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Tuesday, June 17, 2008


- Rilo Kiley - Stubb's - Austin, TX -




 
Benji Hughes

I've only been aware of Benji Hughes for a few weeks now, but after last night's fantastically weird and diverse 30 minute set I have to say that I'm really excited for his upcoming debut, A Love Extreme.  He just has something about him that makes you want to watch and listen, forever.  You should find a seat on the bandwagon now.

:Benji Hughes - So Well:
 






Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down

To be honest, the sole reason I was at Stubb's last night was to see the snazzy Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down.  For six months now I've been championing their We Brave Bee Stings And All as the best record of 2008, and even with one show under my belt I was certainly looking forward to seeing them again.

That is, of course, until I realized a couple of things as they were setting up.  One was that I was only going to get 30 minutes of music, which I knew wouldn't be enough, and the other was that the Get Down Stay Down were missing a member (he's apparently gone because of family related stuff).  This was initially sort of alarming since a sizeable part of me thought that they could have used an extra musician when I saw them at the Mohawk a few months back, but once they got things going the blip of concern that I had ended up being unfounded. 

Instead of sounding like they needed another instrument the songs actually came off like purposely stripped down versions of what's on the record, and I liked it.  A lot.  I didn't realize it last time, but gems like Feet Asleep and Travel should be broken down to the point where the focus is shifted to Thao, who easily has the vocal chops and charisma needed to carry them in a live setting.  Although, on the flip side of things, I will say that songs like Bag Of Hammers and Beat aren't as big as they should be.  They still sound fine, but some of you will be left wishing that they had been a bit more raucous.

I don't know if Thao and the guys plan on loading up on members in the future to fully flesh out what's been done on the album, but as of now they're essentially "keeping it real" and not trying to do too much, which works rather well.  You should definitely go check out what they have going on.  Or else.

:Thao Nguyen - Bag Of Hammers:

Extra Tidbit:  My friend Leah when to college with Thao and was key in picking out the outfit worn last night.  Personally, I thought it was simple, yet sophisticated.  And stuff.  What do you think?  Should Leah be allowed to dress people?











Rilo Kiley

There was once a time when I probably would have called Rilo Kiley my favorite band.  Take Offs And Landings, The Execution Of All Things, More Adventurous - all of them are brilliant albums that will forever hold a spot on my list of all-time favorites.

Under The Blacklight, though, is awful.  It literally gives me a headache just thinking about it. 

Now for a long time I couldn't necessarily decide if it was so terrible because of Jenny and Blake's focus on other projects, bad songwriting or the odd decision to lean towards 70s glam pop and various other non-traditional Rilo Kiley-related sounds, but last night all of the pieces finally clicked into place and I realized this:

They cashed in with an album aimed solely for the masses, and I don't like it.  In fact, I hate it.

All was perfectly fine when it came down to sharing them with other fans of good music, but I can't handle it now that they've willingly crossed into the land of drunken sorority girls who hold a beer in each hand and dance awkwardly in their designer dresses and high heels.  I don't want to be at a Rilo Kiley show that features mainly blank faces when they play a gem from yesteryear, and I especially don't want to be there when Jenny makes everyone sway their hands back and forth to songs that sound like they belong on records in the bargain bin.  Not only is it tragic, but it's so wildly disappointing that I can't help but hang my head in shame.

On a more positive note, the band does put on a good show.  Blake plays with as much passion as anyone I've ever seen and when Jenny isn't killing me with that golden voice she's usually got my attention with her stunning smile.  It's just too bad that even those qualities aren't enough when it comes to the poor setlist and lame crowd (who fights at a Rilo Kiley show?) that make up their performances.

:Rilo Kiley - My Slumbering Heart:

- John Laird -



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