![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Monday evening I went to the Crocodile Cafe to see The High Violets open for Ulrich Schnauss. In between the two was local band The Turn-Ons. The High Violets were the draw for me, as I'd been looking forward to seeing them again since last December. I'd heard of The Turn-Ons but couldn't recall anything about them, while I knew I'd heard Ulrich Schnauss's music before but just knew that it was electronica of some kind.
The High Violets are a dreampop/shoegazer quartet on guitar and vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. This show had better sound than the last one I saw, and it made a real difference. The band was loud, but still tolerable without earplugs, which was nice. For a dreampop band, they did not use a lot of guitar shimmer/sonic wash, but this was good as the distinct parts could be heard: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass were all clear, the better to appreciate the interplay of the parts. Lead singer Kaitlyn ni Donovan provided ringing ethereal vocals on top, and her voice is well-suited to the band's sound. As I noted last time, my one reservation is that although they are a solid dreampop band, which is fine in itself, I feel they need a little something more to truly stand out. I'm not sure what that is, but I hope to hear them develop it on their next album (which is currently in the works).
The Turn-Ons are another quartet of two guitars, bass and drums; lead singer/guitarist Travis switched roles with bassist/backing vocalist Erik for the last two songs. Like The High Violets, The Turn-Ons are a dreampop band, although they lean more to the indie rock side of things than shoegazer. In fact, I found the lead singer's voice to be more apt for Britpop or punk - it was a bit brash and flat, and he didn't seem to always be in tune or hitting the notes. In contrast, when the bassist took over the vocals, his singing was more of a typical shoegazer style, a quieter, crooning sound. Both sang together on the rocking last song ("PS I Love You"), with Travis matching Erik's style and both sounding good. Certainly the music was melodious and the band played well, with ringing guitars prominent. Besides the last song, I also particularly liked the one before, "Robert Altman", featuring quiet verses with sudden loud instrumental passages, in place of a chorus, in between. Overall I enjoyed their set, and although I'm not sure about the quality of Travis's vocals, I'd say this is a band to listen for.
Ulrich Schnauss is an electronic musician, one man and a tableful of electronics, including a Mac laptop, (musical) keyboard, and various boxes with knobs to fiddle with. He played a set grounded in ambient/trance electronica with forays into a heavier drum n' bass style, always with a danceable beat at the foundation. Despite the danceable beat, on the whole the audience seemed content to bliss out, standing attentively and maybe swaying a bit. Schnauss himself mostly sat calmly at the table, with occasional head-bobbing with the beat and some vigorous keyboard playing at least in the encore. To offset the lack of visual performance, the requisite arty experimental video played on a screen in the background. The music was continuous, with transitions to new songs apparent only when the volume hushed and the tempo changed. Indeed, for me only the occasional cheer as of recognition from the crowd suggested that his set wasn't improvised on the spot. However, that seemed appropriate enough - I felt the music was meant to be experienced as a series, and I shouldn't be able to point to a particular song and say "I like that one". At the encore, Schnauss did tell the audience he would play two songs, and it was easy to distinguish between the first driving, rocking song and the second spacious, dreamy song. I did really enjoy the performance, but I felt I wasn't left with something to grab onto, a particular bit to make me eager to get a CD. However, I will be listening more carefully for his music on KEXP in the future.
( a few photos )
Yesterday I finally looked through the various club calendars for October and November, and discovered that if I wanted to (and didn't have some conflicting events), I could go see at least two shows a week into mid-November. As it is, I'm likely to average a show a week. Film School are at the Crocodile on the 10th. Interpol are at the WaMu Theater on the 18th, although as I mentioned before this show's pricey enough ($27.50 + TicketMaster fees) that I'll pass. Beehive just announced that they'll be opening for Digitalism at Chop Suey on the 22nd, and you know how much I love Beehive. New Young Pony Club are at Nectar Lounge on the 27th, and I'm really excited to check them out; I bet this will sell out, so I think I'll order a ticket soon. I have a horrible dilemma for Halloween: do I go see Freezepop, also at Nectar, or do I go see Do Make Say Think at the Crocodile ? It's a tough call - I did just see Freezepop recently, that show will undoubtedly be packed, and I haven't seen Do Make Say Think since October 2004; but still, I do love Freezepop dearly and I'm hoping for a better set, plus it's a 21+ show so maybe it'll be a little less crazy. Finally, looking forward to November, Battles return on the 3rd to play at Neumos, while Annuals play the Crocodile (how are they going to fit on that stage?) on the 10th; those are both don't-miss shows.
The High Violets are a dreampop/shoegazer quartet on guitar and vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. This show had better sound than the last one I saw, and it made a real difference. The band was loud, but still tolerable without earplugs, which was nice. For a dreampop band, they did not use a lot of guitar shimmer/sonic wash, but this was good as the distinct parts could be heard: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass were all clear, the better to appreciate the interplay of the parts. Lead singer Kaitlyn ni Donovan provided ringing ethereal vocals on top, and her voice is well-suited to the band's sound. As I noted last time, my one reservation is that although they are a solid dreampop band, which is fine in itself, I feel they need a little something more to truly stand out. I'm not sure what that is, but I hope to hear them develop it on their next album (which is currently in the works).
The Turn-Ons are another quartet of two guitars, bass and drums; lead singer/guitarist Travis switched roles with bassist/backing vocalist Erik for the last two songs. Like The High Violets, The Turn-Ons are a dreampop band, although they lean more to the indie rock side of things than shoegazer. In fact, I found the lead singer's voice to be more apt for Britpop or punk - it was a bit brash and flat, and he didn't seem to always be in tune or hitting the notes. In contrast, when the bassist took over the vocals, his singing was more of a typical shoegazer style, a quieter, crooning sound. Both sang together on the rocking last song ("PS I Love You"), with Travis matching Erik's style and both sounding good. Certainly the music was melodious and the band played well, with ringing guitars prominent. Besides the last song, I also particularly liked the one before, "Robert Altman", featuring quiet verses with sudden loud instrumental passages, in place of a chorus, in between. Overall I enjoyed their set, and although I'm not sure about the quality of Travis's vocals, I'd say this is a band to listen for.
Ulrich Schnauss is an electronic musician, one man and a tableful of electronics, including a Mac laptop, (musical) keyboard, and various boxes with knobs to fiddle with. He played a set grounded in ambient/trance electronica with forays into a heavier drum n' bass style, always with a danceable beat at the foundation. Despite the danceable beat, on the whole the audience seemed content to bliss out, standing attentively and maybe swaying a bit. Schnauss himself mostly sat calmly at the table, with occasional head-bobbing with the beat and some vigorous keyboard playing at least in the encore. To offset the lack of visual performance, the requisite arty experimental video played on a screen in the background. The music was continuous, with transitions to new songs apparent only when the volume hushed and the tempo changed. Indeed, for me only the occasional cheer as of recognition from the crowd suggested that his set wasn't improvised on the spot. However, that seemed appropriate enough - I felt the music was meant to be experienced as a series, and I shouldn't be able to point to a particular song and say "I like that one". At the encore, Schnauss did tell the audience he would play two songs, and it was easy to distinguish between the first driving, rocking song and the second spacious, dreamy song. I did really enjoy the performance, but I felt I wasn't left with something to grab onto, a particular bit to make me eager to get a CD. However, I will be listening more carefully for his music on KEXP in the future.
( a few photos )
Yesterday I finally looked through the various club calendars for October and November, and discovered that if I wanted to (and didn't have some conflicting events), I could go see at least two shows a week into mid-November. As it is, I'm likely to average a show a week. Film School are at the Crocodile on the 10th. Interpol are at the WaMu Theater on the 18th, although as I mentioned before this show's pricey enough ($27.50 + TicketMaster fees) that I'll pass. Beehive just announced that they'll be opening for Digitalism at Chop Suey on the 22nd, and you know how much I love Beehive. New Young Pony Club are at Nectar Lounge on the 27th, and I'm really excited to check them out; I bet this will sell out, so I think I'll order a ticket soon. I have a horrible dilemma for Halloween: do I go see Freezepop, also at Nectar, or do I go see Do Make Say Think at the Crocodile ? It's a tough call - I did just see Freezepop recently, that show will undoubtedly be packed, and I haven't seen Do Make Say Think since October 2004; but still, I do love Freezepop dearly and I'm hoping for a better set, plus it's a 21+ show so maybe it'll be a little less crazy. Finally, looking forward to November, Battles return on the 3rd to play at Neumos, while Annuals play the Crocodile (how are they going to fit on that stage?) on the 10th; those are both don't-miss shows.
◾ Tags:
