Tapes N Tapes / Wild Light / The Subjects
Music Hall of Williamsburg 2.26.09

Each of the 3 bands that took the stage on Thursday night at Music Hall are fully capable of writing good songs, maybe even great. But with all three of these bands, for every potential hit, there’s a song that completely falls flat.

First up were locals The Subjects. In front of an incredibly sparse crowd, the band swept through a much more poignant set that than what they laid out on display at Bell House a few months ago in the opening slot for Low vs Diamond, but they were never quite magical enough to be wowing. There is a load of potential in this band, and they’re excellent songwriters, but every time I see them I just want them to be better, and  one of these days they’re probably going to write a pretty excellent record.

New Hampshire’s Wild Light followed, decked out in a uniform of black military style shirts and popped collars that would suggest a debt to The Clash. Their sounds, however, are more California-indie pop than high-energy British punk, and would have not been out of place on the OC. As is the case on record, their finest moments of their set came with guitarist Jordan Alexander on vocals. His songs “California on My Mind” and “New Hampshire” are strong enough to become big time hits, especially when summer rolls along. The only thing that’s holding back “California on My Mind” from being huge is the prominence of the word “fuck” throughout the lyrics.

Headlining was Tapes N Tapes, a band that accelerated to headline status a few years ago on the back of insane blogger hype a great tracks “Cowbell” and “Ten Dollar Ascots.” Their sophomore record “Walk it Off” only seemed to fizzle in comparison, despite some great tracks. Live on Thursday night, Tapes N Tapes just didn’t seem necessary extra something that sets a true headliner apart from other bands. That said, if everything song was as good as “Cowbell” and “Omaha,” it would have been a pretty exceptional set.

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Get Him Eat Him
Union Hall 2.21.09

At Union Hall on Saturday night, five-piece indie rockers Get Him Eat Him played what they announced would be their final show. The band was in good spirits, joking between songs, and energetically playing both their more familiar tracks from the catchy "Arms Down" as well as a new EP, "The Throat is Bent". Singer/guitarist Matt LeMay even mentioned that some of the new songs were being played for the first and last time. Midway through their set, they may have been easily mistaken for the Gin Blossoms, when they pulled of an excellent cover of the band's 90s hit.

The night made for a good farewell to one our better local bands. While your chances to see them live are likely over, I recommend checking out their records and new ep, which play like an extra catchy version of early Wrens.

The Throat is Bent is available at online at AmieStreet.com for just $3.

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The Forms
Soundfix 2.20.09

It’s not every night you get to see The Forms cover Billy Joel. In fact, Friday night’s performance of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” was probably the first and last time the Brooklyn trio will ever perform Billy Joel live. Prior to the song, which ended their special “acoustic” set at Sound Fix, singer Alex Tween joked that he probably should have written the lyrics down, but luckily he was able to withstand the song’s overwhelming lyrical challenges for a great performance. Not only did this cover make this a memorable show, but with guitarist James Fowler out of town, drummer Matt Walsh took guitar duties, while Chris Pressler of The Limbs filled in on drums.

The Forms next show is on March 7 at Dead Herring with Dinowalrus, Boogie Boarder, Bachelor of Arts, and Real Estate. Just don’t expect to hear “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

The cover song can be found on the Guilt By Association vol. 2 compilation.

This concert was also one of the final performances at the Sound Fix Lounge. Marissa Nadler will play the last ever concert at Sound Fix on February 28th.

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White Rabbits/Holly Miranda/Ravens & Chimes
Mercury Lounge 2.18.09

On Wednesday night, the White Rabbits played their first of two nights at Mercury Lounge. Opening with a phenomenal cover of Iggy Pop’s “Nightclubbing”, White Rabbits followed with their best song, the infectious “The Plot.” After that great 1-2 punch, they followed with a load of new tunes that confirmed that their next record, “It’s Frightening” (out May 19) is gonna be great. Never once did their set lag. Recording with Spoon’s Britt Daniels seems to have influenced their sound a bit, as some of the new songs definitely showed hints of Spoon.

Ravens & Chimes took the stage first on Wednesday and immediately proved that they were no ordinary opener. Destined to be the type of well-respected headliner that White Rabbits are becoming, the young band played a tight confident set of soaring indie pop rock that would comparably fall between Bright Eyes and Arcade Fire.

Holly Miranda and her band followed. It was the second time in less than a week that I was lucky enough to catch the adorable siren. Apparently only their third show as a band, they sounded even better than they did at Southpaw a few nights earlier. Miranda’s sweetly seductive voice was totally mesmerizing.

All three bands are local, and will surely be playing around town many more times, so be on the lookout because they’re all definitely worth catching.

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Friday night, Death By Audio proved to be the place to be. I went there fully aware that Tropic of Nelson was going to blow the doors down. The quartet features Christoph and Anton Hochheim of 8-bit shoegazers Depreciation Guild—who have recently begun getting their much deserved attention. But this is no shoegaze band, Tropic of Nelson is a pure frenzy of rock and roll not reminiscent of greats The Jesus Lizard and Drive Like Jehu. Maybe this isn’t the cool sound of the moment, but they’re good enough where they might make it that way, and they’ll surely knock you on your asses. All those people on the Fucked Up  bandwagon should definitely check them out.

The band has recently recorded an EP, and RCRD LBL has some nice words to say about them, and some new tracks available for download.

Following Tropic of Nelson was the big surprise. After a long long week, I was tired and ready to call it a night, but I stuck around to see if the next band Grandchildren were any good, and I was immediately rewarded for giving them a chance. The Philly band sounded great despite the terrible sound of Death By Audio. Over a backing tracks that reminded me of Fuck Buttons, they played an energetic mix of electronic, rock, shoegaze. I always felt like the post-apocalyptic sounds of Fuck Buttons were a solid foundation that needed something else, and Grandchildren seemed to be adding that necessary something else.

What happened next was the most interesting moment of the night. Finishing their set as Grandchildren, the band restructured themselves, switched instruments and maybe a member or 2 and then played another set. This time they played as Rad Racket, and though there were similarities in sound, they were definitely distinctly different bands, with Rad Racket often having a more straightforward rock sound highlighted by Roman Salcic’s melodic vocals—especially on “Morning Trolley.”

Tropic of Nelson, Grandchildren, and Rad Racket are all bands I highly recommend checking out.

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Motel Motel
Market Hotel, 1.31.09

If I had a reputation to gamble, I’d put it all on Motel Motel. I’ve said it all before, but this is a gifted band which equals the sum of all its parts. Each of the 5 members is a technically efficient musician that rbings in different tastes and ideas. That in itself is the foundation for a good band with a unique sound. You put 5 guys influenced by the Pixies together, and you’re gonna get a band sounding remarkably inspired by the Pixies. Motel Motel, on the other hand has influences all over the map, most noticeably classic folk, indie rock and even a bit of punk rock.

I’ve seen them quite a few times now, and every time I’m just a bit more blown away at their compositions. With each performance they seem to get tighter, and seem to add something else to make their songs even grander. Their first album “New Denver” was a great record, pretty much overlooked by the music media, but the new songs they are introducing to their sets are even more dynamic and ambitious. The guitars are bigger, the lyrics smarter, and they’ve very intelligently brought vocal harmonies into the mix.

Ironically, they played Market Hotel on Saturday night. They may not be like all the DIY and punk bands that usually grace the All Ages Bushwick hangout, but they still made it work. Just as always they played with a refreshing enthusiasm, taking a break midway through set to wish guitarist Mickey Theis a happy birthday with a lit birthday cake.

While they haven’t yet gotten the blog hype/praise they deserve, 2009 could definitely see that change.

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The New York City subway system is an anomaly, the true eighth wonder of the world. When it seems that everything in the world follows some sort of pattern, no matter how obvious, the MTA has managed to create a structure that is even inconsistent in its inconsistencies. It is thoroughly unpredictable. There is no explanation as to why the G train is so short—unable to fill the length of the platform. But that’s just a small except of the many oddities that surround the MTA’s greatest accomplishment in incomprehensible train lines. The smells, the late night work trains, the unhelpful station attendants, the 2nd Avenue line—they’re all part of a surreal universe that we as New Yorkers must interact with on a daily basis.

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Au/Stars Like Fleas
Le Poisson Rouge, 1.24.09

Stars Like Fleas are a challenging band to write about. There are no bands to easily reference in describing their sound. There are no gimmicks. No sing-along choruses. No stage theatrics. At Le Poisson Rouge, playing as an 8-piece, they focused on creating a unique symphony of sounds that spliced together elements of experimental jazz, rock, classical, and other unclassifiable constructs of music. They are not your average indie pop party band, but rather instead an intense musical journey that requires and desires a focused listening experience, upon which you’ll be greatly rewarded.

Following a band like Stars Like Fleas is difficult, but Au’s phenomenal set was easily my highlight of the week. Already in love with their 2008 release “Verbs” and wowed by their performance at Spiegeltent last year, there was not a bad moment in the colorful set, even though singer Luke Wyland never seemed comfortable with the sound in his monitors. Wyland’s carnival like keyboard rainbow and beautifully distinct vocals were perfectly complicated by some of the memorable percussion work I’ve ever seen live. Dana Vlatka just seems to have total awareness of the full capability and range of his kit, and displayed it in a totally unpretentious way. The highlight of the set came with the lively “Are Animals” which had a few people up on their feet and dancing at the seated performance.

Their record is loaded with tons of extra instrumentation that doesn’t make it to the live setting, but hopefully in the future they’ll be able to bring along a fuller band for what would make for something even more wonderful.

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Department of Eagles/Here We Go Magic
Bowery Ballroom / 1.19.09

The lights were dim, the floor was comfortably crowded, and the audience was remarkably quiet and respectful. They were much more like a Carnegie or BAM audience than the chatter heavy rock venue crowd, but then again Department of Eagles are also not terribly rock. Also a member of Grizzly Bear, Dan Rossen started out the set alone on stage, seated and plucking away at his banjo while his lovely voice consumed the crowd on "Balmy Night." Afterwards, he was joined on stage by Fred Nicolaus and their new rhythm section. They played nearly every song from the outstanding "In Ear Park," including a lovely rendition of "Herringbone" played solo by Rossen on piano. Nicolaus referred to it as the million dollar song, because they can't usually afford to bring a piano with them on tour, but they gave New York City a special treat. The glaring omission from the set list was "Teenagers" which fans shouted out requests for at the end of the set, but the band refused.

Any fan of the record had to be happy about getting into the sold out show. While they didn't bring a lot of extra magic to their songs live, they were tight, and Luke Temple's new project Here We Go Magic was a real added bonus. Their set was almost as good as Department of Eagles. Intelligent indie rock led by Luke Temple's well-crafted acoustic strums and airy vocals, they're definitely a band to look out for.

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