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I did not end up going to see Echo & The Bunnymen, as I thought I might when last I wrote about potential December shows. I decided I wasn't that interested in finding out what they're up to these days, I wasn't a big enough fan from the old days to go in hopes of hearing older stuff, and I didn't feel like putting up with the crowds I expected to be there. But looking through the concert listings again, I was reminded of another potentially cool show featuring a band I know about but haven't really heard: Rasputina. They played at Neumos on Monday, with a band called Aberdeen City opening.
Aberdeen City is a four-piece out of Boston - I found out from a member afterward that it's named for a section of Boston near Allston/Brighton (I've never heard of this before, but then I'm not from Boston). They sounded a lot like Interpol, indie rock heavily influenced by post-punk/New Wave British bands like Joy Division. I had to consider my feelings about that. I love Interpol, but I know a lot of people dismiss them for sounding too derivative, too much like Joy Division (or another particular band that I'm forgetting). Now here's a band that sounds a lot like Interpol, which is to say a derivative of a derivative; is that a bad thing? I decided that Aberdeen City sounded pretty good, and I was enjoying their music, so no, it wasn't a bad thing. I do hope they'll develop their own distinct sound as they grow, but for a new band (started in 2001) they're making a decent start. I liked them enough to pick up their debut, The Freezing Atlantic, and I'll keep an ear on them.
Rasputina describe themselves on their website as a "cello-rock ensemble." The band consists of two (female) cellists and one (male) drummer, all dressed in Victorian-age undergarments; previous lineups included a third cellist. Lead cellist and group founder Melora also sings lead vocals. She introduced the songs with bizarre, often funny, pronouncements that seemed to be non sequiturs but at least sometimes had some connection to the song. Musically, their sound is a mix of hard rock and chamber music, as you might expect, with fierce bowing, fast fingering, and delicate pizzicato. They use effect pedals with their cellos, sounding very much like electric guitars in some songs, but mostly sticking with the cello sound; and even without the effects, they can get a fierce driving rock sound out of their cellos when they want to. I was particularly delighted by their cover of "Barracuda," but all their original stuff was great too. I picked up their latest release, A Radical Recital, which is a live recording from 2004 and is only available at shows, through their website, or on CDBaby.
This was a great show, and I'm glad I went. It was good to finally experience Rasputina, after knowing of them for years, and they didn't let me down.
Aberdeen City is a four-piece out of Boston - I found out from a member afterward that it's named for a section of Boston near Allston/Brighton (I've never heard of this before, but then I'm not from Boston). They sounded a lot like Interpol, indie rock heavily influenced by post-punk/New Wave British bands like Joy Division. I had to consider my feelings about that. I love Interpol, but I know a lot of people dismiss them for sounding too derivative, too much like Joy Division (or another particular band that I'm forgetting). Now here's a band that sounds a lot like Interpol, which is to say a derivative of a derivative; is that a bad thing? I decided that Aberdeen City sounded pretty good, and I was enjoying their music, so no, it wasn't a bad thing. I do hope they'll develop their own distinct sound as they grow, but for a new band (started in 2001) they're making a decent start. I liked them enough to pick up their debut, The Freezing Atlantic, and I'll keep an ear on them.
Rasputina describe themselves on their website as a "cello-rock ensemble." The band consists of two (female) cellists and one (male) drummer, all dressed in Victorian-age undergarments; previous lineups included a third cellist. Lead cellist and group founder Melora also sings lead vocals. She introduced the songs with bizarre, often funny, pronouncements that seemed to be non sequiturs but at least sometimes had some connection to the song. Musically, their sound is a mix of hard rock and chamber music, as you might expect, with fierce bowing, fast fingering, and delicate pizzicato. They use effect pedals with their cellos, sounding very much like electric guitars in some songs, but mostly sticking with the cello sound; and even without the effects, they can get a fierce driving rock sound out of their cellos when they want to. I was particularly delighted by their cover of "Barracuda," but all their original stuff was great too. I picked up their latest release, A Radical Recital, which is a live recording from 2004 and is only available at shows, through their website, or on CDBaby.
This was a great show, and I'm glad I went. It was good to finally experience Rasputina, after knowing of them for years, and they didn't let me down.
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