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indie-snob>+!#
cursive @ the metro (9-12-03)
with murder by death, eastern youth, blood brothers |
 Line-up: Okay, okay, I'm a sucker for Saddle Creek bands. You know it, I know it, so let's just settle on that. Cursive, however, was one of the first Omaha bands I really got into with their 2000 release, Domestica. Since the beginning of 2003, I've seen Cursive three times, truly showcasing their DIY ethic. Cursive, certainly one of the first bands to gain popularity from the Saddle Creek imprint, has long been one of the originators of emotional, artistic hardcore. (Sure, sure, argue that it was after the break-up of Minor Threat and Fugazi started it all... whatever, I don't care.) Tim Kasher's lyrics have always been beautiful, poignant yet amazingly catchy. First on tonights line-up was the moderately local band (Indiana) Murder By Death. Sure, their name suggests something metallic and abrasive, but the sound they produced was actually quite wonderful. I was definitely pleasantly surprised as I saw the amazingly attractive female cellist walk out with the coolest instrument I've ever seen. As if a cool cello/cellist weren't enough, their sound ranged between the strong and emotive to the more passionate instrumental numbers. Like Cursive + Mogwai. Very interesting. In fact, this band is so interesting, that they're on an emo label and are playing with a number of emo bands around here coming up (Thursday, My Chemical Romance). But definitely check them out, really an amazing band. When I saw Eastern Youth was playing this show, I got really excited. After all, Japanese punk bands tend to be a lot of fun and I've actually always wanted to hear the band (as anyone who splits an EP with Cursive has to be good). Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. Despite my two years in high school Japanese, I of course could not understand the lyrics, not that that made a large difference. The vocals tended to be very whiny, emotional yes, but pleasant--no. Guitars raged in and out, but not in a comforting manor. Basically, I saw them on stage making a lot of unstructured noise with sloppy playing. But hey, I have nothing but love for Japanese punk... well... most of it. I think it's really cool of Cursive to bring these guys out on tour, but I can't say that I was impressed with their live show. My second time seeing the Blood Brothers was certainly no more relaxing than the first, but it certainly came as less of a surprise. This time, I almost liked having the girl in front of me's really curly hair in my mouth. I also enjoyed being sweated on by all those gross people there. Most of all, I enjoyed sweating so much myself that my hands were pruning. Yes, that was fun. Hah, but in all seriousness, The Blood Brothers are one of the most charismatic crowd-pleasing bands out there. Never taking a moment to rest or slow down, the Blood Bros provide the most frantic form of entertainment. Their set once again focused largely on Burn Piano Island, Burn with few surprises. Not even "Doctor! Doctor!" surfaced. But hey, it's all a good time. And so Cursive took the stage in their fit of glory, opening most surprisingly with "Sierra," one of my proclaimed favorite Cursive songs (off The Ugly Organ anyway). Otherwise, the set was filled with few oddities, with far more off the new album to please the sold-out crowd. In fact, I was surprised to hear so little from both Domestica and Burst And Bloom, the only REALLY old song for the evening was off their debut 7-inch, which was a surprising hear, but not necessarily quite welcome. "Art Is Hard" of course went over very well with the crowd, but I was moderately disappointed. None of the cello interpretations were present this time and the most interesting live interpretation were some electronic beats added to some songs. Definitely not as great as the last show, but I don't regret it. No "Mothership, Mothership," no "The Radiator Hums," nothing. But the highlights were: "Lament of a Pretty Baby," "Sink to the Beat," "Sierra," "The Martyr," "Gentleman Caller," "The Recluse" and "Art Is Hard" (encore). Yes, they did play a lot of good songs, but the last show was SO much better. Sorry, maybe I'm just bitter. Grade: B+ Other related reviews: |