If you can look beyond what can only be described as the giant clusterfuck that led up to The Current's birthday bash last Friday night (ie: server down, fast sell-out, and frostbitten fingers & toes from waiting in line for an eternity), you can see the show for what it was: a Minneapolitan masterpiece.
You gotta love it when you can see a great local band twice in the span of two weeks. Unfortunately, because of the ridiculous nature of the line, I spent The Twilight Hours' first song OUTSIDE of First Ave taking in the musical stylings of Dude on the Corner Singing About Jesus. (Who, to be fair, I always find quite intriguing. Annoying? Certainly, but intriguing all the same. Who else makes up song lyrics as they go and believes in them so steadfastly?) Having seen TTH three times now, I can say that "Queen of Tomorrow" has easily become my favorite song. It has a certain "End of the World As We Know It" quality about it, but the tricky thing is that it lures you into thinking, "It's slower than 'End of the World As We Know It', so I'm sure I can sing along," and then BAM! You're trapped in a Tommy Boy-esque scene of garbling your words and singing nothing that qualifies as actual English. We all need these humbling experiences of inadequacy from time to time. Thank you for that, John and Matt.
Always excited to hear bands I've never heard play live, I was drawn in by Lookbook's first song, hitting hard with that "make out song" quality that brings us all back to the wayward days of our youth. (And wasn't that a great time when we had songs we'd just make out to?) I was simultaneously perplexed by Grant and impressed by Maggie: Is his only job to run the drum machine? Is his mic working? Wow, her voice is incredibly commanding when backed by the subtle echo effect going on. Once Grant got on the guitar it started making more sense, and the band was able to morph their sound from make out music to a Fame-inspired ditty that called for leotards and teased hair and ultimately ended with a song that left everyone wondering how we could have possibly left our glowsticks at home. I could've done without Grant stripping down to the aqua tank, but wardrobe aside, I was impressed by their ability to experiment in a wide rage of feelings all while maintaining a solid level of cohesiveness and integrity to their sound.
As a Gustie grad, I have a special place in my heart for Mason Jennings. It seemed like he played there at least once a year during my four years in Saint Peter, and every year--then 'til now--he's done nothing but expand and grow in popularity, thanks in large part to Jack Johnson. With each artist only given sets of about half an hour, I wondered how he could possibly choose from his extensive catalog but was elated that he dug out "Be Here Now", a classic, for Friday night's long-time fans. That said, I would like to impart an unpopular opinion….in the form of a criticism of Mason. (Gasp! Criticize Mason?!?! Surely ye jest!) I generally find myself listening to Mason and inwardly screaming for more--a crescendo here, a decrescendo there, anything but the typically flat range Mason appears to find comfort in and champion. Once in a great while he'll start to rock out a little, with a little more drive and passion, and the crowd goes nuts. Give us more of that, Mason!
I have now lost my P.O.S. virginity. Sort of against my will, but still… Rap isn't exactly what I'd call my preferred style, or anywhere in the top ten for that matter, but I held out and didn't retreat to the bathroom for the set. I stood amidst the crowd and vowed to listen, like a good music-obsessed girl should. P.O.S. knew how to work the lyrics like….well, like Live, actually. Here me out: You have to give a band like Live credit because never before in the history of music (and probably never again) will a band successfully write a hit single that includes the word placenta. "How did they pull that off? Will anyone ever achieve similar heights again?", we were all left to wonder. Enter P.O.S. My ears perked up and a smile spread across my face when I heard him equally as effectively use the word gingivitis. Right on, P.O.S. Right on. You have earned my respect.
With the live show that Solid Gold delivers, it's no wonder they're creating such a crazy buzz in the music community. Solid Gold has an absolutely genius knack for melding rock and electronica, and they have created an original voice; a voice that can--and will--take the country by storm, especially now that Shön Troth is on board playing slide and putting the band over that edge of originality and creating a thicker, more layered sound. It's almost as if Solid Gold's entire show is a hook, in and of itself. And how about that cover of Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone"?! Wow. Really--wow. Covers can be such a tricky arena in which to dive, but when a band can take a cover and a. make it their own, and b. make it potentially better than the original*, you know you're dealing with something special, if not monumental. Speaking of covers, with the electronic rock sound came a psychedelic vibe (in synch with the lighting of the show), and I half-expected them to break into a crazy rendition of "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" at any given instant. Maybe an idea for a future show? At the end of the night, I think Solid Gold was the band I was the most excited about and most refreshed by.
When my toes had re-gained feeling, I came to the conclusion that this was quite possibly the greatest $6.00 I've spent in a long, long while. Happy 5th Birthday, 89.3, and thank you for a kick-ass show.
*Covers that at least compete with the original include, but are not limited to:
-Stone Temple Pilot's "Dancing Days"
-Aerosmith's "Come Together"
-Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower"
No comments:
Post a Comment