seven days a week

If you were at the mercury lounge last night you were probably smelling hype all over... a friend (or is he a cousin?) told us about this band, The Sounds, and we thought, cool we'll check them out. And frankly, we didn't think anyone knew or cared about them. Wrong. We arrived at the venue, we looked straight ahead and saw James "i'm everywhere" Iha near the door... we looked to our left, and saw his former bandmate Melissa. We ran inside the venue to catch the first song and noticed Nick Strokes surrounded by his posse... and then we wondered... wait a second, did someone actually say hype? because i don't remember.
So we stood close to the stage and watched these five fine looking swedes play songs that reminded me of a cross between The strokes and Ladytron, with a singing style that's more punk than drunk... it may sound weird, but it does work. In the middle of the set, our eyes popped when one of the pumpkins went onstage to play the saxophone, and i thought "see James, it pays off to hang out at all the cool places, someone finally noticed you!". The focal point of the band was without a doubt singer Maja, an updated version of Debbie Harry minus the bitchy facial expressions, who moved in a very Pelle-style way. However, it's when i realized that we were dancing to songs called Rock'n'Roll, Living in America and S.O.U.N.D.S and having a good time that i started to think... hm, this is actually not bad at all, hype is smelling pretty good right now, give me another dose.

it's in our hands

The Realistics and Stellastarr*, two nyc favorites, are playing on the same bill tonight at SXSW, check them out if you're in the area. A million other bands are playing SXSW, so in case you see anyone we don't already know about, who blows you away, spread the love please.

Bjork's working on new album, woohoo! You may also have read on a recent email that she's going to give an nyc outdoor concert at a "special location"... huh, am i the only one thinking summerstage? because i don't see where else or what other event she could be playing outdoor during the summer that's so special. But then again, you never know what she could come up with.

Bon anniversaire pap!

turn on the bright lights

One could say i practically lived at irving plaza last week, 4 nights, huh? I still prefer my original home, the bowery ballroom, the couches are more comfortable and the staff way nicer... but i digress.
Interpol / The Raveonettes / The Natural History - Friday night @ Irving Plaza:
I've seen The Natural History before, they're an nyc trio (surprise!), and i think they do the power-pop thing pretty well. I've had their EP for months, and haven't even listened to it yet, but seeing them live made me think that i will do so pretty soon.
The Raveonettes, whose mini-album Whip it On has caused some minor hype, were much better than i expected. Sure, the whole idea is that they only use the same 3 chords, and guitarist Sune Rose Wagner and bassist Sharin Foo sing together at all times, so to some people that got old very quick... but i enjoyed the loud noise and thought that there was more substance to the songs live than on the recorded versions. i await the follow-up album with great curiosity.
Finally, a bit after 11pm, the most in-demand four (five, with Eric on the keyboard) new yorkers appeared on stage... they opened with Untitled as usual and played a solid set of every song on the album - except for Leif Erikson - as well as Length of love, The Specialist and Song 7... hearing the latter live made me very happy since i had not heard it in the past few shows. Length of Love is still my favorite Interpol song hands down. The performance was full of energy but for some reason, it did not move me as much as it should have. Was the sound not as good as it should have been? Perhaps it was the fact that i was standing a bit far from the stage at a venue generally bigger than what i'm used to seeing them in? yeah, it must have been all that.

Interpol / The Raveonettes / The Occasion - Saturday night @ Irving Plaza:
Though i'd seen them open for Interpol in december, i couldn't remember what The Occasion sounded like. They're a 5-piece band, including a percussionist who also plays with some strange tape recorder. Their sound is definitely on the mellow side and does have nice melodies.
The Raveonettes were just as good as the night before. One of the good things about their performances is that despite being on the repetitive side, they also have a rule of making their songs less than 3 minutes, so their set went by very fast both nights.
This time, i was very close to the stage, and Interpol's performance was spectacular. The energy level was very high, and the band especially tight. They played the entire album, including Leif Erikson, as well as Length of Love and The Specialist. They moved Hands Away to the encore, which i thought was a very nice different approach. Watching Paul glance over several times at Dan's guitar with a half smile was very indicative of how much Dan can blow everyone away while performing. Sam's drumming particularly shined during The New and Length of Love, while Carlos' perfect basslines were a definite highlight during The Specialist. As far Paul, i think you'll agree that when on stage, his contained intensity and dark vocals are best represented during Obstacle 1 as he finishes on a very last breath with a desperate "She puts the weights in my heart / She puts, oh she puts the weights into my little heart". Say Hello to The Angels live is still the song that gets my adrenaline level going high. Sam and Paul have a little amusing ritual, during PDA's solo guitar/bass they both take a small break and light up a cigarette, chatting a little, making sure each other has a lighter close by.

Both nights the crowd seemed a lot less excited than what i had expected, there was hardly any movement. And that's particularly true of friday's show. Come to think that the people who rushed to get tickets were only there out of curiosity?
In any case, i hope they left more than satisfied, because since the very beginning i have believed that what makes this band so brilliant is their live shows; it's seeing these four individuals come alive together; it's hearing in its fullness their perfect mix of intense moodiness and atmospheric energy.
Oh and have i mentioned that as of now, i have seen Interpol live more than any other bands? That would be nine times if you must ask.

No photos were taken, but mediaeater has some very cool ones from both nights.

moon pix

Cat Power photos have been added... more live photos to finally appear in the photos section in the coming days.