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indie-snob>+!#
cursive @ the metro (3.20.03)
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Kasher and his bandmates hung outside for the moments before doors, with the 12 most devoted fans (possibly) waiting outside among the rental vans dragging U-Haul trailers. The theater didn't fill up with angry teens until The Ghost began performing. Ranging from metalheads to clean-cut members of the Hitler Jugend to depressed, despised, forlorne indie kids... like me, Cursive's fan base has obviously grown. While the Ghost exhibited no particular TALENT, they were what good emotional hardcore was meant to be. I think it's one of those situations where if you heard one or two songs you'd really love them, until your realize all their songs were the same. Strong, powerful opening stanza driven by a barrage of guitars and such, then an enchanting mellow bridge followed by a conclusion of similar power but different key than the first. Not bad stuff though. Got their setlist, email me if you want the list of songs. I think that a great song they played was "Death By the Bay." It really struck me. Small Brown Bike is a band that I've actually heard great things about. For good reason. They brought about a sense of elegant, intriguing hardcore music with a touch of Death Cab for Cutie vocals. It really was just intelligent music with an edge, which can be very hard to find. They have a new EP coming out soon and several previous albums. This is one of my new highly recommended ultra-underground bands to see live or hear recorded... just great stuff. No Knife was good... for the 20 minutes. They just got to be one of those bands that you'd love to listen to should you be comfortably sitting on a couch in your living room with someone... not standing, hot and sweaty with 500 people. By the half hour mark, I prayed for their end.. and by the 45-minute mark, I was done. I think that they were a great band, but don't rush out to see them live unless you're absolutely in love with them. Then, by all means, go ahead. Cursive was beyond amazing tonight though, with a set selection and sound far surpassing the Fireside's show in January. Kasher's voice was clear, brilliant and depressing. But the highlight player of the show was, once again, Gretta Cohn, who brings so fucking much to the band (and may I mention she has the coolest cello ever?). "The Radiator Hums," an already pretty good song off the band's 3rd LP in 2000, was made fantastic by the addition of cello in the piece. What once was created with bass lines and a more screaming howl from Kasher was redone with mellow, almost haunting cello and sweet whispers. Other hightlights of the set for me included "Gentleman Caller," "Lament of a Pretty Baby," "Mothership, Mothership Do You Read Me?" and the continually amazing finale "Staying Alive." Not to mention the most amusing (and stunningly beautiful) rendition of "All the Things She Said" by that Russian lesbian band t.A.T.u. with the bassist/singer of Small Brown Bike. Ahhh, great stuff. All in all, one of the best shows I've been to. Period. Right up there with the Schuba's days of Ben Kweller, Radiohead, Travis and Sleater-Kinney. It was just so much fun and full of energy. Go see them live. They're on tour now. Go. Now. You have time. |