| This night was billed as "a show full of friends",
it came off exactly as it should have.
However, in order to get to the show i had to struggle through
the main room of the Knitting Factory to the back. In the main
room, The Knitting Factory was hosting it's first "Hip Hop Night".
It seemed a bit strange walking through the very crowded main
room with the music blaring and shaking the fillings in my teeth.
When i made it back into the rear room, I experienced something
of a music-whiplash from the drastic change.
Silversun Pickups went on right on timw and performed a great
set to a good sized crowd. They were playing with a replacement
drummer tonight, and it still sounded good. They moved quickly
through their short set in order to make way for the other artists.
Silversun Pickups sound keeps evolving. Now it is a flowing
noisy pop in the vain of Yo La Tengo, only more driving. They
also have a lot of raw power and emotion, which is why I keep
coming back to see this band. They are a lot more rocking now,
and I can't help but like this band more every time I see them
play.
Earlimart is a local band that is all over the place stylistically.
They have a couple releases with the indie label Devil in the
Woods and a release set for spring 2003 on Palm. Some of their
songs come off as being alt-country and others as noisy indie
pop songs. The vast majority of their songs are well-crafted,
but the massive shifts in tempo leaves the listener feeling
not quite at home. Overall they write and perform good music
but there is no continuity within a set, much less a complete
album. When they find a sound they will clearly be something
to check out.
By the time The Radar Brothers appeared on stage, the venue
had filled to a near capacity crowd. They began to thrill the
crowd with a set of mellow songs. They come off as being complete
professionals sure of what they are doing on stage as well as
presenting a well ordered set-list. After the previous music
discontonuity that was Earlimart, seeing the Radar Brothers
perform for nearly an hour was a relief. If you have listened
to their records then you know exactly what to expect. Complete
with full band (two guitars, bass, drums) they also add some
electronic knob-turners to add to the density and complexity
of their work. They present a very emotional set exploring highs
and lows in ways that most bands miss completely.
SO, this night started out loud and driving with Silversun
Pickups, but ended with the relaxing pace of The Radar Brothers.
I found it to be very refreshing. I didn't feel drained at the
end of the show but rather was in a more relaxed frame of mind.
Go see The Radar Brothers if they come to your town. Whether
it's after a long day at work or at school, you'll feel ready
to take on all of the next days tasks after relaxing your mind
for a bit to the sounds of these beautifully different Angelinos. |
