Not a bad Tuesday night. We were looking forward to The Dandy Warhols / Darker My Love concert at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, partly for the music, and partly because it was our first time seeing a show in the historic, newly reopened Wilbur. Most other Boston venues, while coming through with excellent sound, provide just enough light to make you feel like you’re in a cave. As a photographer and concert-goer who enjoys seeing bands when they perform, this is less than ideal. “Maybe,” we hoped, “the Wilbur will have adequate lighting actually focused on the bands rather than the walls and the audience.” I guess we’ll keep waiting.
Opening the show was The Upsidedown, a solid six-some playing upbeat, fun stuff. Performing to an unfortunately and undeservedly lightly populated theater, The Upsidedown nonetheless impressed with a nonstop collection of catchy, guitar-heavy rock, accented with deep and grooving bass rhythms and, um, grooves. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, they’re in for the tour, and are well worth getting to the venue early for. So you should do just that.
Darker My Love mounted up next. Unfortunately, the lighting designer must have thought the name was “Darken My Light,” considering we could barely make out faces. The projections didn’t help much either. While fun in theory, the old-school overhead projector exhibiting petri dish solutions of water and oil seriously dampened the already sparse light, and cast a muddled blanket over the set. As compared to the silhouette show from Feist’s tour this past summer, it wasn’t nearly as compelling.
Setting aside the visual aesthetic complaints, Darker My Love play good music. Really good, actually. They have a sly, sustained sound, sometimes seeming drone-ish but darkly persistent. Close harmonies drew me right in, and maybe the dark atmosphere helped to keep us pleasantly on edge, waiting and expecting something to happen at any moment. Strangely enough, they also have a weirdly U2 sound to them (in the Achtung Baby - Zooropa period), though in a more mildly poppy, alt-indie vein. Parse that!
Here’s what I don’t get about the Dandy Warhols: are they really serious? I’ve always assumed that they play their cotton candy hits with tongues firmly lodged in cheeks. But now I’m not so sure. Talking it over with friends on Wednesday night, I learned that I wasn’t alone in this assumption; having seen them live, however, now I believe that they may be wholly unironic. Not that there’s anything wrong with simply enjoying popularity and writing reasonably straightforward, accessible music that is widely enjoyed across at least 1.5 generations. I’m just a little surprised.
The Dandys had great presence and a well polished stage affect and tone that serve them mightily. They’re easy to watch, easy to listen to, and easy to enjoy.
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
By the way, I really liked the mp3 posted. Thanks.
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “Picture yourself coasting your bike past space funk palm trees, homeless harpists, vintage video arcades, electronic drum circles, and 60s psychedelic singers who’re waiting for the bus. Cosmogramma is kinda like that if someone suddenly tripped you just as you’re starting to enjoy the ride. But in a good way.””
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
just watched dig and had fun reading this review/checking out the photos.