Canadian Tuxedo Optional (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} michaelpop) wrote,@ 2008-02-20 11:08:00 |
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Los Angeles has the flu and we need to sweat it out.
Eight weeks into the newish year and I finally went to my first show last night. It's a show that piqued my interest when I first saw it announced, but if it wasn't for Matt Peck being in town and suggesting we go, I probably would have passed on it. Glad I didn't though!
The show was Dean and Britta and Keren Ann. While I like both acts enough to own most of their discography, I don't ever find myself craving their records. When I do listen to them it's like, oh, yeah, this is nice, but it doesn't really stay with me afterwards. I usually put on a Luna or Dean and Britta record right before bed, because I think it's good sleepy-time music. So I knew going in that the show was likely to be the least-rocking thing I'd seen in a while, and I was mostly right. Dean and Britta rocked in their own low-key manner; most songs were hazy and restrained, but occasionally Dean would stretch out a solo and coax some vigor out of a song. I love how their voices contrast with one another. I love that they're married and it's awkward to look at Britta because I feel like Dean's going to jump down into the crowd and punch me in the face. Anyway, I really enjoyed their set and I'm glad that I finally got to see them. (I always forget, but it's worth mentioning that Britta was the singing voice of JEM.)
Keren Ann was somewhat of a surprise. I'd always figured her to be more of a chanteuse, a pretty voice surrounded by polished session musicians and pristine production. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the liner notes or her press materials, because she's actually a folky singer-songwriter... of which they're about a dime a dozen. Her set-up was sparse, just a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist who played bass or secondary guitar. The effect was a little sleepy at times, with a few songs sounding like they were vying for a spot on a "Quiet Is the New Loud" compilation. It wasn't all nap time jams, though. She managed to crank up the volume and do a respectable job of rocking out for her last song of the main set, but that was out of character for her. Her music's intimate charm would've been better suited to a smaller room; the sparsely attended show made the El Rey seem especially cavernous. The songs she sung in English seemed particularly insignificant, and instead of reminding me of Feist (which I now realize is a terrible comparison), reminded me of a less ragey Carina Round. The songs in French, though, were more captivating. Probably because I didn't understand what she was saying. It was all very tasteful and well-done, though at the end of the night I would've been hard-pressed to pick any of the songs she played out of a line-up.
But yeah, Matt Peck! It was fun catching up on old times and reminiscing about the salad days of LJ. That discussion basically went like this: No one posts anymore. The Internet's changed. We're old now. Also, when was the last time any of us added a new friend? Seems like those days are long gone. Sigh.
Eight weeks into the newish year and I finally went to my first show last night. It's a show that piqued my interest when I first saw it announced, but if it wasn't for Matt Peck being in town and suggesting we go, I probably would have passed on it. Glad I didn't though!The show was Dean and Britta and Keren Ann. While I like both acts enough to own most of their discography, I don't ever find myself craving their records. When I do listen to them it's like, oh, yeah, this is nice, but it doesn't really stay with me afterwards. I usually put on a Luna or Dean and Britta record right before bed, because I think it's good sleepy-time music. So I knew going in that the show was likely to be the least-rocking thing I'd seen in a while, and I was mostly right. Dean and Britta rocked in their own low-key manner; most songs were hazy and restrained, but occasionally Dean would stretch out a solo and coax some vigor out of a song. I love how their voices contrast with one another. I love that they're married and it's awkward to look at Britta because I feel like Dean's going to jump down into the crowd and punch me in the face. Anyway, I really enjoyed their set and I'm glad that I finally got to see them. (I always forget, but it's worth mentioning that Britta was the singing voice of JEM.)
Keren Ann was somewhat of a surprise. I'd always figured her to be more of a chanteuse, a pretty voice surrounded by polished session musicians and pristine production. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the liner notes or her press materials, because she's actually a folky singer-songwriter... of which they're about a dime a dozen. Her set-up was sparse, just a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist who played bass or secondary guitar. The effect was a little sleepy at times, with a few songs sounding like they were vying for a spot on a "Quiet Is the New Loud" compilation. It wasn't all nap time jams, though. She managed to crank up the volume and do a respectable job of rocking out for her last song of the main set, but that was out of character for her. Her music's intimate charm would've been better suited to a smaller room; the sparsely attended show made the El Rey seem especially cavernous. The songs she sung in English seemed particularly insignificant, and instead of reminding me of Feist (which I now realize is a terrible comparison), reminded me of a less ragey Carina Round. The songs in French, though, were more captivating. Probably because I didn't understand what she was saying. It was all very tasteful and well-done, though at the end of the night I would've been hard-pressed to pick any of the songs she played out of a line-up.
But yeah, Matt Peck! It was fun catching up on old times and reminiscing about the salad days of LJ. That discussion basically went like this: No one posts anymore. The Internet's changed. We're old now. Also, when was the last time any of us added a new friend? Seems like those days are long gone. Sigh.
