British Sea Power w/The Rosebuds and Jeffrey Lewis @ Lee's Palace

I haven't really taken the time to blog much about British Sea Power but I assure you that this is not due to lack of interest. It's just simply due to the fact that their latest CD Do You Like Rock Music? has already been blogged about elsewhere in great detail. So the fact that I also feel that this is one truly exceptional piece of work almost seems redundant. In my opinion, BSP just keeps getting better with every album, and DYLRM?'s attempt at stadium rock comes across as effortless. Some bands just got it, I suppose.

This viewpoint was only reiterated in greater detail upon seeing them at Lee's Palace on Friday night. I had never seen them before but I had heard that their show is a wonder to behold. In 2004, the band was awarded Time Out London's Live Band of the Year, and I can see that their prestige was highly deserved. Right from the get-go, the band refused to chill out. After using a recorded version of the album's opener All In It to accompany the band onstage, they followed it with Atom, also from the new album. The new songs seem to have been written with a live show in mind, which is probably why they work so well. But the older songs also sounded great, particularly Carrion and Blackout. As is their custom, they concluded with the live staple and slightly improvised Rock In A, which is an intense way to end a rock show. It's the only time that I can remember being happy at the fact that a band does not do encore's because that last number would be very difficult to follow. They obviously live by the idea that it's so much better just to make the last song count. And that they did.

Photos: My pics of British Sea Power @ Lee's Palace are on flickr.
Download: Waving Flags mp3

Download: Please Stand Up mp3

Myspace: British Sea Power

Opening for British Sea Power was Ralieigh, North Dakota's The Rosebuds. Before they even played a note, Kelly Crisp came out and greeted everyone within the first few rows, proving herself to be a really kind and personable individual. During the show, lead vocalist Ivan Howard also had a commanding presence that was subtle yet engrossing. Their music straddles a fine line between indie rock and dance music, creating a style that is very fun and easy to enjoy. They also have a unique chemistry that makes for a good show. Although the keyboard was present in pretty much all of the tracks, I particularly enjoyed the songs that were even more keyboard driven because I thought those songs introduced a bit more of a new wavy vibe. I can't say I'm all that familiar with their recorded works, but I think I might have to check out at least their latest CD Night Of The Furies, even though it's now a whole year old. Man, it's getting harder to keep up with everything musically.

Photos: The Rosebuds @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Download: Blue Bird mp3

Myspace: The Rosebuds

The first act of the night was anti-folkster and comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis. There are people out there that absolutely love this guy. I mean, just love him. In one sense I can see why. There's no denying his talent for lyrical whimsy. The man's brain is obviously working a mile a minute, and how he remembers those sometimes introspective, sometimes angry and other times sarcastic lyrics is beyond me. For some reason, I just find him tiring. The songs that I like, I really really like but the songs that I hate, I really really hate. Some of his more popular songs are the ones that fall into the 'really hate' category for me, which made me pleasantly surprised that he didn't do those songs on this particular evening. I enjoyed that. In many ways, he was facing a tough crowd, since his style of anti-folk semi-punk may not be exactly what a room full of rock lovers wanted to hear. He seemed to be more successful when he kept things light hearted, like his ode to Ramen noodles, or his song about the terrifying creeping brain, complete with illustrated accompaniment. He's the type of performer that everybody should see at least once. Of course, I may be seeing him twice since he's back in town next Friday opening for Los Campesinos! This time he'll be with his band The Jitters.

Photos: Jeffrey Lewis @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Download: End Result mp3

Myspace: Jeffrey Lewis