the song, but the live version instead touched that deeper, more somber place once again.
Working in minimalism both on and off stage, it’s no wonder that Driver and the resulting tour have begun to generate more and more buzz for Hall. In Tall Buildings showed that sometimes less is more, and it reminded me of what exactly makes a live performance so special—it’s that you never know how the artist will translate his music into a different and more spontaneous format. Hall’s arrangement is remarkable both on his newest record, Driver, and in that unpredictable live setting.
In Tall Buildings ’ tour will wrap up in late May, so keep up with Erik Hall via Facebook to see when and where he’ll play next.
Photo of In Tall Buildings by Dustin-Johnston
Amaryllis Lyle
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