Bright Eyes is one of the most recognizeable faces of indie music. Soon to be just as familiar if the reaction in our offices is any indication is Feist. I couldn't stop listening to her CD Let it Die, especially "Mushaboom" (the video is available on her site). Add The Magic Numbers to the evening, and it's no wonder these tickets sold as fast as they did. How was tonight at the Academy of [Rock] Music?
It's official: I'm crazy for Magic Numbers. A friend lent me the CD about a month ago, and I liked it, but wasn't completely won over until seeing them Saturday night at the AOM. The catchy, poppy hooks and unexpected harmonies, plus lots of clever backup lines flow from the 4 of them effortlessly. All that, and their t-shirt design is adorable. My only complaint was that they didn't play nearly long enough.
As for Feist, she has a terrifically haunting voice and unique phrasings that help her transcend the female singer-songwriter pigeonhole. But her between-song patter was downright annoying -- I mean, what does she expect when she ASKS for heckling??
Then there's Bright Eyes. I'll admit up front that I don't get it. The house was packed with rabid fans, and we all know the hype surrounding him over the past year or so. Clearly there's something I'm missing. I guess it was a great show, because everyone seemed happy.
I will say this about Bright Eyes - they used a number of different instruments (harp, trumpet, clarinet) that sounded good and kept things interesting. On many numbers, though, there was almost too much - a cacophony of sounds and styles. I much preferred the quieter, simpler songs. Also - why does a guy from Nebraska sing with a twinge of an Irish/English accent?
fuck magic numbers try to take something out of connor and tell me that it's fucking unorigional.
fuck the #'s in that respect