Drug Rug + Wonderful Spells - Great Scott (Allston, MA; Feb. 17, 2008)

Great Scott’s tendency to put at least four bands on the bill nearly every night always kind of irks me.  It makes each group seem so disposable and of course, judging by the shear number that pass through there any given week, most of them are.  But having missed out on the MGMT/Yeasayer show in exchange for incessant coughing and cold sweats last week and just beginning to recover, I was pretty excited to emerge from beneath my blanket and see Drug Rug and whoever else felt like showing up.  In the final analysis, I could have settled for half the bands getting lost on the way to the venue, but let it be said that I was quite open to an evening of enjoyable music on this particular Sunday, the seventeenth day of February, 2008.

I can’t really talk about The Tony the Bookie Orchestra without mentioning Keys to the Streets of Fear, which was essentially a reshuffle of all but one member of the Orchestra.  But mentioning the two in the same breath does not bode well for the Orchestra.  While their Meat Puppets-esque country-twang-meets-punk was pleasant enough, the Keys’ irritating noise squall was enough to simultaneously put me to sleep and make me flee for the exit to enjoy some fresh air under the Boston rain (the combination of reactions continues to confound me).  Note to Elio Deluca: if you’re going to make use of a guitar, it would behoove you to occasionally actually play something.  Holding down the same barre chord and savagely attacking it between verses doesn’t work for every song.  Now, I know the idea is to produce noise, but come on: there’s noise, and then there’s noise.  I wouldn’t throw on a Naked City album for a quiet dinner party, but at least I might finish listening and think “damn, these dudes are nuts!” After listening to the Keys I just wanted my dead ear cells back and a promise that they’ll be putting their gear up for sale on craigslist post haste.

As the Wonderful Spells took the stage in their calculatedly retro outfits, I thought about how all my conversations about them before the show seemed to inevitably invoke the Beatles.  But just as it was the rare review of Panda Bear’s Person Pitch that managed to avoid some allusion to Brian Wilson, the connection is loose at best.  At this point a reference to the Beatles seems to be our vague way of saying “this album has nice melodies,” just as a Pet Sounds reference means simply “great harmonies.” The Wonderful Spells are a throwback for sure, but not one that’s content with mimicking any one particular style.  You could hear hints of Television running through their lyrical, interweaving lead guitar lines, while their grittier moments might recall the Strokes or Velvet Underground, but it all risks drawing attention away from the marvelous craft behind this infectious set of songs. Following The Tony the Bookie Orchestra, the Spells slinky bass lines, bouncing rhythms, and seductive melodies were a less-literal breath of fresh air.  Tight pants and shaggy hair were in full effect as the brothers Moore traded off lead vocal duties and treated us to several songs from a soon-to-be-released album.  It’s my guess that these guys can’t stay unsigned for long.

By the time midnight rolled around and Cambridge natives Drug Rug began their set, the evening had been two-thirds disposable.  I had heard mixed opinions about their debut album, mostly surrounding Sarah Cronin’s vocals, and I was a little skeptical that they’d be able to turn the night around.  From the first song though, I quickly cast any reservations aside.  Sure, it was obvious that Sarah and Tommy were kind of goofily infatuated with each other and Sarah’s voice was strangely childlike, but the chemistry was fun to watch and the songs just drew us into their little world.  “Nobody nowhere can tell you you’re wrong,” they sang to each other, reveling in the safety of their union.  More Paul and Linda than John and Yoko, Drug Rug’s bedroom tales always remained deeply self-indulgent but never felt as if the door had been closed.  While their debut could reasonably be accused of being insular, the live setting allowed Sarah and Tommy to make us feel like we could be them, up on stage and professing our love.  Couples are nothing new in the history of popular music, but here’s hoping Sarah and Tommy will stick with Paul and Linda and won’t go to the way of Ike and Tina or Sonny and Cher. 

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