THURSDAY, APRIL 10,2003
MUSIC
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 11
Bands perform fine rock'n'roll
REVIEW
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like hardly anyone shows up at the really good shows in Lawrence anymore. Superdrag and Ozma's coheadlining tour was in town Sunday night, and The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., was surprisingly spacious, with the crowd at best filling only 75 percent of the venue's capacity.
Aaron Passman apassman@kansan.com
But those who were there got their share of rock 'n' roll, as Lawrence's current gold mine of quality rock shows continued.
Lawrence natives Getaway Driver kicked off the night, and this band gets better each time I see it. Despite playing before a pretty scant crowd and appearing to have some equipment troubles (including low vocals throughout the set) the Getaway boys continue to be a tighter live band. Throughout its half-hour set it played songs from each of its EPs, including all four tracks from its recently released Cliches With Harmonies EP. In the interest of full disclosure, Nate Harold, guitar player for Getaway Driver, is also a Jayplay music critic.
Now, I like Weezer a lot. So it's probably not surprising that Ozma is one of my favorite bands. Musically it's similar to Weezer but with elements of '80s new wave thrown in for good measure. Opening the set with a rockin', synth-heavy version of "Domino Effect," it was clear right out of the gate that Ozma wasn't going to be screwing around. Having not played
Ozma's new songs were poppiest and darker, and the opening set didn't screw around, while Superdrag's brand of rock came through full force.
Lawrence since the summer of 2001, the small crowd that was familiar with the band was out in full force, singing along to nearly every song, including "Shooting Stars," "The Ups and Downs" and "Battlescars."
But it wasn't all sing-alongs. In addition to songs from its first record (2000's Rock and Roll Part Three) and its EP (2001's Double Donkey Disc,) the band also premiered four new songs from its upcoming record Spending Time on the Borderline, due out May 6. The new songs are poppier, darker and just as good (if not better) than anything Ozma has put out thus far.
But Ozma's high-point came early on, with a cover of the Tetris theme song (which, unbeknownst to many, is a traditional Russian folk song). Both vocalist/guitarist Ryen Slegr and vocalist/bassist Daniel Brummel seemed to be in a talkative mood and chatted with audience throughout its set, even calling out "Go Jayhawks!" several times, in anticipation of Monday's championship game.
But while Ozma was chatty, members of Superdrag could hardly keep thier mouth s shut, and there was nearly as much talking on stage as there was rocking, during its hour and 45 minute set. Tennessee's finest wasted no time breaking into its opener "Baby Goes To 11," and despite being absent from Lawrence for two years, it seemed thrilled to be back, and the crowd was more than happy to welcome the band.
Superdrag's brand of rock is heavy on the distortion, giving it a mid-90s alternative flavor, but elements of southern classic rock come through at times, too, especially in the guitar solos. But the southern feeling came through full force when the band performed a Merle Haggard cover, as well as "Ambulance Driver," a slower, countrytinged number about vocalist/guitarist John Davis's grandfather.
"We put out a new record since the last time we were here in Lawrence, Kan., at The Bottleneck," Davis told the crowd, "and we've got it for sale tonight for only
GETAWAY DRIVER ... B+
OZMA ... A
SUPERDRAG ... A
OVERALL GRADE ... A
$10. But if y'all just want to spend your money on beer instead, that's cool, too. Just make sure and go over to the Love Garden and pick it up sometime."
The band was gracious to a fault, constantly thanking Lawrence for its hospitality and enthusiasm and thanked the crowd by instigating an audience-wide sing-along on "Keep It Close To Me," as well as dedicating "A Staggering Genius" to all the drinkers in the crowd.
With songs as radio-friendly as Superdrag writes them, it's sort of surprising that its mid-90s hit "Sucked Out" was its only radio hit.
And it's too bad, because between all three bands, Sunday again brought some fine music to Lawrence. You just have to look a little left of your radio dial to find them.
Note: Superdrag and Ozma will be in Manhattan tonight. You should go. Trust me, I'm a critic.
Passman is a Towanda junior in journalism and film.
Aldhill's Arboretum by Of Montreal
Reviewed by Aaron Passman apassman@kansan.com
Aldhill's Arboretum, the most recent album from Of Montreal, seems to take much of its musical inspiration from Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles. The same psychedelic, joyful nonsense that pervaded the Mystery Tour album is on display in Aldhill's Arboretum and seems to have had a strong influence in much of the world of independent, underground music.
Many of the
bands from San Francisco's Elephant 6 Collective, which included Apples in Stereo and The Olivia Tremor Control, also seemed to take their inspiration from said Beatles record. But whereas many of the Elephant 6 bands seemed concerned with taking the psychedelia and expanding it with experimentation, Of Montreal are primarily concerned with writing great pop songs in the tradition of "Your Mother Should Know" and "Penny Lane," both Magical Mystery Tour tracks.
Contributed art
Songs on Aldhill's Arboretum such as "Old People in the Cemetery," which is centered on a reggae-tinged chord progression, deal with relatively grim issues in a cheerful manner. But the opening track, "Doing Nothing," may be catchiest song about sheer boredom since Green Day's "All By Myself."
One of the album's strongest tracks, "Jennifer Louise," opens with an upbeat keyboard and guitar intro, ultimately rendering the song as something that almost seems like a reject from the Beatles' Rubber Soul. The country-western bounce of "Isn't It Nice?" and the straightforward lyrics of songs such as "Natalie and Effie In The Park" and "A Question for Emily Foreman" show Of Montreal doing what it does best
90.7
kjhx
KJHK Top 10
1. WHITE STRIPES ... Elephant
2. THE FAINT ... Danse Macabre Remixes
3. CHROMATICS ... Chrome Rats Vs. Basement Ruts
4. SINGLE FRAME ASHTRAY .. Burn Radio Airtest
5. APHEXTWIN . 26 Mixes for Cash
7. DEERHOOF ... Apple O
6. BLOOD BROTHERS ... Burn Piano Island, Burn
8. EARLIMART... Everyone Down Here
— writing great pop songs about mundane subjects such as country life and getting a dog.
9. ESSEX GREEN ...The Long Goodbye
It's the simplicity that makes Of Montreal so charming. It's a band that, while talented and ambitious, isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. It's merely trying to write great pop songs and capitalize on a fondness for mild psychedelia. When the songs are consistently this good across the entire album, you can't ask for much more than that.
10. LIBERTINES .Up the Bracket
Note: Of Montreal will play The Bottleneck on April 24, along with local bands Ghosty and The Hardaways.
Grade: A