Bound Stems are a math-indie (Mindie?) rock band from sweet home Chicago who, in the fall, will put out the follow-up to their debut record Appreciation Night. The record is called The Family Afloat, and, hopefully, music fans will appreciate the new effort (did you like what I did there?) as much as they did the old. The first song from Afloat, "Happens To Us All Otherwise", sounds like the most straightforward song they've ever done, with a gloriously anthemic chorus taking center stage. But if this is the same band that I saw at the free Flameshovel sponsored show last year at the Double Door, I know that they still have a few wild tricks up their sleeve.
When you’re attending a show by a band that writes as many wiseass anthems as The Narrator does, twenty-something hipsters ironically wearing trucker hats and second-hand t-shirts is as inevitable as mortality and annual payments to the government. One shirt, in particular, stuck out to me. It said the following: “Genius by birth, lazy by choice.”
All That To The Wall, the new album from up-and-coming band The Narrator, is the sound of that t-shirt slogan as a rally cry. Whether that’s intentional or not is one thing. But what is truly certain is that, both live and on record, The Narrator articulate the woes and tribulations of people who are others see as working beneath their potential, but who see themselves as not quite ready to sell their ideals out to the adult world yet.
The Narrator’s set for Flameshovel’s Memorial Day showcase at the Double Door emphasized the more upbeat cuts from Wall and, as a result, the band effectively contrasted the slacker malaise of their lyrics with an energetic, crowd-pleasing performance. Album highlights such as “Surfjew” and “Son of the Son of the Kiss of Death” were upbeat and catchy, with the latter’s twin-guitar attack recalling fellow Chicago band Chin Up Chin Up’s work on This Harness Can’t Ride Anything.
The band’s lighting helped emphasized the tension between the band’s lackadaisical sarcasm and its tight, rhythmical attack, as the stage was bathed in strong reds and laid-back blues. Other times, the music itself was provided served as the juxtaposition for the band’s ethos, as songs that started out slow, ambient and feedback-laden would suddenly switch to double-time and come ragingly back to life. It’s as if the band had just woken up from an afternoon nap and then proceeded to accomplish a day’s worth of tasks in ten minutes.
That quality, along with the fact that the band’s music can be highly energetic and charming (in spite of whatever doubts and reservations about mid-20s life that are expressed), is what The Narrator has in common with legendary groups like Pavement (to whom they are strongly indebted) and Dinosaur Jr. (to whom they bear zero sonic resemblance). Most of the band’s likeability, though, comes from their stage patter, as singers Sam Axelrod and Jesse Woghin joked about winning a Grammy, told the audience in mock-reassurance that there was no pressure to smoke that night, and introduced their cover of Bob Dylan’s “All The Tired Horses” as U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
It was that set closing number which showed the band’s capacity for being both sincere and sarcastic simultaneously. The Narrator invited audience members to come up on stage to sing along with them, and then dropped down one of those sparkling disco balls you saw at your junior prom. The moment may have meant to been ironic, but ended up as a great sing-a-long for the audience and a sweet way to have ended the set. If it’s true that by scratching a cynic, you’ll actually find a disappointed idealist, then The Narrator’s set last Sunday at the Double Door was like slacker aloe for the fresh wounds of adulthood.
Following The Narrator were fellow Flamshovel labelmates Bound Stems and Russian Circles. With regard to the art-pop (think Deerhoof or The Fiery Furnaces) of the Bound Stems, I can’t help but think of their music as simultaneously hearing two songs separated by a common melody. The band’s creative hodgepodge included such diverse elements as quirky boy-girl harmonies; folksy acoustic-guitar; classic pop chord progressions; ska-influenced bass lines; and finally, polyrhythmic drums. Here’s a group with a definite case of musical ADD. Luckily, the songs were always melodious, even a bit melancholy at times, but sweet merciful crap, they were hard to follow. The band’s Franken-pop was the sound of permanent transition. I stopped keeping track of the stylistic changes after a while, but I also vowed to spend more time with the band’s work.
Russian Circles then closed the evening with their brand of instrumental post-metal. The band’s guitar riffs crunched like a captain, and the snare hits of the drums blasted out like a gunshot. Songs started out quietly, with an eerie, cryptic guitar line straight out of Metallica’s Cliff Burton-era catalog segueing into a jabbing, riffy distorted guitar. The twin guitar-play was masterful, and, at its best, the music of Russian Circles approached cinematic proportions. The Russian Circles proved themselves to be the true masters of the Metalocalypse.
This article has been cross-published at Yerp Magazine.
Lots of news lately from Chicago's The Narrator, all of it quite good. First, the band released a video for the song "Breaking The Turtle," from their newly released album, All That To The Wall. That one you can find posted above. Second, the band staged a triumphant show this past Sunday (5/27/07) opening for fellow Flameshovel labelmates Bound Stems and Russian Circles at Chicago's the Double Door. The show was free, and, yes, I attended, and a good time was had by all. Expect a review of the concert sometime in the next couple of days. Thirdly, the band was featured as Spin's Band of The Day this past Friday (5/25/07). And last, but certainly not least, the band is about to launch a nationwide tour in support of All That To The Wall. Dates are posted below:
05.31.07 @ The Waiting Room | Omaha, NE w/ Cursive, Malpais 06.01.07 @ Larimer Lounge | Denver, CO 06.02.07 @ Kilby Court | Salt Lake City, UT 06.04.07 @ Comet Tavern | Seattle, WA w/ The End of the World 06.05.07 @ Towne Lounge | Portland, OR w/ The End of the World 06.06.07 @ Press Club | Sacramento, CA w/ The End of the World 06.07.07 @ Hotel Utah Saloon | San Francisco, CA w/ The End of the World, Dame Satan, Cervantes 06.09.07 @ Che Cafe | La Jolla, CA w/ The End of the World, Lanterns, Cancer Leo 06.11.07 @ Knitting Factory | Hollywood, CA w/ The End of the World 06.12.07 @ Modified | Phoenix, AZ 06.14.07 @ Emo's | Austin, TX w/ Ume, Bring Back the Guns 06.16.07 @ Rudyard's | Houston, TX 06.17.07 @ Fletch & Gabe's House | 440 E. State | Baton Rouge, LA 06.19.07 @ Lucky's Pub | Wilmington, NC w/ The Ataris 06.20.07 @ Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar | Charlottesville, VA w/ Cataract Camp 06.21.07 @ Maxwell's | Hoboken, NJ w/ House and Parish 06.23.07 @ Cake Shop | New York, NY w/ The Subjects 06.24.07 @ T. T. the Bear's | Cambridge, MA 06.25.07 @ Black Cat | Washington, DC w/ Cataract Camp, The Ear The Eye The Arm 06.26.07 @ Bug Jar | Rochester, NY 06.28.07 @ Carabar | Columbus, OH w/ Get Him Eat Him 06.30.07 @ Beat Kitchen | Chicago, IL w/ Get Him Eat Him (18+) 08.01.07 @ Beachland Ballroom | Cleveland, OH w/ Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Jai-Alai Savant
Boo-urns to the fact that they're not playing in Minneapolis, but I am sure they can be persuaded by massive demand for them. Get to it, Minneapolis folk!
May is going to be quite the month for Chicago's Flameshovel Records. First off, the Windy City label releases a very strong album from The Narrator today, 5/15/07 (which I have reviewed here, on this very blog). The Narrator record will very likely be on my local best-of at the end of the year. By clicking the link in the previous sentence, you can read my more in-depth thoughts on All That To The Wall. Also, The Narrator was profiled in the last issue of Chicago's alternative newspaper, The Reader. Read that article here.
Also released on Flameshovel today is the latest record from Chicago's The Race. The album is titled Ice Station. As you may have guessed already, I have written about The Race on this blog before, and you can click on the link to read my thoughts about this excellent band. The Narrator's success may threaten to overshadow The Race. If that is the case (which I obviously think it shouldn't be, as they are both praiseworthy bands deserving of success), then expect Ice Station to become one of the year's most underrated records. The Race plays a record release party at Chicago venue The Hideout on June 2nd, 2007. Read more about the band here.
Last, but not least, are the Bound Stems, who released their most recent record, Appreciation Night, on Flameshovel in 2006. Click the two links above to get a sample of what the band is about (fans of Modest Mouse may find a kindred spirit in this band). The stems are playing a FREE show at Chicago's Double Door on May 27th, 2007, at 8 p.m. with...(drum roll)...you guessed it, The Narrator and The Race. Good times, indeed. If you don't have anything going on that night, you should definitely go, as you'll be seeing many of Chicago's finest bands for a price that's almost too good to be true. Get a better background on the Bound Stems here.
