the presets. gainesville,fl. 3.29.09
i just got back from sitting in on a board of education meeting for the chatham county public schools and oh man was that quite the experience. let me just say i left appalled. ladies and gentlemen, are public school systems are royally fucked up. the mayor was sitting infront of me and even his feathers were getting ruffled and he made of few comments quiet enough because the audience doesn't talk, but loud enough to be heard...
that said, i'm still too out of it to return to working, so it's another edition of the music blog i wish i had and would call, "music for the masses:"
the presets
gainesville, fl. what can i say. adam and i roamed an arts festival to see some bad art and some good art. bought nothing except for baked goodies from the fumpers (i'm determined to give this term a sexual meaning, but it's really an acronym for first united methodist preschool), and swung on some swings at a playground. seriously, the downtown area was DEAD on a sunday- even with the arts festival.
the venue- common grounds. this is when gainesville opened its arms to us in a loving embrace. the porch (which is the venue's bar that's outside) was so lovely. great bar tenders, strongbows in cans, and the weather was perfect for sitting out there and drinking before the show began. i got sauced off of a "dark and stormy" ginger beer + rum as dark as molasses = gingerbread cake in a glass = dangerous. met a guy who had actually read waiting for sheet rock.
the show was phenomenal. just like you promised, nikui ;)
small venues, mean the space is more intimate and i love dancing with the crowd, i love being in an atmosphere where everybody is just having a good time, going crazy, and moving. omg, like gettin down! it's a certain kind of positive energy that i thrive off of, and it was the perfect kind of music and setlist to drive it.
they wove their tracks together like i suspected they would so that it's more like a dj set than a live band show. but kim and julian still rock out like a traditional live act. it's too cute for words. i think that's why i've been digging the dance rock/electro bands- it's more engaging than sitting behind the decks, dicking with your mac. they opened with "talk like that" and i think that may have been the only track that stayed close to the original studio version, and i'm not complaining. the remixed/live versions were great, and the extended instrumental of "girl and the sea" was unexpected and brilliant.
the night was good and ended with me buying merch without knowing what it costs (i am more than happy to throw money at this band like a fool) and this angel of a man with a grill outside the venue. fresh grilled cheeseburgers for the drive home! every bar should let a guy with a grill take care of their drunk bastards. hell, it sopped out the last bit of alcohol in my system that the dancing didn't take care of.
the experience left me wanting more. i kept thinking to myself, yet another reason to gtfo savannah, because i was reminded how much i love going to shows and dancing! and i had that moment when you connect to the complete stranger you're dancing next to- i miss that so much! can you tell i'm a huge dork about these things?
depeche mode- sounds of the universe
so it makes sense that they would follow up "playing the angel" with an album like this, but i still can't help but feel a little disspointed that there aren't any strong, i guess more powerful tracks on the album. they're no "john the revelator's" so to speak and i was hoping that something more heavily rock influenced would find its way on the new album.
that said, i still dig it. i've been listening to it in the office and i can appreciate the chillout atmosphere it creates, and i can appreciate the moments where the tracks pick up and i can dance a little in my seat. it's perfect for working, but i have to take it home and play it on my kick ass speakers to really get a feel for it.
so far, i really like "hole to feed" "little soul" and "peace." and of course whatever the hell that track is that martin gore sings on. his voice melts me. can't wait to hear it live...