Well, it’s too late to post much of anything tonight, since I put off something that was due Monday morning until 10:30 Sunday night. So here’s the Bishop Allen video for “Click click click click”. It’s a simple, cool little idea. I can’t believe this hasn’t been done before, but the youtube commenters seemed to think it was original, for what that’s worth (probably not much since the average age of your typical youtube commenter seems to be about 12). On the other hand, I just saw the exact same idea used today in a PBS promo piece, so either it’s a over-used technique, or PBS is ripping off Bishop Allen.
My only complaint is that I don’t think the video really complements the song all that well.
I went to the Middle East (a small club, not the cradle of civilization) Friday night to see a band I’ve wanted to see for a while- Bishop Allen. But first there were two opening acts (actually 3, but the first seemed quite missable, based on their myspace page, so we made it a point to miss them).
1. A Northern Chorus: Actually, we almost missed them too, catching only about 4 songs, which is a shame. All the elements were there for being my kind of band. Cello, violin, trumpet, male and female vocals.. Based on their myspace page, they sound somewhat Broken Social Scene-ish. I think I’ll buy their latest CD. (Apparently a Pitchfork review of an earlier CD said “A Northern Chorus has turned out the record that Death Cab for Cutie might make after taking an on online classical composition course and a near-fatal overdose of tranquilizer cocktails.” Ouch! I’ll let you be the judge as to whether they’ve perked themselves up since then.)
2. Aereogramme: My god. Where do I start? See, my hopes were high, since they are from Glasgow, like other bands of which I am fond. And I was under the impression, based on at least one of these bands, that the men in Glasgow were all delicate, bookish waifs about as wide as my forearm. Not so! These guys were huge! And hairy! REALLY hairy! And their music was LOUD! Seriously, though, for a band whose music wasn’t my cup of twee (heh), I have to give them credit- they put on a really good show. But seesh, I’m still a little traumatized.
Finally- the main act, Bishop Allen! Wow. For a band that sounds like they rely heavily on the ukulele, xylophone, and various horns, these guys (and girl) rocked! What a great show! And they have a very charismatic frontman, which I think is somewhat essential if a band is truly going to make it. What fun. Go see Bishop Allen if you have a chance. Lots of free downloadable stuff can be found here. [edit: Looks like the downloads are no longer free. Hey, I guess they have to make a living like the rest of us. Oh well, you can still check out their myspace page, or listen to 3 songs on the band's website.]
