Concert Review: The State of
On a chilly Monday evening in Athens, Ga., when the rest of the town is winding down, grateful for making it through start of the workweek, The State Of fills the Little Kings bar with their hypnotic harmonies.
The two-member female band composed of vocalist and keyboardist Steph Taylor and drummer Nabedi Osorio are uniquely in sync. Their almost identical medium-length, bobbed haircuts with bangs parted in opposite directions and matching skinny jeans, cue you in.
For nearly an hour they play, slowing up and speeding down in a set that includes covers like The Police’s “Message in a Bottle” and their own co-authored material. They describe themselves as dark, indie pop, attributing their influences to such artists as Radiohead, the Beatles, and Tori Amos.
On some songs, Taylor’s voice drones with sensuality while she pounds out chords on the keyboard with manic focus. On others, she hovers over it tapping lightly, words bleeding smoothly from her lips.
“This is a song about boundaries,” says Taylor. There’s furious keyboarding, a two-finger tap, back boned by a steady upbeat drum tempo. “How dare you tell me one thing, then tell another something else?” she boldly pleads. Osorio draws in and out, drumming instinctually. Her gaze thrown out the window until it comes time to blend her vocals with Taylor’s.
During a quick band conference of heads brought close together, hands up shielding their mouths, and muffled whispers, you wonder what they’ll choose to follow the previous cheatin’ song. Their selection is a love song with a self-proclaimed Janet Jackson lead-in, the slow dancing notes blown out on a melodica by the multitalented Osorio, whose percussionist skills also include the triangle and maracas.
“I’ll do anything for you,” croons Taylor with vocals ranging from deep and gravely to a feminine falsetto. It’s a love song that envelops you with its electricity of feeling. One that is not for the faint of heart or those who prefer to celebrate a love found with the relaxed dirge of a slow jam. Instead it’s one that leaves you on your toes, called to attention by its intensity and pace.
Earlier this month, The State of kicked off their Fall tour to promote their new cd, released on the indie record label Paper Bird Records. They’ll make their way through North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin, playing in small, intimate venues, before swinging back through Atlanta at the end of October. Little Kings doesn’t have the best setup and the proud drum and audacious piano often overpower the clarity of Taylor’s mic’d voice. But it’s okay, because when the sound equipment fails the two musicians, their instruments articulate their own lyrics to the crowdless bar.
There are no more than 20 or so customers ambling around. Most trickle in towards the end of the set and seem to be there for the next performer who, with less than 500 views on her MySpace page, appears to have a larger crew of groupies than the Miami-based The State Of. With her out of tune voice and staid lyrics, the already polished musical craft of The State Of becomes that much more brilliant. Maybe it’s local pull that this next performer has? Or maybe it’s more believable, hopeful at the least, that these patrons’ late arrival during the 11th hour is simply to drink Monday night into the next day.
There is an amazing amount of talent between the two, with Osorio topping off the evening serenading the audience with a goodnight song while strumming on her ukulele. Their remarkable blend of vocals, presence, and instrumentation belies a fierce and soulful partnership that leaves you in the state of . . . musical bliss.
