Pipettes, Viva Voce
After drooling over the hott furr twins on TV, I met up with my buddy Bob. Once again, I was lucky enough to be his +1 for a couple of shows.
After drinking beers and watching sad karaoke at the Cuff, we wandered over to Chop Suey to catch the Pipettes. Standing outside of the club was the triple terror of woof that is
unpetitours,
ratinho and
wabearchub.
Sadly, we missed the ultra-cuteness that is Smoosh: two local sisters who write their own songs, play their own instruments, and pretty much kick ass. They've toured North America & Europe, opening for Pearl Jam, Bloc Party, Death Cab For Cutie, The Go! Team and Cat Power. They've released two albums of power pop (She Like Electric and Free To Stay) that are worth checking out. By the way, the oldest of the two is 15!!!
The Pipettes soon took the stage. If you're not familiar with them, they're basically a contemporary take on 60s girl groups. Their album, We Are The Pipettes is recommended if you're into retro girl groups, Saint Etienne, or any kind of twee pop.
Overall, I gotta say I was way more entertained than impressed. Their songs are short but infectious, and their attitude, matching outfits and choreography were super fun. Vocally though, I was a little bit disappointed. I really wanted to hear them belt it out, but at times it seemed like their vocals lacked strength or were buried in the sound mix. I realize they are touring in support of their first album, hopefully next time they come through they will have improved. I think we stayed for half to two-thirds of their set before we left, and walked down to the SIFF closing party @ Neumo's.
We arrived as the headlining band, Viva Voce, were playing their first song.
I was introduced to Viva Voce this past February, when they opened for The Shins on their last tour. I was an instant fan. They're a husband-wife duo from Portland, currently signed to the excellent Barsuk label. Both of them sing, he plays the drums, she plays guitar and bass (with a ton of effects pedals). Sonically, they are a very heady band. I hear tiny snippits of so many bands I love - PJ Harvey, Velvet Underground, Built To Spill, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Sparklehorse, Pale Saints - all thrown into this very large sonic mix. It's not like one particular influence dominates any given song.
Most of their set contained songs from their fourth album, Get Yr Blood Sucked Out. Definitely an album worth checking (even the difficult-to-please Pitchfork gave it a 8.0 rating). There is a big difference between the songs on the album and how they are performed live. Basically, all of the delicate songcraft and restraint in production is thrown out the window for a full-on sonic explosion. The songs are still beautiful, they're just bigger than life.
How do only two people create such gorgeous noise? It was excellent seeing them a second time, but in a much smaller venue They even had this cool rack of LED lights in fun colors, so the light show was entertaining as well. They also gave Bob's record store a big shout out! How cool!
The only bummer of their set was that they did not perform their cover of Alan Parson's Project "Eye In The Sky." I've been told by friends that it was highlight of the Sasquatch! Festival over Memorial Day weekend, so I was really hoping they'd play it. A studio recording of "Eye In The Sky" can be found on the very fun Bridging The Distance benefit compilation on Arena Rock Recordings.
If they swing through your neck of the woods, I highly recommend seeing them. Chicago peeps, they're playing Lollapalooza on August 3!
Listen Up:
The Pipettes : We Are The Pipettes
Viva Voce : When Planets Collide
Viva Voce : We Do Not Fuck Around
[The Viva Voce tracks are free mp3s from the Barsuk Records website. Check the site for more free mp3s from other excellent Barsuk acts - including Smoosh!]
After drinking beers and watching sad karaoke at the Cuff, we wandered over to Chop Suey to catch the Pipettes. Standing outside of the club was the triple terror of woof that is
unpetitours,
ratinho and
wabearchub.
Sadly, we missed the ultra-cuteness that is Smoosh: two local sisters who write their own songs, play their own instruments, and pretty much kick ass. They've toured North America & Europe, opening for Pearl Jam, Bloc Party, Death Cab For Cutie, The Go! Team and Cat Power. They've released two albums of power pop (She Like Electric and Free To Stay) that are worth checking out. By the way, the oldest of the two is 15!!!
The Pipettes soon took the stage. If you're not familiar with them, they're basically a contemporary take on 60s girl groups. Their album, We Are The Pipettes is recommended if you're into retro girl groups, Saint Etienne, or any kind of twee pop.
Overall, I gotta say I was way more entertained than impressed. Their songs are short but infectious, and their attitude, matching outfits and choreography were super fun. Vocally though, I was a little bit disappointed. I really wanted to hear them belt it out, but at times it seemed like their vocals lacked strength or were buried in the sound mix. I realize they are touring in support of their first album, hopefully next time they come through they will have improved. I think we stayed for half to two-thirds of their set before we left, and walked down to the SIFF closing party @ Neumo's.
We arrived as the headlining band, Viva Voce, were playing their first song.
I was introduced to Viva Voce this past February, when they opened for The Shins on their last tour. I was an instant fan. They're a husband-wife duo from Portland, currently signed to the excellent Barsuk label. Both of them sing, he plays the drums, she plays guitar and bass (with a ton of effects pedals). Sonically, they are a very heady band. I hear tiny snippits of so many bands I love - PJ Harvey, Velvet Underground, Built To Spill, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Sparklehorse, Pale Saints - all thrown into this very large sonic mix. It's not like one particular influence dominates any given song.
Most of their set contained songs from their fourth album, Get Yr Blood Sucked Out. Definitely an album worth checking (even the difficult-to-please Pitchfork gave it a 8.0 rating). There is a big difference between the songs on the album and how they are performed live. Basically, all of the delicate songcraft and restraint in production is thrown out the window for a full-on sonic explosion. The songs are still beautiful, they're just bigger than life.
How do only two people create such gorgeous noise? It was excellent seeing them a second time, but in a much smaller venue They even had this cool rack of LED lights in fun colors, so the light show was entertaining as well. They also gave Bob's record store a big shout out! How cool!
The only bummer of their set was that they did not perform their cover of Alan Parson's Project "Eye In The Sky." I've been told by friends that it was highlight of the Sasquatch! Festival over Memorial Day weekend, so I was really hoping they'd play it. A studio recording of "Eye In The Sky" can be found on the very fun Bridging The Distance benefit compilation on Arena Rock Recordings.
If they swing through your neck of the woods, I highly recommend seeing them. Chicago peeps, they're playing Lollapalooza on August 3!
Listen Up:
The Pipettes : We Are The Pipettes
Viva Voce : When Planets Collide
Viva Voce : We Do Not Fuck Around
[The Viva Voce tracks are free mp3s from the Barsuk Records website. Check the site for more free mp3s from other excellent Barsuk acts - including Smoosh!]