Friday, 12 Dec


Listening to Victrola music at Galapagos Art Space was quite a different experience as compared to The Stone performance reviewed here in November.  A much bigger venue with a noisy bar area, the Galapagos stage is not ideal for the more intricately shaded music featured there last Friday (Twi the Humble Feather and Redhooker also performed).  Floating over the audience area, the floor of which is punctuated with small pools of water surrounded by metal railing, Victrola’s set sounded otherworldly, gradually convincing the closest audience members to quit conversation and listen, rapt.  “I’m Coming for My Things” was mesmerizing, and “A Song for Arthur Russell” was rocking enough to quiet down the bar, if only temporarily.  The violin and double bass shredding at the end of the final song, “India Whiskey Tango,” was particularly vehement at this performance.

note to readers: as of Jan 09, Victrola is now called Victoire
thanks to wi| for the photo

Wed, 3 December


Packed tightly and hotly into the sold out Showroom at Pianos, stellastarr*’s audience were unaware of their discomfort as the band hit them song after song with amazing energy, overwhelming passion, and the loudest show yours truly has ever experienced at Pianos.  The extended set featured songs from both of stellastarr*'s full length albums, including previews of new songs from their upcoming third album, plus a few choice B-sides.  Highlights included: the asterisk composed of strips of black tape covering the drummer’s right nipple (shirt discarded after the first song), the bassist’s jewel-bright eyes peering out from behind a curtain of hair, the guitarist’s frequent playful grin, and the lead singer’s heart-wrenching performance of “On My Own,” sung in its entirety on his knees.  



Thanks to Toby for sharing his extra ticket.

 

Sat, 22 November


Last Saturday saw The Dig onstage at The Studio, a new venue (opened in October) located in Webster Hall’s basement.  Both seasoned and new fans alike traveled through bitter cold rain to gather together at the edge of the stage for a high energy, eleven song set, which began with three songs from The Dig’s 2007 EP Good Luck and Games.  New songs from their recent demo followed, whose subtly harder edge invokes shades of gritty blues and minor-key punk. 

The rhythmic interplay between bass and drums in “He’s a Woman” compels the body to move; after this song the bassist asked if everybody was “having a good time tonight?”—and given enthusiastic shouts of “yeah!” from the audience. 

“Penitentiary” is an entire song of waiting-to-be-released tension.  Its suspense, deriving both from an oscillating one-two rhythmic and melodic pattern in the music as well as from the lyrics of one “done wrong,” is attractive and unrelenting (so much so that even the barback paused to listen).  Keenly quenching the suspense is a descending line in the keys at the end, followed by a gradual dying out in the guitar, with the final resolution arriving simply and quietly. 

The set ended with a dark song, whose verses about a mysterious woman in a black dress are punctuated by the woman’s message in the chorus: “Cry, cry, cry if you can, I am what you think I am.”

As with the Pianos show reviewed here in July, the crowd cries for “one more song!” at the end of the set, and is audibly disappointed when denied.

Check out The Dig at Bowery Ballroom on December 20th.