Here are the bands I saw last week that really impressed me. Pictures of some of them here.
The Go! Team: I saw an in-store show at Waterloo Records. They’re a fun bunch. Imagine if the Spice Girls were a genre-hopping indie band. Website | Myspace
The Black Heart Procession: Tara was a big fan. I found the live show kinda lackluster, but some bands just sound better on record than live.
Website | Myspace
Of Montreal: I’ve seen them once before, and they’re the inverse of Black Heart Procession – far more fun live than on record. Interesting that I saw them back to back.
Website | Myspace
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: This band is growing on me. The music is great, but I’m still not warm on the singer’s voice.
Website | Myspace
Roger Manning: I got to meet Roger, the former keyboardist for Jellyfish! On my birthday! I’m 30 now and I don’t care – I’m still 14 and I will be forever! Multiple exclamation points!!
Website | Myspace
The Soft.Lightes – They cancelled but I still love them.
Website | Myspace
Breakup Breakdown: They followed Roger’s set. Very mod/indie rock from Brooklyn with a cute keyboard chick and near-glam look (if a singer with a beard can be glam). Lots of energy. File under Killers/Interpol/Strokes.
Website | Myspace
Animal Collective: They unscrewed the Thermos of my head and poured in black coffee. And I loved it.
Website | Myspace
Robert Skoro: Scruffy solo singer-songwriter with good tunes.
Website
The Handsome Charlies: From Austin by way of Australia. Smart jangly pop. One of my favorites.
Website | Myspace
The Octopus Project: Instrumental weirdness with a hot theremin player. Does it get any better than that?
Website | Myspace
The Dirty Projectors: Experimental weirdness. Atonal bluegrass or King Crimson’s THRAK period done on pawn shop guitars.
The Instruments: Painfully beautiful songs. I don’t think there were any words, but there were vocals. I think. It was a blur.
Website | Myspace
The Lovers : More painful songs with lots of reverb on the vocals from this girl/boy duo. Kinda Jon Brion-ish given the multi-instrumentalist dude backing up the guitar chick. Best lyrics all week.
Elf Power: Fun but kinda blah. It was 2AM by this point, though, so I can’t be trusted.
Website | Myspace