The working subtitle for this photoessay was almost Fuck Everything Else, Indie Rock Wins Forever. Because there's no other way to say it: Nada Surf puts on one hell of a pulsing, swoonworthy, face-shredding rock show. And not just any kind of rock, mind you -- this is fully legit indie rock, a term that gets tossed around way too loosely these days. You just have to know it when you see it: in this case, Nada Surf delivers their particular take, with the kind of big-guitar storytelling madness that keeps the crowd moving for the duration of the set, while blowing out eardrums in the most beautiful of ways. Without hesitation, I'll even go so far as to say that Nada Surf comes damn close to giving bands like the Wrens a run for their money -- and those of you who know my personal dedication to all things Wrens know the {musical} gravity with which I speak when I make that kind of a statement.
To wit: the setlist was flawless, and opener Eric Elbogen {nee Say Hi} did a tremendous job warming up the crowd with his batch of attention-grabbing, carefully delivered songs. I only wish more people would have stopped their yammering to pay more mind to his set, but with a sold-out venue that's on their tip-toes readying to rock the fuck out, there's only so much you can expect past the first five or six rows.
Just when we thought the new track from Nada Surf, "When I Was Young" {off the stars are indifferent to astronomy, which is officially out tomorrow on Barsuk} couldn't get any better, we stumbled across this gem of a video. While it's definitely a stripped-down version that doesn't have the same big, building, wall-of-sound vibe that the full band delivery brings, the intimacy and DIY element make this rendition a treasure of a whole other caliber -- and, of course, seeing and hearing this has gotten us that much more excited for the currently-sold-out show at the Tractor next Thursday.
Yep. Believe it or not, Nada Surf is playing at the Tractor. What's that? You didn't get tickets in time? Well, you're in luck: we're giving away a pair to one lucky winner, and you've got a whole week to enter to win! Just send us an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls {dot} com with the subject line "PicturesInOurPretendWallets" sometime between now and 5pm on Friday, January 27th. We'll pick a winner over the weekend, and notify you on Monday morning that you're headed to Thursday's show.
Good luck!
{21+ / 8p doors / SOLD OUT / Say Hi opens. Hat tip to Laura Musselman for sending the video our way!}
Sloan is a bands' band - one of those bands that really smart people like and quote... and not just because they had that really amazing college-radio hit, "Underwhelmed" back in the 90's {although that song is why they always have a firm place in my heart}.
Sloan, The Double Cross (Yep Roc) is workman-like in the best ways for indie rock. The twelve songs all seem like one cunning extended riff on making a good life in spite of the unforeseen plans caused by caustic partners, and Jay Ferguson, Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, and Andrew Scott pump it up full of a little-more-rock-than-power-pop, a lot-less-raw-than-punk bang and snap. There's a heavy taste of betrayal salt on most songs' lips, which makes the leanness and levity of the hooks and tempos that much more appreciated. Some of these are definitely my favorite Sloan songs, with very direct "Unkind" being the kind of not-bitter-but-a-broken anthem possibly being the best in the pack, but "Shadow of Love" is thrift store sweater swoony, "Laying So Low" has a keen cinematic-existential loner vibe, and the best news is that it's completely enjoyable from start to finish (and it's neat that you really don't care where you might be in there, from the way it's squash-sequenced). (7.5)
Their show at the Tractor Tavern this Saturday {June 4} is a must-see... just so you can talk about it next time you're at the merch booth of a really smart band you're trying to impress {and as evidenced by the above video, they are also hella-nice}.
We have been lucky enough to get a sneak listen to the new BOAT album, Dress Like Your Idols, releasing March 22, 2011 on Magic Marker Records and it rocks our sloppy pop socks off. If the album's cover art didn't give it away, the album is an aural thumbing through their personal record (and cassette tape) bins, paying homage to their influences with blatant Pixies references ("When Frank Black Says (No. 14 Baby)") and sly Pavement croons (as in "Kinda Scared of Love Affairs"). The collection of pop songs prove they are ready for prime time. They are still experts in the friendly quirk pop genre, but this time the expertly recorded songs burst with a swagger confidence (confi-pop?). And one Long Winters' inspired track, "Landlocked" even features guest vocals by John Roderick.
In true to analog BOAT cardbaord cutout form, the band has put together a special limited edition cassette gift for the first 100 pre-orders of this, their fourth studio album. The cassette features demos from Dress Like Your Idols and covers (click through to see track listing and video). Plus the b side will feature a D. Crane mix-tape.
I can't wait to see what tricks and treats the band has up their sleeve when at their album release show at the Tractor Tavern on Friday, March 25 (with Pickwick and Concours d'Elegance).
{photo credit: the lovely Laura Musselman, courtesy of our imaginary flickr pool}
Now that we're all done with Sasquatch, it's time to set our sights on the next raddest lineup to hit the west coast: it's Noise for the Needy, 2010 edition. There's close to seventy-five bands and djs playing a baker's dozen of venues next weekend, when NFTN takes over every corner of Seattle from June 9th (Thursday) through the 13th (Sunday). Among the notables in big font this year are John Vanderslice, Visqueen, HorseFeathers, Delta Spirit, the Maldives, The Album Leaf, Animals at Night, The Portland Cello Project, and The Redwood Plan -- along with enough supporting acts to make your head spin. Tickets are available atBrown Paper Tickets, or you can just buy a la carte at each show / venue -- although there's some sweet all-access wristband deals being offered if you want to rock it like that.
If you've got plans tonight, cancel them and go to the Tractor.
I'm not kidding.
Tonight, one of our favorite Ballard venues is getting ready to host one of my new favorite imaginary artists -- the one and only Chris Pureka. Touring behind her latest release, How I Learned to See in the Dark, Pureka will be gracing Seattle tonight with her intelligent, swoonworthy, heartbreaking alt.americana amazingness. Over the course of her career, she's written some of the saddest songs you'll ever love to have been slain by -- especially so with the most recent compositions from How I Learned to See..., which you can read about in more detail here. (In case you missed us gushing about it the first time.)
There's not much else to say about tonight, aside from the fact that it's going to be one of those shows you wish you saw when... so if you haven't gotten your tickets for tonight's show -- act fast. As of late yesterday it was just about sold out!
The Moondoggies have captured our beard-loving northwestern hearts. They play American music.. music that is warm, stilted with lush harmonies and hinting at a prevalent and haunting sense of wanderlust. And much like most bands these days, their sound can't be classified singley. It's country. It's gospel. It's a rollicking bar-jam that is at once revelatory and mournful.
Just a quick plug for my choice for tonight's show, an out-of-nowhere reunion of one of Seattle's best recent rock bands, The Cops! Their two albums are essential in the Naughty Oughts canon of Pacific NW punk-related goodness, and everyone who saw them when actually "together" realized how diverse and hale they were, astonishing even Dave Day of god-level Monks when he saw them at a Saturday Knights show at Havana (shortly before his much mourned passing).
It's a holiday blessing to have them back tonight at the Tractor, and I doubt they've lost any amount of that sparkle or big beat bash. Meanwhile, also on the bill is "thee" ferocious Thee Sgt. Major lll and "my new thang," roots-bastards Eugene Wendell & The Demon Rind. Singer/songwriter and long-time music business veteran Ian Moore recorded and co-wrote the Seattle band's nine song demo currently getting passed around by rock and rye, in the ditch, gut-bucket fucked up folk-rock fans. Mixed and mastered by Kurt Bloch, band focal point Kwab Copeland writes raw, rustic verse set to rollicking badland bomp.
Erin McKeown, the folk singer-songwriter who plays tonight at the Tractor with fellow traveller Jill Sobule, has a song on her newest album called "(Put the Fun Back in) Funeral", which isn't quite as fun as it might sound, but that is one of many reasons why I like Erin McKeown and recommend her show tonight. My favorite song, actually from her album, Hundreds of Lions (released on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe label) is the one that precedes "Funeral", the upbeat "The Foxes", which is a catchy little song complimented by McKeown's voice, which here is neither soft and delicate nor rough and abrasive, somewhere just in the middle.
Hundreds of Lions can boast of being a number one album, if you look at the charts in a certain way. It was the number one album on Amazon's mp3 charts briefly a few days after its release (although Amazon's digital sales make up a small fraction of the digital sales that are computed into Billboard's charts - the bulk still comes from iTunes). Still, how many people can boast of playing songs from their "number one album" truthfully? McKeown will be doing just that tonight at the Tractor. Well, I don't know if she'll boast about it (it is sort of a technicality), but she could.
![[john vanderslice / by laura musselman]](/files/uploaded-images/LM_JV.jpg)
![[chris pureka \ how I learned to see in the dark]](/files/uploaded-images/highres-press-shot2.jpg)
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