@ Mercury Lounge, New York NY 2/18/07
Snowden: http://www.snowden.info/
Malajube: http://www.malajube.com/
Rock Plaza Central: http://www.rockplazacentral.com/
It takes an awful lot to make me leave the house on a Sunday night (because of, um, shows like Family Guy). However, since the Snowden/Malajube Saturday show at the Mercury Lounge sold out early, I was forced to leave the comfort of my tiny apartment, put on pants, and drag myself to Essex and East Houston a day later.
The first band to perform, Rock Plaza Central, were surprisingly excellent, and responsible for providing my favorite set of the evening. The Toronto-based septet delighted the audience immediately with multi-instrumentalist songs like "My Children Be Joyful" and "Anthem For the Already Defeated," as well as a heartfelt rendition of Jane Siberry’s "You Don’t Need." Chris Eaton, whose singing reminded me a bit of John Darnielle and Tom Waits, commanded the audience to stand still and listen, as he lazily hunched over his guitar. With his rustic plaid shirt and beard, I felt as though I was at someone’s cottage in southern Ontario.
Between songs, Eaton and others joked about problems at the border ("You’re who? I’ve never heard of that band."), visiting the great city of New York for the first time ("We held hands on the elevator up to the top of 30 Rock."), and, as per usual, repeatedly mispronounced "about" and "hot" with quintessential Canadian charm. The band also played a song about robot horses, which seemed suspsiciously similar to fellow Canadian Laura Barrett’s "Robot Ponies," but I held my tongue.
At the bar I spoke to Rob Carson, who plays trombone. For a band that garners so many comparions to Neutral Milk Hotel, he stared at me blankly when I referenced the Communist Daughter, a bar at Dundas and Ossington. And, though I did not say this aloud, Rock Plaza Central should seriously consider changing their name, because afterwards most of us kept consulting one other, wondering what the hell they were called.
Malajube, the band I came to see, came on stage with a bit of well-deserved pomp and arrogance. Their set was pretty tight, but I felt the vocals were too distorted and lend themselves to the record. I have never been to Quebec, nor encountered the Quebecoise, and it was quite interesting to see how very little English they understand. They didn’t play "Le Metronome," the song that, in my opinion, made them popular, so I was a bit miffed. "Montreal –40" and "Pate Filo" were excellent, but they are excellent songs just the same on your iPod.
Snowden, from Atlanta, GA, were a basic, indie rock band, with nothing extraordinary about them. They were inoffensive and languid, like a watered-down Sea and Cake. I left after about two songs to hop on the subway and see about a tall boy with glasses. Which I did.
by Sally