Frightened Rabbit, Bodies of Water, Sons and Daughters
@ Johnny Brenda's
Philadelphia, PA - March 23, 2008
Last Sunday was Easter, and like a good lapsed Catholic I skipped Church, oversaw an egg hunt, had dinner with the family, and then beelined it to Fishtown for a rock show that could have raised the dead.
I had a great night at Johnny Brenda’s; the bands went 3 and 0 on a pretty diverse bill, and I even discovered a new beer. Also, I got there just as the music was starting so that was pretty cool as well.
Let’s start it from the top… Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit were fresh off a slew of shows at SXSW, and I have to wonder where the concept “showcase” applied more, here or down in Texas. The crowd, obviously more familiar with the bands to come, was somber as the band set up on stage. The area right in front of the stage was forbidden ground; hipsters hid in the corners and under the balcony with crossed arms and glowering eyes.
The band would have to win over the crowd one jaded soul at a time, and from the opening bars it seemed they would be up to the task. The jangly guitars and rolling pastoral feel of their recorded work translates live into furious strumming and urgent rhythms, creating a wall of sound that subtly turns and shifts underneath the guitars and vocals.
The changes are smooth and almost subconscious; as the unrelenting rhythm engulfs the room, its persistence becomes almost a mantra - hypnotizing like a raga, or a Philip Glass piece. Early on the band broke the ice by explaining the treacherous tasks that lay ahead for those brave enough to pre-order their new album: “you get a code that you enter on the website,” we’re told, “then you must cross the troll’s bridge and answer his three questions.” They also chatted a few times with a fan who, as he did at their Philly show last year, kept requesting Neil Young songs.
But the lynchpin was the music, expertly and energetically played. The staid crowd loosened up, tapping toes and nodding appreciatively. Halfway through the set the band unleashed a modified train beat that sounded like a cut from Led Zeppelin III filtered through Wilco and Radiohead. The nodding turned to head bobbing, and the space in front of the stage began to fill up.
By the time Frightened Rabbit played their final song, the crowd had moved forward en masse, more head bobbing, more toes tapping. Arms uncrossed and people finally started to dance. Frightened Rabbit’s sophomore LP, The Midnight Organ Fight hits stores April 15th on FatCat Records. The band’s hasn’t quite broken stateside yet, but this disc has a pretty good chance of changing all that.
www.frightenedrabbit.com
Bodies of Water Where the hell was this band when I was in high school, listening to Jefferson Airplane and wondering if anyone made good music anymore? I posed this question to their keyboardist after the set; she said she never thought of the comparison until someone else had made it a few weeks prior. “We didn’t even play the one where I do a real Grace Slick [vibrato]” she told me, and punctuated it with a throaty, fluctuating “whoaaaaaaaa.”
The band’s trademark is undoubtedly their vocals – most of the time all five members are singing, either in unison or harmonizing. Along with the aforementioned Airplane, there’s also a Mamas and The Papas thing going on with the group vocals and folky, psychedelic sound.
The band started out with a multi-part number, one that threatened to be a yawner, but quickly picked up the pace and kept changing every few minutes or so. Think King Crimson with far less wankery. From there, the band played long songs, alternating between mood-setting minor key movements and songs that frequently changed tempos and parts.
Bodies of Water have a good sense of timing, playing instrumental passages and freakout sections long enough to mesmerize, but cutting them off just before they start to get old. My only complaint was a long, rambling onstage dialogue about how their set is like a “choose your own adventure” book. It threatened to derail the momentum, but the chatter was kept short after that. I was also told later that the band does actually make up their set lists on the spot, so more credit to them for their ability to feel out a crowd.
I picked up the band’s disc, Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink, and was surprised to find that their recorded work focuses a lot more on the gang vocals than instrumental passages, and that said vocals were colored with a bit of 70’s kitsch. However, once my ears adjusted the album proved an interesting listen – imagine Isis interpreting Godspell, or maybe Brian Wilson’s Smile. I couldn’t say that that Bodies of Water is for everybody, but anybody that has an appreciation for 60s vocals and harmonies and analog sonic landscapes will find something to enjoy here.
www.bodiesofwater.net
Sons and Daughters
What to say about this band, really? Their album, This Gift, doesn’t do any justice at all to their live show.
Visually they’re stunning – guitarist Scott Paterson resembles a young Brian Setzer, drummer David Gowlooks a bit like Paul Siminon. Off to the side, Ailidh Lennon is nearly emotionless behind her bass, eyes as dark as her jet black hair. The centerpiece, of course, is vocalist Adele Bethel. Adorned in glitter and a retro miniskirt, she slinks sexily around the stage like a debauched Ronnette.
This was easily the most energetic live show I’ve seen so far this year. Sons and Daughters fleshes out their New Wave-informed garage rock with a little bit of rockabilly and a whole lot of energy. The backline is steady and solid, pounding out perfect backbeats or charging like a freight train while Paterson riffs like crazy and occasionally trades lines with Bethel. Somehow I think that this is what people in the 50s envisioned what rock n roll would sound like 50 years later.
There’d be more to this review, but halfway through the set I put the notepad down, descended from the balcony, and wandered into the middle of the crowd for maximum exposure. There’s not much more to say anyway, expect to go see the band when they come to your town.
www.sonsanddaughtersloveyou.com
Bonus! Midnight Movies
Assumedly in the spirit of the holiday, there’s an Easter Egg on Midnight Movies’ website – check out their Band page for a quirky little video.
I finally got around to checking out their cover of Nights in White Satin. The Moody Blues and I go way back; my high school band even covered this one at our talent show senior year.
I’m a big fan of what Midnight Movies does, and Gena Olivier’s sultry vocals are the freakin’ cat’s ass (yes, that’s a compliment, and also the worst pull quote ever). However, I didn’t dig this track as much as I would have liked. The band’s a bit stilted in waltz time, but they did manage to pick up some steam and get some nice moves in during the second half of the song.
At any rate, if you haven’t picked up Lion The Girl yet, I recommend it as one of my favorite finds of 2007. I’m currently awaiting my mail-order copy of their eponymous debut; something to hold me over until their EP comes out on vinyl.
(Just for kicks, here’s an MP3 of the aforementioned high school band take on Nights: - http://download.yousendit.com/D8138D6D4EB28900 thanks to John Ciocci - www.myspace.com/hardcidermusic -for digging this one out of the archives!) www.midnightmovies.net
Labels: Bodies of Water, Frightened Rabbit, Johnny Brenda's, Midnight Movies, rock n roll, Sons and Daughters, SP Philadelphia, SP Philly Gig Reviews
