Seattlest Pix 09Nov20
Friendly Folk-Pop for the Kids: Hey Marseilles at Vera This Saturday
Seattlest Pix 09Nov21
Excavator Rampage in Stanwood
Can't Miss It: Weekend Edition Nov 20-22
Besides raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these were a few of our favorite things, at least in terms of live music during the past year.
Audrey:
Arcade Fire---May 28th @ the Gorge, September 21st @ the Paramount
Though I am still kicking myself for missing their KEXP show at Neumo's last December (I chalk that up to "having my head up my ass"), I managed to see this powerfully emotive band twice in the span of a few months. At Sasquatch, they took the stage at the hottest point of the 98° day and still put on a passionate performance. Upon hearing the opening vocals of "Wake Up," I burst into tears and found myself crying off and on through their entire set. The same held true at the Paramount show just four months later.
Though it sounds awfully judgmental, I don't want to know anyone who isn't moved by this band. If their music doesn't make you feel, then you lack a soul. Period. In the future, when artificial intelligence has taken over, and the underground human resistance fights back against their evil robot overlords, emotional response to this band's music will be used to determine who is friend and who is foe. Choose your side now.
Sufjan Stevens---July 23rd @ the Triple Door
My companion was tearing up at the sound quality at the venue ("I've never heard drums sound so beautiful") while I was tearing up at Sufjan's effortless falsetto. Joyous, heartfelt, and sad, Sufjan and pals filled up the stage with their extensive instrumentation and filled up the Triple Door with his ruminations on the general state of America and the state of Illinois in particular.
Stephen Malkmus---May 24th @ Sonic Boom Capitol Hill
Finally, a show that didn't make me cry.
As expected, the crowd at this in-store performance was 90% male. In fact, when I first arrived (early, to get a good spot, natch), there were only two other females present. But by the end of his half-hour set, Malkmus had the store completely packed, with a separate crowd gathered on the sidewalk outside just to hear a bit of his 70s-tinged guitar and intelligent, meaningless lyrics. Malkmus himself was in great spirits, celebrating the release of his album with a big grin on his face while shaking his shaggy head of hair. More than likely, he was stoned.
M.I.A.--- May 11th @ the Showbox
Sri Lankan-born Brit MC Maya Arulpragasam is the hottest thing on two feet, bar none. The fact that she doesn't seem to realize this only makes her hotter.
Seth:
"Awesome"---July 29th @ Capitol Hill Arts Center
Let's just state a plain fact here: "Awesome" puts on a great show. You marvel at their musical dexterity, thrill to their five-part harmonies, and yuk-yuk to earnestly-sung lyrics like:
This is the time/ And this is the place/ This is the moment/ And this is the place/ This is the location/ Of the aforementioned place/ Damn/ I love you girl
And then you spooge whenever lead theraminist John Osebold unloosens his lustrous locks. This was the first time I'd seen them play--I went in with high expectations, and they were exceeded. I saw "Awesome" twice more in 2005--once at the Rendezvous (I met a very foxy girl there--thanks guys) and once, in the future, at CHAC again, on NYE.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, performing at the John in the Evening KEXP event---October 1st @ Neumo's
The hottest, hottest, most oh-mi-god-are-they-ever-hot-at-this-very-moment band of the summer, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (whose self-distributed album is harder to get than half-decent service at Flowers) did not disappoint an expectant crowd during their too-short set. Never have we seen snobby too-cool hipsters let down their guard so brazenly. Several even uncrossed their arms during the performance. CYHSY's lead singer, whose name I don't know because I'm not an insufferable music scenester like Audrey [ed note: It's Alec Ounsworth, jackass], has a knack for singing a song as if he's inventing it on the spot. You know who else had this talent? Goddamn Joni Mitchell did. She was incredible, this show was incredible, and if the Seahawks win a playoff game, I will be the happiest man alive.
Steve:
Fundraiser for the Vera Project---May 22nd @ the Showbox
The New Pornographers played just five songs, but David Cross and his "Tinkle" parters took up the slack with some wise-ass ad-lib comedy, and Fred Armisen played the lengthy intro to the Damned's "Smash It Up" on electric guitar before delivering his impersonation of Saddam Hussein as a British rock star. I also liked the Rolling Stones at the Key Arena on October 30th and the Detroit Cobras at Chop Suey on November 8th.
Matt:
MF Doom---December 12th @ Chop Suey
I recall the high-energy performance as one of the best I saw in 2005...despite the fact that I got so drunk on Hennessey I couldn't remember my own name. Fortunately, I attended the show with some trusted associates who were able to report the following:
Seattlest Associate #1 had this to say about the opening acts that we missed:
Macklemore: rapped in a GWB mask which was pretty funny.
One Be Lo: too heavy for the kids, had some very eloquent and serious raps about politics, racial injustices, etc. I downloaded the album when I got home.
John Robinson: entertaining southern hip-hop. Gamely tried to get the crowd involved but they were holding back for the headliner. Nice flow for John, a salute to MF's style.
And this to say about the masked star of the show:
MF Doom came on crazy late (12:30am) looking like microwaved death. Did the first three tracks on the turntables, then took the mic. The crowd knew every line of his raps which blew the whole posse away. Rocked the house until after I was out of oomph and left (1am). He called in sick for the next show which was rescheduled [for January 30th].
As to the crowd:
The all-ages gig had the bars super-packed between sets. It was the first week after the no-smoking law went into effect, so it was quite pleasant. A bit more B.O. and hippie stink than usual. In the MF set, some trustafarian kids lit up a J and ganja'd the whole room out. Saw lots of local scenesters and a handful of local MCs getting down and taking notes. An excellent local show; it could have been in a bigger venue and still sold out. Very good sound mastering: while loud and bassy, it was never overpowering.
Meanwhile, Seattlest Associate #2 summed things up thusly:
That gimmicky, comic book-collaborating, old-school hip-hopper (and obvious weirdo who raps about meat) might be hiding a really big nose. But great production and a fresh flow on stage. The place was packed to shit and after a billion other acts and doubles of henn I didn't know what from who[m].
Michael:
Antony and the Johnsons---September 17th @ the Triple Door
The Antony and the Johnsons show was short, the Triple Door crowded (standing room only in the bar), and the first song highlighted breast amputation. But the audience (and Seattlest) had been entranced by lead-in sisters act CocoRosie, who mostly ignored all of us in creating a surreal, playful audio environment they also sang along with. When Antony sat down at the piano and began to sing, there was a palpable inhale that may explain the huge exhale when the short set (songs from the I'm A Bird Now album) ended. His is a weirdly lush, yet steely voice, compared to Nina Simone's, but it's the commitment to the lyric that is truly comparable.
Margaret:
Kings of Convenience---March 13th @ the Triple Door
I really loved this show, not only because I got to lend my nail file to the cause of smooth music making, but because of the beauty and austerity of the music, and the laid-back energy of the band.
The Futureheads---June 16th @ Neumo's
This would have to be the opposite of the KoC show. It was, as always, very entertaining. It stood out among a long list of June shows (Spoon, Rilo Kiley, Mountain Goats) for the energy of the music and the sweaty, sweaty, British band members. They are chatty lads, certainly. They could do a whole album of spoken word and I'd buy it.
Ambulance LTD---April 1st @ the Crocodile
Of all the bands I saw in 2005, this group of 5 guys probably made me think the most about what I love about men, in groups playing music. I mean, of the five of them, four looked like men I've either had, have, or will have crushes on. It's also something about men commanding attention. And it has something to do with multiple people acting together to create a cohesive whole: band, set, song, chord.
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hello seattlest,
i thought you should know that i have now seen this post (and several other posts) come through my bloglines subscription over and over and over again, perhaps over a dozen times each. my other feeds haven't all gone crazy and started repeating themselves in this fashion, so i thought i would say something and see if it might still just be bloglines' fault, or if you were having feed issues that you perhaps were not aware of; are you posting bunches of minor updates or something that would make these posts show as new (which makes it my problem in terms of client settings)?