Live Shows
The fall is always such a great time for seeing shows. On this site though, I don’t cover them very well. I actually have problems remembering some of them. But, in the last month, I’ve seen a couple great ones worth mentioning here in this post.
The Dodos – Horseshoe Tavern. Oct. 6th.
Thinking ahead to my best albums of the year, its pretty safe to say that The Dodos full-length Visiter (French Kiss) is going to be in the top ten. Whether its one of the softer croons over banjo and acoustic guitar, or the chaotic rhythmic breakdowns and outros, there’s a lot to like their songs. Live? The band (a two-piece but touring 3-piece) will have you either completely entraced in watching Meric Long speed-strum an acoustic guitar or bobbing your head up and down to the percussion of Logan Kroeber. Logan won’t take a break all show. Meric is a master at creating converging melodies through loop pedals. And he plays sitting down. If you’re short and stuck at the back of the bar, know that The Dodos seem to attract plus 6 foot males. Find a way to work your way up there, its worth getting a good look.
Frightened Rabbit – Lees Palace. Oct. 21st.
Lykke Li and Friendly Fires at The Mod Club. Oct. 24th.
The day of the show it was a complete toss up between who I was more excited to see perform. Friendly Fires had a good crowd when they went on. Right off the bat the crowd started dancing to catchy songs like ‘In The Hospital‘ and ‘Jump In The Pool‘. Highlights included the band collecting around one mic signing a capella for On Board and watching lead singer Ed Macfarlane playing the symbals with his fist.
I would have loved to hear this at our show, as Friendly Fires have recently done a cover of Lykke Li’s ‘I’m Good I’m Gone‘, head to Stereogum to get it.
Lykke Li was pretty damn cool. Leading her band (who honestly looked like triplets) in a black cloak, she danced through a great set of sweet-pop numbers like Little Bit, to a cover of Vampire Weekend’s Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, to also cover Tribe Called Quest (GvsB’s got some video from a little while back). She’s got quite a voice on her. Her songs are unique. Makes you wonder how Sweden keeps pumping these artists out. Watch for her to make my end of year list as well.