Nothing Ends Forever: Copeland and Eisley shine at the TLA

Copeland | Photo by Matthew Shaver | brightloud.com

How does the old saying go? Nothing lasts forever? In music it should be “Nothing ends forever.” Sounds like the name of a bad Bond flick. But here it is a mere 5 years after the breakup and we’ve got not only a new album, but a new tour from Florida based Copeland. So, just when you thought your lonely nights of crying yourself to sleep were over… Though, one enthusiastic fan exclaimed Sunday night that the band is what she prefers to “Rock the fuck out to.” Whatever they mean to you, I would guess that to everyone in attendance at TLA on Sunday night (which was only enough of us to fill up the place about halfway, unfortunately) they mean a lot.

Taking a break from the various side projects and producing records, Aaron Marshes’ instantly recognizable falsetto permeated the air thicker than the haze from the fog machine. Kicking things off with a duo of ballads from their newest album, Ixora Twin, the soft glow from the stage lighting really set the mood for the night. Softly spoken love letters, the gentle swell of strings (a sweet addition), and gently tickled ivory.

Not coming around with a roar, but more of a gentle purr, the night was rife with sing-a-longs, smartphone recordings of slow jams, and enough crowd calls to make it a running gag. It was all fantastic though, it felt like an intimate show with friends, which is all one could ask from a band so buried in emotion. Welcome home, Copeland.

Gonna go two for two on worn cliches in one article: I don’t know what ‘it’ is, but Eisley has ‘it’. Taking cues from the kinds of indie rock bands that are oft-quoted from the Sunny Day Real Estate set, and punctuating it with enough spirit, and melodic musings, to push themselves out of the crowded market that was the mid-2000’s Veronica Mars song-of-the-week set. Not sure if they planned this little tour around the hype for a new Star Wars flick, but it’s a nice touch anyway.

Their harmonies have matured as much as the band has. Always a family affair, their voices rise and fall effortlessly, surging songs forward, and then gently putting them to sleep. Sherri took time to keep the familial attitude alive and dedicated “Smarter” to her daughter, who was in the audience. They sounded fantastic (some credit to the sound folks at TLA). Everything really came together pretty perfectly, despite some apparent on stage jitters (some people just never get used to the light, I guess.)

Vancouver band We Are The City kicked things off. Representing the new school of what I guess would be called something like “experimental indie,” they were less straightforward than their tour mates. There was a lot sudden shifts in sonic texture, all of it with an underlying tone of a melodic nature. If they would have played the end of the night, they would have jolted people back in to a party attitude, which would have been jarring, but it was a sold, energetic opening set for a pretty glamorous evening.

Copeland Setlist
Have I Always Loved You
Disjointed
I Can Make You Feel Young Again
Erase
Should You Return
Grey Man
Chin Up
Coffee
When You Thought You’d Never Stand Out
Sleep
Chiromancer
Eat Sleep Repeat
The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)
Hold Nothing Back
When Paula Sparks
You Have My Attention

Encore
Love Affair
In Her Arms You Will Never Starve