| Datura February 02, 2002 Batcave, New York |
In an October 2000 Starvox review I predicted "With work, some lineup tweaking, and a little bit of luck Datura could easily go on to bigger and better things." It's always nice to see prophecies fulfilled. When I first saw Datura two years ago, they were playing the upstairs room at a small club. Tonight they're at Batcave, one of the largest weekly Goth events in America. As they open up with "Pulse," I can see they have been putting in the practice hours. In the October 2000 review I commented that "Pulse" seemed sludgy and keyboard-heavy. The new mix has lost many of the muddy samplers and replaced them with Paul Jablonski's guitar work. I can hear the improvement even through sound problems and technical difficulties. Once they overcome monitor and feedback hurdles, and begin "Demon," Paul breaks a string. He manages to sing the final verse and chorus while strapping on a replacement guitar; I'm impressed. Learning how to deal with sound issues and equipment failure is something which cannot be done in the studio, or even in the rehearsal space. Datura has obviously been playing out live for a while, and has mastered the fine art of Expecting The Unexpected. "Disbelief" shows just how far Datura has come as a band. This was one of the standout tunes in their earlier performances. Despite a tight new arrangement, and backing vocals from Amy Lord, it's now overshadowed by their new material. Tunes like "Ghost Page" and "Bleed for Me" are crisper and sharper, propelled by Jablonski’s stinging guitar riffs and Arthur Omeljaniuk's bass lines. Datura 2002 is a guitar rock band, with samples and keyboards in a decidedly supporting role. It makes for a much more theatrical show: guitar players have more onstage mobility than musicians stuck behind a keyboard bank. The closing number, "Hunger Artist," highlights their musical development. Jablonsky's songs use many odd chord changes. At best the effect is eerie and unsettling; at worst it can become strident. This tune, named after the famous Kafka story, achieves the former. It's creepy, powerful stuff, and should make for an interesting video. Is Datura ready for prime time yet? Not quite. Lord hasn't quite jelled into the lineup yet: this problem should take care of itself with time, practice and a few more gigs. I'd also like to see Paul Jablonsky, Datura's songwriter, sit down and listen to Wagner's Ring Cycle and to some of Stravinsky's later 12-tone work i.e. Agon. He's got a good ear for power chords and for interesting, intricate changes. I'd like to see him develop more of a feel for melody and hooks; he's definitely got the musical skill to appreciate classical music, and I've always found that copying Stravinsky and Wagner produces far better results than copying the Band Of The Moment. But they've definitely established themselves as a band to keep an eye on, and have shown a definite pattern of improvement. In 2005, Datura could very well be a five-year Overnight Success Story. Paul Jablonski: vocals, guitars, programming, songwriter Albion/Batcave Datura Info Datura on MP3 |