Irving Plaza: Electrelane and The Blow

Greetings and salutations from Boulder, Colorado. I'm back home visiting family and as my car doesnt work and I am stuck in the house, so I decided I should get some blogging done. I'm starting to realize I think about blogging alot more than I actually post them. On the plane ride here I was editing blog posts in my head that I had been meaning to post for days. So, now I'm trying to remedy this.

Tuesday night was the Electrelane and The Blow show that I kept talking about. I thought I was an Electrelane fan before but now Im a total convert. They were better than I ever would have expected live. And, can I just say, I have never in my life seen a girl look more f#$!ing bad ass in a dress than lead guitarist Mia Clarke. Hard as I tried I couldn't come up with a pic to illustrate exactly what I mean. But here's a shot of her last year wearing a Ramones shirt... just as good. Choice in clothing aside, Clarke's guitar prowess really surprised me. Mind you I knew the band was good but I wasn't expecting to leave the show with another guitar hero. Whether it be delivering a deliciously clever and complicated riff, banging the guitar into her amp to create feedback noise, or coaxing it into a madcap run of scratches and wails, she did not for a second crack that calm exterior you see above. Which of course made the bad-assery all the more awesome. And yes, I did just say bad-assery. Verity Susman also impressed me with her multi-instrumental talents. She seemed just as comfortable behind the guitar as she did the keyboard and approached them both with a sort of barely contained ferocity. She was especially impressive behind the keyboard durring the first few songs, and I couldnt tell whether to look at her or Clarke.

Khaela Maricich of The Blow, was also a force to behold as she preformed without her recording partner Jona Bechtolt. It takes serious nerve to get up on stage by yourself without even an instrument to hide behind and entertain a group of people not necissarily there to see you. But of course, that is exactly what she did. She was funny, exuberantly quirky, and never stopped moving. She was so good in fact I almost really just dont know what to say. So instead here's a clip of the genius at work from a show in seattle earlier this year.

In my search for more info I came across this really good article about the blow from Fader magazine, that contains some really nice photos (like this one) of the band taken by Jason Nocito. Jason Nocito. So check that out.

In summation the only thing missing from the evening was our dear Tender Forever. Seems to me that would have made it a perfect concert. But we can't have it all and it was DAMN good anyway. Also I promise to start ranting about more than just these four bands. Really I do.

No Shouts, No Calls

Ok so clearly I have so far failed at getting my cohorts to start posting. Matt (aka SpinMaster) has been freaking out about the new Arctic Monkeys so with any luck I can get him to put some of his excitement into a blog post form. Heres hoping.

I on the other hand am flipping out about the new Electrelane album "No Shouts, No Calls" Which finally hit American shores today. So, admitedly, I'm a little late to the party on this one. I mean sure I got this album early but it is, in truth, my first Electrelane album. That being said I cannot currently speak to this album's place in their discography and history or growth as a band. I will say that after hearing this album all I want is more more more. So naturally a rapid devouring of their previous releases is soon to come.

I have become totally enthralled with "No Shouts No Calls". Its songs span a broad range of styles and topics yet they all sound part of a larger whole. They fit. There's a lot of play with melody and tempo, especially in the instrumental tracks. Songs will start out fast, suddenly get slower and then gradually speed back up. It's not that electrelane is seeking to break standard music theory rules, more that they are seeking to experiment with the limits of a pop song. See what it can bear. The songs are also amazingly dynamic in their tone, and almost all can be interperated as either melencholy or hopeful, depending on their mood of the listener. I tend not to read other peoples reviews of albums so I don't really know if what I'm saying is the general consensus or not, and really I don't care, because this album to me speaks of lovers being seperated, of the places in-between motion and stillness, migration and home. Add to that skillful musicianship and wonderfully haunting and ethereal voices and you have yourself a damn good record. At least I think so.

For more Electrelane info checkout their website. And if you want to see them live they are playing next tuesday, the 15th, with The Blow and hopefully Tender Forever.