Three Imaginary Girls - Nectar

This weekend: Happy Birthday to some fellow Seattle music websites

ChrisB — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:00:36 +0000

This weekend, some of Seattle's best music websites (and even better friends) are celebrating their birthdays and they've got your weekend booked with fantastic shows that showcase the talent and diversity of the Northwest. Back Beat Seattle is turning one on Friday and Ear Candy is celebrating it's birthday with what its founder, editor, chief, etc... Travis Hay calls "Ear Candy's Weekend of Awesome" and has shows Saturday and Sunday night at different clubs. Also quite thrilling: Dagmar and Amelia from Back Beat and Travis from Ear Candy have all written for TIG before starting their own flourishing websites.

Back Beat's show is Friday at the Blue Moon and it features Blood Red Dancers, THEESatisfaction and What What Now. It all goes down starting at 10pm and you'll need $5 and ID proving you're at or over 21 to get in the door.

Win tickets to see Kid Koala's The Slew at Nectar

ChrisB — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:44:31 +0000

Kid Koala is one of the giants in turntablism and is one of the most skilled DJs around.

Next week, he's bringing his ambitious project The Slew to Nectar for a show next Thursday, September 24 that should be one of the best parties of the week. The idea behind The Slew is that Koala is spinning records from six turntables while being backed by the former rhythm section from the rock band Wolfmother. Even if with it being on a work night, I'm intrigued to check it out. I've enjoyed what I've heard from the album The Slew: 100%, which you can download from Kid Koala's website.

Even better, we have a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky reader. To enter, you just need to be over 21 and send an e-mail with "TheSlew" in the subject line to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before Monday morning (Sept. 21) at 9am. The winner will be notified shortly after that.

Photo by SekondHandProjects from Kid Koala's MySpace page.

Loopin' & Boopin' to The Field and The Juan MacLean

Imaginary Shrie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:34:12 +0000

8 Jun 2009

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I first saw Sean Horton, otherwise known as DJ Nordic Soul, perform at the Moderat/Truckasaurus show last month and really felt that his DJing was one of the highlights of the entire gig. He transitioned from slow and easy to bass-thumping rhythms, spinning treasures like Gui Boratto, Mu, Justice and Modeselektor. With that listing of tracks, I think I've found my DJ of choice in Mr. Nordic Soul.

Last year The Field, aka Axel Willner, packed Chop Suey with sweaty dancing bodies in support of his abso-fucking-lutely stellar '07 release From Here We Go To Sublime. I had a second opportunity to see him at Nectar last night in support of the Juan MacLean, and while the intensity of the show wasn't up to par from his previous Seattle performance, he was an apt supporting slot for DFA disco-queens The Juan MacLean.

Electronic music, especially blissed-out minimalist techno, isn't usually much for the indie rock spotlight. Crossover dance-punk bands garner kudos of attention but artists like The Field rarely cross over into familiarity within those circles. The Field did that, and more (in part due to the glowing P4K review of their last album). The Field's pool of influences runs deep and in no situation is that more evident than their live show. Wisps of My Bloody Valentine and Can reveal themselves amidst the straight 4/4 repetitiveness that makes his music so enrapturing.

You could get lost in these beats if you weren't careful, and that's exactly what he aims to lure you into doing with his sleek monotony and infectious vocal loops. His sequencing is perfection, rendering what could be considered dance music for theIDMers. John Stanier of Battles drummed on his latest album and accompanies him on tour, with two other band members, creating a more bombastic depth of sound.

The Juan MacLean, mostly-duo Nancy Whang and John MacLane (who looks an awfully lot like THAT John MacLane, as IGer ChrisB pointed out), are a pure and true example of what a DFA band sounds like. There's the post-disco push, sexy female vocals and pop sensibility that infiltrate virtually every DFA release. This is a band of multi-taskers (no doubt setting themselves up for an ADD-infused future, but having a blast in the process), John switching from theremin to cowbell and back again and Nancy taking her turn on the keys, vocals and shaker, while the rest of the band was equally frenetic with their multi-instrumentations.

Their sound is snazzy and brassy, and the crowd wailed at each upturn, frothed and prepared by the capable The Field beforehand. Nancy strutted in her blue jumpsuit, faintly grooving to the creepy blip of the keyboards and adding more than her two cents in vocal sweetness. The absolute highlight of their set was their lauded hit "Happy House", the fully extended version, clocking in at nearly double the album version. This song alone would have satisfied the audience, as was evident by their jubilant response to the climax, only to be worked up into another and then another peak.

The Juan MacLean's electro-pop is a crowd-pleaser. John and Nancy are equally matched, sharing vocal and songwriting duties, meshing to form a whole greater than it's parts. And for better or worse, I kept having flashbacks of the LCD Soundsystem performance I experienced at the Showbox. Their sound is remarkably similar, but I can't complain: that LCD show was one of the best of my life. Next time a DFA band rolls through town you bet your britches I'll be there. I couldn't possibly pass up such a consistent, downright exciting live show... and you shouldn't either.

Tonight's Recommended Show: The Juan MacLean & The Field

Imaginary Shrie — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:43:41 +0000

DFA's The Juan MacLean and Kompakt's new star The Field will blow through Nectar tonight, revving up my Monday and setting the pace for the week.

The last time The Juan MacLean played Seattle, another imaginary, the illustrious ChrisB, was fortunate enough to see The Juan MacLean and thought pretty highly of their performance.

Electro-minimalists The Field's barebones steady build-ups sweeping into sweet climax are the perfect antidote to herky jerky electro. His technique is sly and comfortable and never surprising. The bumping bass pushes it to the dancefloor, though the encompassing feel of his music is more IDM, amazing headphone fodder.

The Juan MacLean, stage name of John MacLean and accompanied by Nancy Whang, by contrast is rolling pop, steely and aloof. Their drum-driven style, laced with acid-house and subtly tweaked, is a smooth partner to The Field. Post-disco elements and an overt dance-pop vibe are prevalent, as with most DFA artist albums.

June 08 / 9:00PM @ Nectar Lounge

21+ / $15 adv

Nectar, Decibel, KEXP & The Stranger Presents:

DFA + Kompakt Tour

Win tickets to see The Juan MacLean at Nectar

ChrisB — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:49:49 +0000

On Monday, June 8, The Juan MacLean will return to Nectar on a co-headlining tour with The Field. Tickets are $15 - and worth it - but even better: we have a pair of tickets to give away to one of our lucky readers. To enter, just send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before Wednesday, June 3 with "Juan MacLean" in the subject line. The winner will be notified shortly thereafter.

Dark Material, a short documentary featuring a score by Anomie Belle, screens at SIFF

ChrisB — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:14:06 +0000

Dark Material is the award-winning, 7-minute documentary that screens at SIFF this year. It was scored by local trip-hop artist Anomie Belle.

Photo Essay: Headlights w/ The Love Language & Alligators

Steve Louie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:05:22 +0000

7 Apr 2009

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Headlights w/ the Love Language & Alligators

I was really looking forward to this show since seeing them last year at the Nectar Lounge. They've toured like crazy in the past year supporting their 2008 album "Some Racing, Some Stopping". They quickly followed up a Remixes album in the same year. The anticipation of whether there will be a new album was looming.

Alligators took the stage first while Headlights were still trucking in their gear into the venue as they came in late. Right away I thought "Oh man, they still gotta do a sound check then". A minor distraction but the pop sounds of Alligators made forget about that. They came across to me as pleasant creative pop. On their myspace page, they created 4 seperate myspace pages spelled out "all" "iga" "to" "rs" and lined them up in their Top 16 friends to spell out the name of their band. Clever. You should check them out. Alligators play their next show with Portugal the Man @ the Crocodile.

The Love Language. Beautiful folks hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina that are on tour with Headlights. They all got on stage ready to rock with drinks in hand but then were told no drinks on stage. Whoops. Some law or something that you can't have them on there. No matter though, the sweet combination of pop, Americana and soul searing through their melodies was enough to get the party started anywhere.

Headlights. They looked a little tired coming in late and then having to do a quick sound check before playing. Members of the gregarious bunch the Love Language, eagerly filed to the front of the stage for a song or two during Headlights banging away on tambourines. This seemed to energize the band even more and elevate the interaction between the crowd and the band.

It was refreshing to see them play new songs which sounded great. Their third full length will be out in August.

setlist:

Dead Ends
Secrets
Market Girl
Death
All Gonna Die
Get Your Head Around It
Chery Tulips
Mill
Yr Old St
Psych Jam

Headlights will be back in town opening for Loney Dear @ the Crocodile Wednesday, May 13th.

Gregarious indie pop of Headlights and The Love Language

Gui Boratto packs Nectar

Imaginary Shrie — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:27:34 +0000

8 Apr 2009

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Before a few weeks ago, no one I talked to even knew who Gui Boratto is. However, his show at the Nectar Lounge last night was packed. God bless our wonderful KEXP, but if they hadn't been hyping him all day, having him perform on air in the early evening, there would have been half the number of people there and a whole lot more room to dance my ass off.

Gui's music is dance music for the intellectual. The layers are various, staccoto synths and glittery rushes hovering over crawling ambient backgrounds. There was a lot of anticipation in the air and Gui didn't disappoint. The set was solid and lush from the beginning, the lulls felt lavish and pulled you in, like an ocean undercurrent. He only stopped briefly to smile and to light a cigarette, which was quickly snuffed by Nectar security.

Favorites from his 2007 release Chromophobia (including the fantastic single "Beautiful Life") and some choice new tracks off his '09 album Take My Breath Away were included in Gui's set. Non-album tracks were interspersed for maximum danceable value, and his performance was definitely "clubbier" than his albums, but no less enjoyable. Gui Boratto's music is about the build up and release, the delicate tension in between his rhythms and the satisfactory way he releases them into the next wave of moody bass-lines.

This is feel good music without the quirk, unabashed clean-the-house music that is equally as transcendent while sitting snug with your honey on a beautiful night drive. Austere and soaked in a sweaty sheen, Gui's beats were a perfect catalyst for the energy at Nectar. The body of people moved, arms reaching into the air in prelude to a crescendo letdown that sent the crowd into a skittering mass of limbs.

Live, Gui is a perfect blend of pop and house, deliberately punctuated by upbeat melodies and relying on very simplistic design. But nothing beats putting on some headphones, slapping on some Gui Boratto, and dancing like nobody's watching.

Tonight's Recommended Show: Gui Boratto at Nectar

Imaginary Shrie — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:33:03 +0000

This show will shake Nectar down to the beams. Don't miss Brazilian laptop extraordinaire Gui Boratto @ Nectar!

Tonight's Recommended Show: Alice Russell at Nectar

ChrisB — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:57:52 +0000

Alice Russell may not be a bigger name than Duffy or Amy Winehouse but she does have a bigger voice. She plays at Nectar tonight.

A solid night of indie pop with Love Is All, Vivian Girls, and Nodzzz

imaginary keenan — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:57:36 +0000

23 Nov 2008

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I set out last Sunday to Nectar with a night full of possibility. My show companion wanted to get there early to check out the opening band, Nodzzz. Neither of us had heard them before, but people who had seen the tour previously had been telling my friend that they might be the best band on the bill. So, we diligently got there early.

Upon walking in, I could tell that this was definitely the show of the night, as I instantly ran into tons of people I hadn’t seen in forever and didn’t expect to see at the show. As soon as Nodzzz started, I could tell I was going to like them. Despite their terrible name, their shambolic crash pop sound with songs usually under two minutes reminiscent of a messier Feelies was right up my alley, and I spent their entire set dancing about.

Up next were Vivian Girls, who I mistakenly suspected were headlining the show because of their current buzz. I managed to sneak in the back just as they started. I was pleasantly surprised that they sounded much more like Tiger Trap (i.e. – faster, dancier poppy punk) than I had imagined. Their self-titled release that everyone has been talking about is so drenched in thick reverb I’ve had a hard time making it through, and it was nice to see that Vivian Girls were much more energetic and personable live than I had previously imagined. (Side note – while their set did include a Beach Boys cover, they did not play their slowest song “Where Do You Run”, the one that KEXP has been playing constantly that always reminds me of Black Tambourine.)

Following Vivian Girls’ fun set, were Gothenburg’s Love Is All. I’ve previously mentioned how much I adore these Swedes, and they did not disappoint. They opened with my current song du jour “Wishing Well” and continued the on with their rousing keyboard and saxophone soaked dance pop sounding like X-Ray Spex meets the Clean. I especially enjoyed their brand new song about the dangers of waking up too early (like hitting your head on a shelf and slipping in the shower). Maybe it’s just my fascination with Swedish folk, but everything they did was absolutely adorable and I had a smile on my face the entire set.

(photos: Steve Louie)

I was pleasantly surprised that they sounded much more like Tiger Trap than I had imagined.

El Guincho Unleashes the World on Nectar

Imaginary Shrie — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:34:18 +0000

24 Nov 2008

I've been praising the inspired calypso-trance work of El Guincho for months now. The transcendent, global feel of his album Alegranza! outshines any other album that I've gotten my grubby lil fingers on this year. Exotic tropicalia mashed together with rotating sample loops and pulsating body rockin' rhythms made for a refreshing live experience at the Nectar last night. Portland keytar artist Copy and the ever-fetching DJ Kid Hops opened the show.

Seeing El Guincho play was a bit different than I expected. The people that came to see him came to dance. There weren't many stiff-bodied hipsters, but instead I saw several over-60s shakin' it hard (or as hard as they could). El Guincho and another instrumentalist started straightaway with several new songs. It took a few to get the crowd loose, but by the time they played "Palmitos Park" and "Kalise" it was a sweaty dancy mess inside Nectar, with only a few people retreating outside to the cool air. Halfway through their set, El Guincho stopped the music to complain about the way the monitors sounded and after a short intermission they were underway again.

Their performance was steeped more in the world music end of their musical balancing act. There was nothing shiny about El Guincho, nothing slick or urban European. He was making music from his home (Canary Islands) and blending it with all the music that has influenced him during his travels and from his current home (Barcelona). There was an infectious, almost rabid, feeling in the air that pulled me into dancing. I was pleasantly accosted by a female neighbor to my right, encouraging me to dance, exclaiming she had only heard El Guincho today and was very much enjoying the show.

I guess what set this show apart for me was the dancing camaraderie and the authenticity of the music. Deeply layered in percussion and repetitious rhythms, just hearing and feeling what they were playing took you to another place entirely. I see lots of grimy indie bands and polished glitch artists, but there is something so much more primal and natural about seeing artists perform music that began before you were born and will continue long after you're dead. As good (not great) as the show was, listening to Alegranza! on headphones takes the cake. That's where the dance party in my underwear happens... alone in the house, and alone with the world and it's amazing cacophony of sound.

There was nothing shiny about El Guincho, nothing slick or urban European.

Looking for somewhere to shake your ass this weekend? Go see Love Is All and Vivian Girls at Nectar!

imaginary keenan — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:13:24 +0000

Sweden's Love Is All have been one of my indie pop crushes for quite some time, and I've never had the pleasure of seeing them rock out live, but that will all change this Sunday at Nectar! They'll be performing with non other than Brooklyn's toast of the town, Vivian Girls (who have been slowly working their way under my skin for weeks now).

Sleepy Eyes of Death, Zach Hill, and Subtle: Nectar leaks fog and incredible music

Amelia Gydé — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:07:08 +0000

8 Oct 2008

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Sleepy Eyes of Death had my full attention. The band's chilling yet warm, intoxicating yet detoxifying music is tingly and lush recorded, and pushes past itself to truly shine live. I always get lost in music at their shows – it pours out with their fog.

Sleepy Eyes is the first band since Hovercraft that makes me forget I’m seeing an instrumental band, makes me forget I’m seeing a band at all, and transports me somewhere completely else.

And they’re tough - they proved under difficult circumstances (Block Party) that they can pull off a beautiful unexpectedly stripped-down set fueled by... well, I’ll just say that they were somehow calm and professional as the sound and fog debacle unfolded, and then tore out the few songs they had time for. They were completely worth the wait.

Nectar was a fun venue for this show as music and fog were allowed to stream out into the night. About halfway through “Dark Signals,” I totally lost touch with my surroundings and just let the rest of the set uncurl, which was fantastic and exhilarating. “Pulse From Breath” was another highlight.

Keep it up, Sleepy Eyes. Keep the fog too. The dimensions added were immeasurable.

After Sleepy Eyes, I stayed put at the stage while my moderately drunk friends wandered around the venue. Zach Hill was up next and I was not going to move, even if it meant slipping into sobriety. Great drummers witnessed live stand out in a way that sticks with you. I remember Fleetwood Mac’s show for Mick (he drums like the Muppets’ Animal), Def Leppard’s (it was 1983 – they were really good then, I promise) for Rick (yes, both arms), and The Boredoms for...The Boredoms, to name a few. Zach Hill is different. Sure, he was alone on stage, but he could have been joined by a stampeding rhino herd and I doubt it would have mattered much. I didn’t know drumming like that was possible. His inhuman 30+ minute continuous set shifted fluidly, furiously, beautifully, and the accompanying music was slight and slipped smoothly under Zach’s carefully placed and impossibly fast beats.

I learned recently from a drummer I greatly respect that I know absolutely nothing about what makes a drummer technically good. So instead of trying to break down Zach’s set, I’ll throw out a list of some of my favorite local drummers -- Steve Moriarty, Tim Cady, Jeff Keenan, Trent Moorman, Bill Cole, Korum Bischoff, Dan Peters, Lisa Smith, Chloe (of Smoosh), Keith Negley -- and say that to my untrained ears and simply for what his music did to me, Zach Hill blows them all away.

Zach’s energy was tough to match, but my second night with Subtle confirmed what I suspected: they are an insane and tight band; that first show I saw in Portland wasn’t a fluke, and I was about to be treated to another dynamic set.

A close friend was celebrating his birthday that night and I thoughtfully switched places with him for awhile, giving up my spot at the stage. Adam was on his now-familiar prowl, fake-punching his way along the front row and rubbing my friend’s head, checking a pulse now and then, and turning a reading of The 88’s rider into very entertaining performance art. Subtle is an energetic band that demands your attention -- a fun way to end a memorable night.

Sleepy Eyes is the first band since Hovercraft that makes me forget I’m seeing an instrumental band, makes me forget I’m seeing a band at all, and transports me somewhere completely else.

DJ Spooky's big ideas

ChrisB — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:34:58 +0000

1 Nov 2008

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If Bruce Springsteen was right when he said that “Bob [Dylan] freed your mind the way that Elvis freed your body”, what do we do with the rare artists who free both?

I’m not saying they automatically deserve the same lionization that Elvis and Dylan (and Springsteen) have, all of whom have very secure legacies (and deservedly so). My only point is that more people should pay attention to Paul D. Miller, or DJ Spooky.

Miller is a thinker who DJs; a very big thinker. On Saturday night he came through Seattle for two separate events that are both important to grasping his genius. The first was a dinner through One Pot and that was followed by his DJ set at Nectar later that evening. The dinner was to discuss his latest book, Sound Unbound and the DJ set was to showcase his tribute to Stax Records, the legendary soul label that recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. I was fortunate enough to attend both.

The dinner took place in a gorgeous loft in Capitol Hill, two large banquet tables, lots of smart, interesting people milling around, eating delicious food and drinking wine. After everyone had eaten some delicious risotto, Miller gave a brief talk about how trends throughout the music industry and how software affects its creation and distribution. There were a couple of points that stood out to me, one of which was that Miller said jazz artists scorned hip hop when it was an emerging art form because of its reliance on sampling. He also offered his insights as a working artist who gets the use of the internet as a democratizing force and its difficulty in culling intellectual property laws.

Some of his material screams pretention, like a forthcoming film he’s working on after spending time in Antarctica to capture “the sound of ice”, but his musical project this evening was much more accessible. Titled “Video Soul”, Spooky’s DJ set at Nectar was played to a pretty large crowd at Nectar and had gotten a lot of people dancing; going on at 12:30 and continuing until at least 2:20 (when the wine and risotto were finally catching up to me). He had a monitor projecting video of legendary soul artists while he spun and mixed records. Nectar was largely full, although not crowded for the set. Still, even at 2:20, when I left (or was it 1:20 due to Daylight Savings Time?), the place was still about half full. It had the feel of a great party. Although it was the day after Halloween, many people were still dressed in costumes.

DJ Spooky made mixing and turntablism seem easy, going from one beat to another without missing a step (only around 2:15 did I notice one awkward transition) but for the most part it was pretty flawless. He often mixed a lot of soul performances with more contemporary hip hop beats. It worked very well for the evening, giving the crowd big, 4/4 beats to dance to while still hearing music from Aretha Franklin or James Brown or Gloria Jones’s original version of “Tainted Love”.

What I like about hip hop music is that it operates within its community first. I live in Rainier Valley (south Seattle, at least until the end of the month) and hear often hear Geologic of Blue Scholars or Sir Mix-a-lot rhyme about places I drive past every day. With DJ Spooky, his community is made up of ideas and thinkers. He often takes part in discussions with classical composers, writers, public intellectuals, etc… and writes eloquently on art’s intersection with our daily lives. Saturday night we thought about those ideas and danced to his beats. DJ Spooky, through two separate and unique events, showed his big ideas in both theory and practice.

DJ Spooky, through two separate and unique events, showed his big ideas in both theory and practice.

New Kindness Kind record (and shows) coming soon

ChrisB — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:04:22 +0000

The Kindness Kind's record will be released in November 18 with the CD release party two days later at The Tractor with The Rosebuds.

Listen to The Cure's new album in Seattle a week early

Andrew Boe — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:03:14 +0000

This is your chance to hear the recording in its entirety almost one week in advance of the official release with a mention of complementary drinks and prizes. You can't really go wrong here.

Ponytail at Nectar

ChrisB — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:22:33 +0000

2 Oct 2008

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Ponytail is a noisy pop band from Baltimore that makes abrasive, experimental dance-punk. Their setup is two guitars, drums and singer – no bass. They stopped by Nectar this past Thursday in support of their excellent second album, Ice Cream Spiritual.

Watching their set, just as it is listening to Ice Cream Spiritual is off-putting at first. Singer Molly Siegel doesn’t sing per se – it she appears to make a series of random noises – shrieks, gasps, howls and other primal sounds. Pitchfork got it exactly right in their rave review of ICS when they said:

Of the however many hundreds of sounds she makes over the course of this album, maybe 1% are used in service of an understandable unit of language. The rest of the time she goes where the spirit moves her. It'd be one thing if she were "using her voice as an instrument," as we music writers like to say, but that's not really it either. She doesn't have any particular vocal gifts, no four-octave range or studied arsenal of effects, and she's not doing anything you couldn't do if you had the desire, stamina, and a few bags of medicated cough drops. But here she is.

Siegel has a spastic, crazy stage presence that reminded me a bit of a cross between Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof and Karen O (although maybe it was the same bowl hairstyle for the former).

Yet, while Siegel is the first thing you notice when watching Ponytail, it shouldn’t be the only thing. It isn’t her singing that makes the band interesting (she’s only a conduit for the music not the bandleader) but the interplay between the two guitarists, Dustin Wong and Ken Seeno. Their guitar parts have lots of rough edges but that also belie incredible skill, too. Ponytail knows exactly what it is doing and, moreover, they use too many timing changes to be dismissed easily. The guitar parts are more straight-forward rock and roll (with a focus on classic rock).

Ponytail is a type of band that would fit in with the LA scene around The Smell club – they are connected ideologically to No Age and Abe Vigoda just not geographically (and are direct descendents of Television and Sonic Youth). It’s the spirit that matters, not the locale.

When Ponytail played at Nectar they were the middle band, opening for High Places. They were a compelling, although not immediately accessible, band. They were on stage for about 35 minutes and when the floor of the club filled out pretty nicely once they took that stage at 10pm sharp. The floor was for 21+ crowd and the upstairs balcony was for the all ages set. I only saw a few people upstairs watching the show but from there was a noticeable energy on the main floor for the band and most of the audience seemed to get (and dig) what Ponytail was doing. I didn’t stick around for High Places but in keeping up with Ponytail, they had a pretty high order in front of them.

It isn’t her singing that makes the band interesting but the interplay between the two guitarists.

Shiny Toy Guns at Nectar

ChrisB — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:59:06 +0000

24 Sep 2008

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I was hooked the first time I heard the Shiny Toy Guns’ song “Le Disko”. I remember driving to work very early one Sunday morning and hearing this song on the radio. It had a catchy beat and its female singer had a bratty but sexy voice. It was a song that felt like it was constructed with my personal tastes in mind. When I heard the song, though, it was on The End on a weekend morning where the programming was selected by an iPod Shuffle. That meant that there was no lead-in DJ telling the handful of people awake at that godforsaken hour what we just heard or were going to hear. It was in between a series of commercials, so when that station used to have their 24/7 playlists online, it was still no help. Nor was a Google search of the words from the chorus I remembered (“ride the racecars”).

I listened to that station regularly because I was hoping they would play that song again, and, more importantly, tell me what in the hell it was. God knows how many shitty Rise Against songs I heard along the way. I eventually figured it out and quickly found the mp3 and played that often. The subsequent single, “You are the One”, moved me much less. It was fine but felt like a mediocre song amongst mediocre radio songs. It was a more straight-forward rock song. Like with almost all pop songs, my interest waned and found other bands and other pop songs that moved me and Shiny Toy Guns fell off of my radar. I still continued to love “Le Disko”, which I thought was perfect (and until the bridge kicks in, I still do), but it was now in light rotation.

That pretty much brings us up to this week now, doesn’t it? Shiny Toy Guns just completed another record, called Season of Poison and they were touring in advance of its November release. This tour included a stop at Nectar last Wednesday. The show was sold out at least a week in advance and I found myself very lucky and excited to find out the day before the show that I would be able to go. That it was at Nectar, a club I really enjoy going to shows at and one that has a very friendly staff, made it all the more exciting.

When I got to Nectar, it was a little after 8 and it was already packed. The crowd was the only disappoint part of the evening. I think my experience was similar to my very smart and talented friend Laura Musselman’s when she went to the Okkervil River show last week. She found a much younger crowd and one unfamiliar and unexpected. I don’t know what I expected the Shiny Toy Guns crowd to look like, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a crowd that looked like a meetup from the website hotchickswithdouchebags.com. Seriously, if you want to show a band that you love them, don’t shove everyone else out of the way so you can be up front jumping up and down to the one song you heard on the radio, just buy a fucking t-shirt.

I didn’t go to Nectar, though, for the crowd, I went because I liked the band. I really did enjoy the set. They played for an hour, finishing just before 11. Despite a speaker that was crackling a little bit, the band sounded good and tight (which I guess is what you would expect from a band that has gotten some “alternative” radio airplay). The crowd didn’t seem to get into it too much until the last song of the main set and the encore – then every asshole in the club needed to be up front, stat. Most of the songs were sung by guitarist Chad Petree and/or new singer Sisely Treasure.

I really liked how “Le Disko” sounded, and I was a bit apprehensive because a new singer, Treasure, replaced previous singer Carah Faye Charnow. It was my favorite moment of the show, but only had gotten a tepid but polite response from the crowd. “You are the One” was conversely crazy.

Overall, though, the set was very good. It transcended the crowd that watched it.

1. Starts With One
2. Shaken
3. Le Disko
4. Weather Girl
5. Rainy Monday
6. Stripped
7. Ricochet
8. Waiting
9. Blown Away
10. Rocketship

1. Season of Love
2. Don’t Cry Out
3. You are the One

If you want to show a band that you love them, don’t shove everyone else out of the way so you can be up front jumping up and down to the one song you heard on the radio, just buy a fucking t-shirt.

The Juan MacLean's Happy House at Nectar

ChrisB — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:44:54 +0000

10 Sep 2008

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A few years ago, I remember going to see James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem fame) and The Juan MacLean DJ at Chop Suey and the room was nearly empty. It was even harder for my awkward, non-dancing self to hide stay inconspicuous and hardly an enjoyable night for anyone involved. I’ve also seen LCD Soundsystem twice with a full band and both times were electric. Both times the Showbox was packed and the streets were lined with people desperate to get in and I would be willing to bet very, very few people went home feeling let down.

When I found out that The Juan MacLean would be playing a show at Nectar with a full band, I was anxious and a little apprehensive. I knew it would fall somewhere in between my experiences with seeing DFA Records acts in person. Would it be closer to the former (the cavernous room at Chop Suey) or the latter, the packed LCD Soundsystem shows at the Showbox?

Fortunately, the night turned out very well and the show was a lot of fun and a great time.

John MacLean, who uses the stage name The Juan MacLean, mines similar territory as his friend and labelmate Murphy and LCD Soundsystem. They both make rock music accessible for the dance floor. Or maybe they make disco accessible for rock clubs?

The big difference is in their sets is the equipment. The Juan MacLean’s setup was MacLean on a synthesizer (and theremin), another band member playing a synth as well, Nicholas Millhiser and there was a live drummer, Jerry Fuchs. Singer Nancy Whang (who is also, not coincidentally, also in LCD Soundsystem) completes the lineup.

For the hour-long set, MacLean and his band went through a lot of the songs he’s become known for (from the 2005 album Less Than Human) like “Give Me Every Little Thing” and “Tito’s Way”. MacLean and Whang shared singing responsibilities, with her emotion and range making a nice contrast with MacLean’s robotic, Depeche Mode-like harmonies. The true showstopper was the final number, “Happy House”. The song was released in March as a single and is about 12 minutes long on record. Just as they were breaking into the final song, MacLean and Whang joked about not knowing the song and just winging it. They seemed to have a lot of fun playing that number more than any other. The song’s beat continuously built up and slowed down and seemed to blissfully go on forever. It almost certainly exceeded the running time of the recorded version of this song.

When the show started just moments before midnight, the band room was full but not packed and gave the big crowd room to dance. As the night wore on, the crowd thinned out but mostly because it was approaching 1am on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

One completely irrelevant note that is neither here nor there, but it struck me as interesting that MacLean has a striking, physical resemblance to a younger Bruce Willis and Willis’s most famous character is John McLane (from the Die Hard films).

About midway through “Happy House” I wrote in my notepad, “I hope there is no encore because this is the perfect way to end the night.” Although it was already late and probably way past my bed time, that didn’t matter during the hour that The Juan MacLean was on stage at Nectar. It was disappointing having to go back home and get ready for another day of work on little sleep. I do know that I didn’t mind or regret being so tired and dragging myself through another day of work. But it was great, escapist fun while it lasted.

"Happy House"'s beat continuously built up and slowed down and seemed to blissfully go on forever.