Wigging out
Scout Niblett lets crowd in on the visceral sound of This Fool Can Die Now
By Katie Heath
Published: October 23rd, 2007 | 4:44pm
October 20, 2007, at Chicago’s Empty Bottle — With the lyrics like “Dinosaur egg, when will you spring to hatch? ’Cause I’ve got a million people coming on Friday and I don’t wanna have to scare the shit out of them myself, dinosaur egg,” it’s no wonder Scout Niblett is considered an odd egg.
Scout Niblett (née Emma Louise Niblett) is the alter ego the multi-instrumental artist chose in reference to Jean Lousie “Scout” Finch, the protagonist in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. On October 20, Niblett played on an otherwise lackluster bill in between Stars of Track & Field and Eskimo Joe at Chicago’s Empty Bottle, sharing new tracks from her fifth album, This Fool Can Die Now, which includes four duets with Will Oldham.
Niblett’s accessibility has experienced a turbulent past. Music critics have found her unconventional song structures challenging and the disjunctive nature of her music and “overly childlike” nature off-putting, even offensive. Some have gone so far as to accuse the Nottingham, England, native of singing “too much like an American.” Though it remains unclear whether Niblett feels this childlike self-portrayal has kept her from serious artistry, her introverted stage presence, girlish sing-song vocals, strange and inquiring storybook lyrics, and dress-up-and-play-rock-star conduct all seem to point toward a continual reluctance to be anything other than herself.
Niblett made no apparent acknowledgement of the crowd besides a few tugs at her wig — which, if you’re overly optimistic and/or a Superfan, you might’ve decoded the gesture as a possible “heads-up” your way. She appeared festive and in-character donning a golden/brown mop of hair, a departure from her more familiar blonde bob get-up. Fans can check out her new coif in the absurd yet monstrously romantic video for This Fool Can Die Now’s first track, “Kiss” with Oldham.
Scout’s onstage demeanor was introverted yet self-assured. Her performance emanated the same sort of confidence one experiences in the conformability of their own home. The Chicago crowd seemed familiar with Niblett’s distinctive orchestration: quiet, quieter, drums, machine-gun drums, screech, pedal, wail, sing, screech, and repeat. While some stood eagerly on tip-toes and others sat contemplatively, we all waded through sporadic and fragmented singing — some sung soft as lullabies — for a beat from either a pedal or drum to sound so that we might bob in our places for a minute or two. Enchanted, we basked in the sheer scale and volume of a seemingly little girl.
Niblett’s crunchy and raw, pedal-loving style is reminiscent of the grunge days, which makes sense considering Steve Albini has some stock in it — he recorded This Fool Can Die Now, 2005’s Kidnapped by Neptune, and 1996’s I Am). “Thine Heart Be Warned,” from the new album, sounds especially grungy and includes a satisfying interplay between Scout and her drummer.
“Hot to Death,” a crowd favorite from Kidnapped by Neptune, exemplifies the vision of a grown woman having an elegant tantrum with banshee-like choral screams on top of a menacing guitar chord. “Dinosaur Egg” succeeded in working us up toward a climax, but due to a relatively short set of less than 30 minutes, closure was ultimately not achieved.
Issue #35
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