of Montreal @ 9:30 Club

Of Montreal

At Lollapalooza 2009 we found ourselves at the side of the stage for their show... it was also one of the least muddy places that day.  We watched Kevin Barnes and his multiple players from the side through a 4 foot wide gap...  There were pigs and feathers and insanity, but we only could see 10% of it.

So we jumped at the chance to see them here at the 9:30 Club.  And with news of Susan Sarandon, all school marm, spanking the men costumed as pigs and Solange Knowles joining in for an encore at their NYC show, we stood on the edge of a sold out crowd.


It was craziness, smoke, strobe lights, acting, feathers... but the real show was the music... Du Og Meg was incredible, as well as An Eluardian Instance.  The tightness and looseness and the party atmosphere all added to a level of insanity that we couldn't quite grasp at Lollapalooza.


They ended with a Jackson 5 classic I Want You Back, with Michael Jackson dancing and afro wigs and everyone singing along.  


James Husband

While the band is made up of mostly of Montreal, the sound is a rockier version of the house band.  The fun carries through, and with references to the Sound of Music and a song that is the ultimate pop song, "Window".  The cellist and the guitarist dressed as Woody from toy story, came back onstage for the of Montreal encore.

Here's a slideshow so you can feel the insanity:

http://www.squij.com/Squijideos/ofMontreal930.wmv

We Are Scientists @ Black Cat

We Are Scientists

I saw them about a year ago, opening for Kings of Leon, just after the action packed Whigs at DAR Constitution Hall and they seemed lackluster (and the light guy must have gone on a coffee break).

Tonight's concert blew away that stifled feeling of that first show.  Keith Murray bounced and spun as he played with frenetic energy.  The dialog between Chris and Keith and their interaction with the crowd made this show so memorable.  My favorites were The Scene Is Dead and Nobody Home (a song they claim they wrote from scratch).  The "new" drummer Danny played exceedingly well especially since it was only his second show.  Dubbed "Mark Twain" he remained mute but laughed along with the running commentary between Keith and Chris...

Uninhabitable Mansions


8 Syllables of Fun.  This band made up of members of Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah and Annie Hall of Au Revoir Simone.  Their music is instantly likeable and they finished their set leaving us wanting more.  Rob actually bought their CD (which means he really really liked them).  I downloaded 4 songs free.  They are a must see if get the chance!

Annie Hall and Robbie Guertin

The Cribs @ 9:30 Club

The Cribs
The Jarman brothers put out the kind if music you wish you could play yourself. Singable, danceable, crowd surfable (barely). Tight and loud they played old and new with the 9:30 club crowd bouncing along.  I'm a Realist and Mirror Kisses were the best songs.  Be Safe was played with a video Lee Ranaldo of  Sonic Youth doing his spoken word piece shown behind the band.

A quick greet and pic with Johnny Marr fulfilled all my angsty teenage dreams.

The Dead Trees - Portland Oregon
Frenetic garage blues... The lead singer has the energy of Cyndi
Lauper and the red shoes too. Totally tolerable with flashes of
likability dosed with equal smatterings of annoyance.

Julian Casablancas - 9:30 Club

Julian Casablancas	While the drummer suffered a series of malfunctions, from bass drum repair ( which resulted in an ad-hoc song about Washington DC) to dropped cymbal, the band played so tight and really pushed Out Of the Blue to meteoric heights.  Even though 11th Dimension is the "single" all the songs carried through, obviously reminiscent of the Strokes, but with a synth edge.
"The Tanlines are Bert and Ernie, if Bert played a telecaster and sang and Ernie had a lot of expensive electronic equipment to play with." Caitlin Brown	The Tanlines