Ariel Pink at le Poisson Rouge

Ariel Rosenberg was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and began writing, singing, and playing original compositions at around 10 years of age. As a young adult, he worked in a record store, gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary music and an avid appreciation for underground artists. Rosenberg released his first album in 1999 under his given name, but then beginning in 2000 his albums were credited to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. His first album as simply Ariel Pink was released in 2014. His 11th and most recent studio album, Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, was released on September 15, 2017.

In some circles, Ariel Pink has been revered as a songwriter, but tonight at le Poisson Rouge, this claim was challenging to confirm. Pink's band drowned out his lyrics throughout the entire performance. Pink's smooth pop and sometimes quirky vocal melodies defined the foreground and the texture of the overall production. This would have been more effective if the musicians had provided their uptempo lo-fi grooves and riffs, which were repeated incessantly, further in the background. What traditionally would have been a backdrop was very much front and center. Pink interspersed nine of the new album's 13 tracks between older songs, but what were the words? Online videos of recent tour stops verify that this matter was consistent in other cities.

Visit Ariel Pink at www.ariel-pink.com.

Setlist:

1. Nighttime Is Great! (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti song)
2. Bobby Jameson
3. I Wanna Be Young
4. White Freckles
5. Time to Meet Your God
6. Thespian City
7. Dreamdate Narcissist
8. Kinski Assassin (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti song)
9. Time to Live
10. Another Weekend
11. Put Your Number in My Phone
12. Menopause Man (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti song)
13. A Tomb All Your Own
14. Alisa
15. Jagged Carnival Tours
16. Baby (Donnie & Joe Emerson cover)

Encore:

1. Death Patrol
2. Bubblegum Dreams
3. Do Yourself a Favor
4. Round and Round (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti song)