popwreckoning

Thursday night at the sold-out 9:30 Club in Washington was laid out like a three course meal at a fancy restaurant. First up was Springfield, Missouri band Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, whose name has be one of the strangest yet oddly memorable ones ever invented. Their music has a jaunty, peppy vibe and a perfect appetizer to start off the evening. Classic guitar riffs, bouncy melodies, really engaging instrumentation – all you really need or ever want in a good indie pop/rock band, really. (I’ve never understood the appeal of the Morning Benders; Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is definitely more my thing.) A great example: “Sink/Let It Sway,” which like its name suggests, makes bodies in a crowd sway.

I always find it really cool when band members play musical chairs, and this happened with this band, as the original lead singer switched off with the drummer, who took over bass, while the bass player took over lead vocal and guitar duties. The result: a decidedly harder rock song, so hard that the guy drumming lost a stick in the first few seconds of hitting the skins. Hardcore. Other highlights of their opening set were “All Hail Dracula!” (appropriate for the “Twilight” fans, perhaps?) and the wistful “Pangea.”

Following some crazy techno pumping up the crowd and overexcited Two Door Cinema Club fans chanting “ah-oh-ah-ah-oh” off key, it was time for the first of the two co-headliners. A blinding light show ushered in the Northern Ireland band, but I can forgive them because they were on point their entire set. It was like enjoying the best Indian curry of your life – exciting, sweat-inducing, full of life, like you never wanted the experience to end. Second song in, at the start of “Undercover Martyn,” lead guitarist Sam Halliday flashed a broad smile at us in response to the “we love you Sam!” shouting and I knew it was going to be one stellar show. Earlier that day, lead singer/guitarist Alex Trimble visited one of the Nation’s Capital’s many fine pawn shops and scored a used yet gorgeous Fender for his guitar collection. After introducing the lone brand new song on this tour, “Handshake,” he thanked the 9:30 audience for being part of the first gig of what is sure to be an exciting musical history for his new baby. The new song didn’t disappoint, with its handclaps and intricate guitar lines.

It’s hard to believe that the band admitted to radio personality Tara O. in Ottawa last week that when the band co-headlined with Kitsune labelmates Delphic on a tour of the UK in late 2009, they felt unprepared and under rehearsed compared to the more experienced electronic band from Manchester. The days of Two Door Cinema Club feeling tentative are long gone. Songs like the forthcoming single “What You Know” and the perennial favorite “I Can Talk” resulted in widespread pogo-ing and a sea of arms in the air. Kev Baird‘s relentless bass line in “Come Back Home” proves Two Door does indeed rock out hard, and their sound has definitely won over Washington. The band were quick to show their appreciation for the adulation being given to them, with Baird saying at one point, “my friend told me this is the best venue to play at in the United States. And he was right!” Bring on album #2, guys.

Two Door Cinema Club Set List:
Cigarettes in the Theatre
Undercover Martyn
Hands Off My Cash, Monty
Do You Want It All?
Something Good Can Work
Handshake (new song)
Kids
You’re Not Stubborn
Costume Party
What You Know
Eat That Up, It’s Good for You
Come Back Home
I Can Talk

If Two Door Cinema Club was the entree, then Tokyo Police Club was the cooling dessert at the end of the meal, punctuated with hot fudge and a cherry on top. Funnily enough, one of the more memorable moments that can be attributed to the Canadian band happened before they even stepped foot onstage. I guess Tokyo Police Club are big Tom Jones fans, judging by the incidental music played before their set. “What’s New Pussycat” played on repeat at least four times, and I overheard one person behind me complain to his gigging buddy, “I seriously want to die.” As if someone was listening, “It’s Not Unusual” came out over the PA and everyone around me started singing along in approval.

The crowd reaction for Tokyo Police Club, at least in the beginning, seemed completely the opposite of the one for Two Door. Instead of responding physically, Tokyo’s fans seemed rapt with attention for lead singer/bassist Dave Monks, singing along to their idol. Overall, a much chiller vibe seemed to settle over the crowd. Later on though, “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” and “Breakneck Speed,” both from last year’s release Champ, went down a treat and upped the energy level back up again. But what was the pièce de résistance? The bands joining forces to do an unexpected encore of the Strokes‘ “Last Nite.” Doesn’t really get better than this on a cold winter’s night in DC, I can assure you.

Tour Dates:
Jan 22 – Trocadero / Philadelphia^&*
Jan 23 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus^&*
Jan 25 – Masquerade / Atlanta^&*
Jan 26 – Crowbar / Tampa^&*
Jan 27 – Social / Orlando^&
Jan 28 – Culture Room / Ft. Lauderdale&*
Jan 29 – Jack Rabbit’s / Jacksonville&*
Jan 31 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge&*
Feb 01 – Granada Theater / Dallas&*
Feb 02 – La Zona Rosa / Austin&*
Feb 03 – Warehouse Live / Houston&*
Feb 05 – Exit-In / Nashville&*
Feb 07 – Blue Note / Columbia, MO&*
Feb 10 – Mad Hatter / Covington, KY&*
^with Two Door Cinema Club
& with Tokyo Police Club
*with support from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Two Door Cinema Club: website | myspace | Two Door Cinema Club To Tour with Phoenix in Spring, Headline First North American Tour | “Something Good Can Work” video | @ Constitution Hall | Interview with: Sam Halliday of Two Door Cinema Club | @ Johnny Brenda’s | Two Door Cinema Club Announce Fall North American Tour | “Come Back Home” video | Two Door Cinema Club to Re-Release Debut Album with CD of Remixes and Special Documentary | Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History (Deluxe Edition) | Tokyo Police Club and Two Door Cinema Club Announce January 2011 Co-Headlining Tour | @ Neumo’s | Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know” video
Tokyo Police Club: website | myspace | ‘It’s Good to be Back’: Tokyo Police Club – Champ | Bonnaroo 2010, Day 2 | @ Record Bar | @ Neumo’s
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: website | myspace | @ Neumo’s | SXSW 2011 2nd round of announcements

SXSW 2011 has announced a second batch of band’s playing this year’s festival March 16-20. This new batch of bands includes PopWreckoning favorites such as Missouri’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Nashville’s Turbo Fruits and many others.

To see the full list of announced bands go here. More announcements will soon be made.

Newly announced SXSW bands:

Alberta Cross (Brooklyn NY)
AM (New Orleans LA)
Asking Alexandria (York ENGLAND)
Bajzel (Poznan POLAND)
Bare Wires (San Francisco CA)
The Bellrays (Los Angeles CA)
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (York ENGLAND)
Beta Wolf (Los Angeles CA)
Bituaya (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Black Gandhi (Barcelona SPAIN)
Bleu Edmondson (New Braunfels TX)
Blue King Brown (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Bowling For Soup (Denton TX)
Carter Twins (Nashville TN)
Casiokids (Bergen NORWAY)
Chetes (Monterrey MEXICO)
City and Colour (Toronto ON)
Colleen Green (Los Angeles CA)
Curry & Coco (Lille FRANCE)
Dame 55 (Los Angeles CA)
Dawn of Ashes (Los Angeles CA)
Dax Riggs (Austin TX)
The Dears (Montreal QC)
Demon’s Claws (Montreal CANADA)
DeVotchKa (Denver CO)
Eliza Doolittle (London ENGLAND)
Elizabeth & the Catapult (Brooklyn NY)
Endless Hallway (Los Angeles CA)
Fergus & Geronimo (Brooklyn NY)
Francis and the Lights (New York NY)
Frazey Ford (Vancouver BC)
Gary Wilson (San Diego CA)
Gepe (Santiago CHILE)
Grass Widow (San Francisco CA)
Grieves (Seattle WA)
The Happy Hollows (Los Angeles CA)
Harrys Gym (Oslo NORWAY)
Heavy Cream (Nashville TN)
Hell & Lula (Los Angeles CA)
Hey Rosetta! (St John’s NL)
HORSE the band (Los Angeles CA)
Ice Black Birds (Brighton ENGLAND)
J Mascis (Amherst MA)
Janka Nabay (SIERRA LEONE)
JEFF The Brotherhood (Nashville TN)
Joan of Arc (Chicago IL)
Jukebox the Ghost (Washington DC)
Kina Grannis (Mission Viejo CA)
Kopecky Family Band (Nashville TN)
La Sera (Los Angeles CA)
Locos Por Juana (Bogota COLOMBIA)
Maps & Atlases (Chicago IL)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City MEXICO)
Middle Class Rut (Sacramento CA)
Morning Teleportation (Portland OR)
Murfila (Barcelona SPAIN)
MURS (Los Angeles CA)
Noah And The Whale (London ENGLAND)
North Mississippi Allstars (Hernando CO)
O’Death (New York NY)
Onra (Paris FRANCE)
Parlor Mob (Red Bank NJ)
Paul Cary (Chicago IL)
Pedropiedra (Santiago CHILE)
Pernett (Cali COLOMBIA)
Prince Rama (Brooklyn NY)
Professor Green (London ENGLAND)
Protistas (Santiago CHILE)
Pterodactyl (Brooklyn NY)
Pujol (Nashville TN)
Quintron and Miss Pussycat (New Orleans LA)
Rey Pila (Mexico City MEXICO)
Rosie and Me (Curitiba BRAZIL)
The Secret Handshake (Dallas TX)
Shuttle (Boston MA)
Skrillex (Los Angeles CA)
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Denver CO)
Some Community (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Springfield MO)
Sounds Under Radio (Austin TX)
The Strange Boys (Austin TX)
Stephen Kellogg (Northampton MA)
Summer Camp (London ENGLAND)
Suzanna Choffel (Austin TX)
Teen Daze (Vancouver CANADA)
Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco CA)
Tôg (Stavanger NORWAY)
Turbo Fruits (Nashville TN)
Ty Segall (San Francisco CA)
The Vaccines (London ENGLAND)
Voxhaul Broadcast (Los Angeles CA)
Wagons (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
War From A Harlots Mouth (Berlin GERMANY)
Whitechapel (Knoxville TN)
The Woggles (Atlanta GA)

It was almost a whole year ago when I got my first photo pass. It was November 27, 2009, and it was a Lonely Forest show at the Showbox at the Market. I didn’t know what I was doing with my camera, and I basically knew nothing about the band. A year later, this had been the fourth time I’d seen local darlings the Lonely Forest, this time at Neumo’s, with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY) and Us On Roofs opening.

I was up front with a couple friends of mine, and clustered next to me was a small crowd of especially excited teens around my sister’s age, freshmen at Western. I wasn’t sure what they were going on about, and at one point I overheard, “well, does your mom know what Chris Walla looks like?

I didn’t hear the answer, but a few minutes later, one of the boys jumped up on stage and grabbed the bass sitting on the floor.  He – Mikey Farrow, and two other guys-Brian Fisher on guitar and Nick Blodgett on drums, made up Us On Roofs, a local indie pop trio that sounded like they took some inspiration from the Lonely Forest themselves. Farrow took off his shoes almost right off the bat, and the crowd surprisingly didn’t overwhelm the band. But seeing that it was a loving local crowd, they were very perceptive and open to more local talent.

And this was a time when I felt particularly old.

All throughout their set, the young band thanked the Lonely Forest more times than I can count, but it was made evident why when John van Deusen of the Lonely Forest decided to get up on stage and sing with the band into Farrow’s mic, as he looked on like a proud older brother. And before he left the stage at the end of the song, van Deusen gave Farrow a great big hug from behind, also like a proud older brother.

It turns out, after I went home to check out more on Us On Roofs, they are all my sister’s age, and from my hometown of Gig Harbor. Go figure. And it also turns out that Us On Roofs also competed in this year’s Sound Off!, a Seattle battle of the underage bands competition put on by the Experience Music Project – a contest the Lonely Forest won back in 2006. So hopefully you’ll hear more from Us On Roofs in the next year or so.

After their set was over, the guys of Us On Roofs took back their rightful places up front with their friends while SSLYBY set up their gear.

Even though SSLYBY was the odd band out in terms of being non-locals, they put on a great show, with some older tracks from Pershing and Broom, as well as a bunch of new ones from Let It Sway, out in August.

“We’d like to dedicate this song to –“ and guitarist Philip Dickey trailed off after mumbling two names and an awkward pause. I guess you could say that SSLYBY has an awkward charm. Understated personas, generic clothes, but superbly catchy songwriting. A couple of my favorites were “Modern Mystery” off Pershing and “Everlyn” off Let Is Sway, which was produced by of all people – Chris Walla.

So even if SSLYBY aren’t based out of Seattle, they’ve still got some bit of Seattle running through their music. I swear Chris Walla is like the Timbaland of indie rock. He works with everyone.

“We’d like to dedicate this song to the Lonely Forest, or more how we’ll feel once we’re done touring with them,” Dickey announced again, right before they jumped right into “All Hail Dracula!” But the best part of that song is how upbeat and so not-vampirey it sounds. You’d be hard-pressed to find a band whose melodies are more universally feel-good that you picture artfully shot scenes from adorable movies with Michael Cera in your head.

But the retro mixing and harmonies matched with the oftentimes-somber lyrics keep SSLYBY from being kitsch. You sometimes want to skip around, sometimes slow dance, but you always want to dance in some way or another.

Just before 11, the Lonely Forest came out on stage, checking the mics and chatting with the kids in the front row, but not starting their set quite yet.

“We’ve gotta go off stage, because it’ll make us cooler!” John van Deusen said to his tourmates waiting in the stairwell to the right of the stage.

“You’re already cool enough!” A voice came from the crowd, not sure where though. Van Deusen smirked at the remark, but then they did step off stage to be “cooler.” But suddenly before they actually took the stage, local comedian and radio host Luke Burbank got up on stage to introduce the band. I hadn’t seen a proper band introduction in…I don’t even know how long, so that was a nice surprise. Burbank told the crowd that apparently The Lonely Forest had been double booked that night, but they needed a good reason to stay at Neumo’s. With that, a monstrous round of applause and screaming lit up Neumo’s as the band took the stage for real this time.

Having seen the band four times this year, the songs are all so darn recognizable that I can’t pinpoint any sort of set list. I was glad to hear all the songs off their latest EP – included “Let It Go,” “Ramshackle House,” “Live There,” and “Turn Off This Song (And go outside).” The latter of which was basically the soundtrack to my summer. “This song is about pretentious guys in bands,” van Deusen said of “Turn Off This Song.”

“Live There” was also a stand out because of the intensely local subject matter, and being in a room full of kids spanning from Anacortes all the way to Gig Harbor, it was a particularly heartwarming song.

As the venue grew hotter and hotter, the crowd grew more and more enveloped in their own mass of energy. Even after playing through plenty of songs off We Sing the Body Electric, guitarist Tony Ruland crowd surfing, and one encore, the crowd wasn’t done yet.

Really, during the encore the band played an especially rousing version of “Blackheart vs. Captain America” that ended with van Deusen swinging his guitar high above his head that I was afraid the strings might break and the Telecaster would be sent into the crowd. Thank goodness the strings didn’t break, but it was surely the way to end the show.

It’s a weird experience going back and looking at the photos I took of this band a year ago, and I think about how far the Lonely Forest has come since then – they released a phenomenal EP, were the first band signed to Chris Walla’s record label Trans, and they’re getting ready to release another LP.

It’s nice to know that we’ve all grown quite a lot in the last year.

And Chris Walla seriously works with everyone.

Almost one year ago: The Lonely Forest, Telekinesis, and The Globes at the Showbox.

Check out more photos from last week’s set at Neumo’s HERE.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin have just announced a series of dates for December and January. For these shows, the band will debut new material from their Chris Walla-produced third album, due out summer 2010 on Polyvinyl (see Alt. Press “In the Studio”/Nov. 09 – #256). The first trek begins December 6 in Vestal, NY at Binghamton University and ends on December 9 in Bloomington, IN at The Bishop. Then on Jan. 28, SSLYBY resumes touring in Chicago, IL at Schubas and concludes that run on Jan. 31 in Lawrence, KS at Jackpot Saloon.

In related news, SSLYBY recently commissioned a video for “Glue Girls,” the standout track from its critically acclaimed second album, Pershing (out now on Polyvinyl).

Tour Dates:
Dec. 6 – Mandela Room / Binghamton University / Vestal, NY
Dec. 7 - The Bell House /Brooklyn, NY
Dec. 8 – The Summit / Columbus, OH
Dec. 9 – The Bishop / Bloomington, IN
Jan. 28 – Schubas / Chicago, IL
Jan. 29 – Courtyard Cafe / Urbana, IL
Jan. 30 – Mojo’s / Columbia, MO
Jan. 31 – Jackpot Saloon / Lawrence, KS

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: website | myspace