Sunday, November 9, 2014

In Dreams: Orenda Fink At Origami Vinyl

ORENDA FINK
ORIGAMI VINYL
ECHO PARK, LA
07 NOVEMBER, 2014
In town for an appearance on Last Call With Carson Daly, Orenda Fink made time for an instore up in the loft at Origami Vinyl. Formerly half of Azure Ray, she is now three albums deep into her solo journey, and Blue Dream is her most focused and intense work to date, an interesting dichotomy of both the most straightforward music and the most imposing subject matter she's delved into, and, not unlike Peter Gabriel's So, it works on any number of levels.
With Blue Dream, (out on Saddle Creek), as an obvious focus point, she led off with the meditative "Holy Holy", then unfolded a set including "You Are A Mystery To Me", "This Is A Part Of Something Greater", and a haunting "Ace Of Cups". The simplicity of the setup led to the best sound I've ever heard at Origami, full and rich, and with none of the usual Mexican Radio transmissions bleeding into amps from the surrounding Echo Park neighborhood. Reaching back into her catalog, she parlayed a stunning duo of "That Certain-Something Spring" and "Why Is The Night Sad" from Ask The Night, and later in the set, broke out a show-stopping "Easter Island" from Invisible Ones. As the last show on the domestic Blue Dream tour, it was an enthusiastic and intimate set that hopefully sets the tone for January's European Tour adventure.