Blau It Out Your Ear

Spin magazine tells us that Karl Blau's new record, Nature's Got Away, "just might thrust this troubadour's local legend up from underground," as if that's what he's been hoping for. As if that's the only thing any musician could ever hope for, as if people create "undergrounds" solely to scare up the cred with which to lure success. Ugh. We're willing to bet our cred that Blau doesn't think that way. He seems more like the kind of person who really likes music, who loves his small-town home, and the ocean, and kids, and dogs. We're basing that opinion on the words to his songs, and the fact that instead of chasing that "thrust," he's spent his time making music, living in a small town by the ocean, and having kids and dogs — as well as higher-order music lover endeavors like his Kelp! song subscription mailing list. Classic Blau songs draw from a wide array of influences to wind up as blissy indie-folk, full of found sounds and Brian Wilson–worthy vocal harmonies. Will it make him famous, pant pant? Who cares?
Wed., Jan. 28, 8 p.m., 2009