Sep 19, 2005

Music: KROQ Inland Invasion reviews

(X-posted in MySpace)

There were a handful of bands I must recommend seeing:

The Arcade Fire:
These guys & gals are intense. They look like the band geeks from high school but they rock hard and have some very unique sounds. I especially dug the chick on accordion (she also played keyboard, drums, sang vocals, etc.). My male friend was hot for the violinist.

Live:
I had never seen these guys perform before, though I bought their album Throwing Copper years ago and loved it. From a technical position, they were the best band of the day. Their sound is tight, they completely let go on stage, and Ed is just in the moment - none of it seems staged. Also, the tunes from their upcoming album sounded really good: real rock 'n' roll, which is something, I feel, is desperately needed in the "pop" scene today.

Garbage:
With a singer like Shirley Manson, how could any band go wrong? She lights up the stage with her massive persona and performance. This is one hot chick. Also, the camera just absolutely loves her. (See KROQ Inland Invasion 2005 set.)

Jet:
I know these guys seem a tad "sell-out" with their introductory single in an iPod commercial ("Are You Gonna Be My Girl"), but they play well and have some great classic-sounding songs. My one problem would be that they sound a little bit like "everyone else," however my inability to specifically name who they sound like kind of makes up for this, lol.

Oasis:
Two words: Liam Gallagher. Granted all the songs are composed by Noel and he is one damn fine songwriter, but let's face it, without Liam there would be no Oasis. He is the epitome of arrogance and his absolute shamelessness makes it not only forgivable but also enjoyable. I found myself making eye contact with him (I was front-center pit) and just cracking up. He's a rock star. He knows it, he loves it, and he shows it. So what if they sound like (or, more importantly, want to be) The Beatles? They have genuinely great Brit pop tunes and an enigmatic front man. What more could you ask for? (Ok, ok, originality, but we can leave that to bands like U2. Oasis is a good fucking time; it's ok that they are not a religious experience.)

Final note: any bands who performed that I did not mention I either did not see (due to much needed breaks) or I disliked (um, 311, go home).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...
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c said...

hey there.
i just came across your blog very randomly. cool site. i am definitely on the same page as you with musical tastes. and people who get all annoyed by oasis definitely need to lighten up.
peace