Concert Review: Reel Big Fish/Less Than Jake

      This is off from a normal review, as I am reviewing a punk/ska show and assessing how the scene has changed from when I used to go to shows every few months in high school. But, as it is a music that I enjoyed to listen to for the majority of my first three years in high school, and is still getting attention from nostalgists and 14-year olds alike, it seems like a relevant thing to talk about.
      First off, allow me to review the two headliners' performances. I had seen Less Than Jake once at Warped Tour last year, and I've seen Reel Big Fish probably four or five times now. Less Than Jake put on an actual show, which is to say that they were unconventional in their performance by adding some showmanship. Through audience participation they played a version of "The Price is Right" to determine what songs they would play. This is good for both the band and audience alike because their shows aren't so monotonous and they actually show a sort of connection with the audience by asking questions pertaining to the state in which they are playing and allowing audience members to participate in their game. As for their performance, they sounded live like they did on their records. No innovation, but who cares about musical innovation when you go to a punk show? Oh, and they disregarded their terrible latest album, which is awesome for old fans.
      Reel Big Fish was a huge let down for me this year. In the past they entertained through jokes both inside and aside from music. This year, they did the same thing. The exact same thing. They played "Enter Sandman" in a ska style and played "S.R." in a slew of different musical styles. While it was fun to hear them do that the first time, and while they may have tacked on one or two new styles to play "S.R." in, they just rehashed their show from last year. This, unlike Less Than Jake and bands like Suburban Legends (who actually put on a show by doing acrobatics and, terrifyingly, throwing around their instruments), gives off the inclination that they just don't give a shit. Also, Reel Big Fish played pretty much the exact same set list as last year, replacing a few of their better older songs with a few blah new ones, including a cover of Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise" that was terribly mediocre in entertainment.
      As for the state of the show itself, I was sorely dissatisfied. The main reason I go to punk shows is not to see the band play, because although I like seeing people spin a big ass wheel via "Price" in real life, I'm not shelling out twenty bucks just for that. I go for the "dancing", the running into people, the crowd surfing. It's like violence without intentionally hurting people. Or, at least, that's what it should be. Back five years ago I would have just said that the main problems were the assholes who came in the mosh pit with either a., bald with no shirt and huge muscles, or b., decked out in spikes and studs, and swung all around with no regard to anyone else, thus punching them in the face and causing injury. Now-a-days there are these kids that think that they know what to do at these shows running around and running into everyone.
      Allow me to point out something that's important to understand before continuing. There's a different between punk and ska mosh pits. Ska is more about the skanking--the dancing that is done by kicking out your feet and leaning forward with your arms swinging like you're running; Punk is more about pushing people and running into them. Less Than Jake, which has songs that emulate both ska and punk, can be understood to have a crowd that likes both kinds of moshing. That's what I accepted it to be at first, but then during Reel Big Fish I realized it really didn't go that way. People did not want to leave the skank circles alone, thus really pissing the participants off. You used to be able to skank with a bunch of people in a circle with an occasional person jumping in the middle going crazy. This is no more, and instead is just a bunch of people trying to break up any uniformity of goings-on. And, not only that, but notice I said "running into" and not "pushing". People are using their whole bodies now, which is more painful and more disorienting than a good push. At least, that's how I feel.
      I blame it on the new 14-17 year old age group who just haven't been to anything but emo and hardcore shows. There's always a time to learn, but a lot of these kids really think they know what they're doing because they're part of some sort of "scene". Well, fuck the scene. I know everyone says that, including scene kids. But whatever. They're ruining the shows for the people who enjoy it the most: the ones old enough to be nostalgic but not old enough to not mosh.
      Oh, and authority figures trying to prevent skanking and totally not allowing crowd surfing? Give me a break. Later this week: review of Van's Warped Tour 2007.

Review: They Might Be Giants - The Else

REVIEW

They Might Be Giants - The Else



     Believe it or not, after seeing them live, I wasn't too thrilled about hearing this album. But, luckily, their production skills are so good that it's not fair to judge them or their songs by their live performances, especially when they have to lower their expansive arsenal of instruments and sounds to a mere quintet setting. After the sorely mediocre Mink Car, the better The Spine, and finally the mostly sour Venue Songs, The Else has proven to be their best album in years.
      A lot of people are going to be critical upon this album upon first listen, especially if it's a casual one. Songs like "Upside-Down Frown" even has a title that will make most cringe, "Bee of the Bird of the Moth" has a beginning that can easily make someone quickly disinterested, and "Take Out the Trash" can come across as disgustingly too poppy. Never fear, though! They Might Be Giants has proven in the past to take terrible pop ideas and transform them into great works of art; it's just that of the past few albums have made fans like me very cautious about listening to their new material.
      "Upside-Down Frown" is a song that's lyrics are lame, but TMBG has been known in the past to make songs like this with excellent parts in it to make it catchy and end up good. Remember "Sleeping in the Flowers"? Potentially very lame, but in the end turns out to be very likable. Listen to the lyrics around the chorus and the musicality of the instrumentation and you'll find the song to be like others with choruses that are meant to be more satirical than serious. That's an element that TMBG has used in the past, but as noted before, fans don't trust their ability to do it and make the rest of the song good anymore.
      In terms of "Take Out the Trash", yes, it's poppy, but I'd be damned if it weren't a song that outlines the reason that music connoisseurs can stand to still listen to some pop music. It's catchy, and the lyrics aren't all that bad. It may be lame to say "Girl!/Why not take out the trash?" because it's a ridiculously un-clever and obvious metaphor, but they make it work, especially when they add the oddly creative, indirect TMBG touch to it with lyrics like "I'm not saying all the boys are the same/But, some boys are the same and it's Thursday now".
      Finally, "Bird of the Bee of the Moth" needs to be listened to all the way through. It ends up sounding like an old song of their due to what they do with the instruments that they have.
      Getting through the mislabeled-as-"bad" songs, allow me to praise some of the best on the album. One review I read called "The Mesopotamians" gimmicky. HELLO. This song is what this band is really all about: creative, lyrical song writing. Are songs like "Why Does the Sun Shine?" and "James K. Polk" terrible because it deals with factual information and turns that information into a creative song? "The Mesopotamians" is awesome because it returns to that style of TMBG writing and makes great use of it. And, whoever says that song is solely about a traveling band needs to go back to high school and take a World History class.
      "Feign Amnesia" is another song that returns to TMBG writing that long-time fans have loved. It's funny and a creative way to talk about situations that normal pop songs expire easily with writing of the opposite quality. "The Cap'm" is my personal favorite due to an initial hook and the hilarity of the lyrics themselves. Yes, John, I do agree: that hat looks damn good on you.
      In the end, The Else can be called a return to form for They Might Be Giants. With songwriting that has been repaired and carefully crafted to the genius that we know them for, it turns out to be an album that is worthy of a spot next to "John Henry" and even "Factory Showroom".

Short Introduction

     Welcome to my new blog. Basically I plan this to serve as a stream-of-consciousness-type blog dealing with issues and questions in music from the standpoint of a lowly, but opinionated, Virginia-based saxophone player. I will not hesitate to post my feelings on any subject matter at a given time, but I, as should you, do recognize that as I grow and develop as a player and as a human being in general, my opinions are subject to change or alter based on learning new things and reading new opinions. Thus, if you read this blog, I encourage you to post your thoughts on my own.
      So, let's all have fun and rip the shit out of each other and issues in the music scene today. In the end, some of us may lose our dignity and a couple of limbs, but DAMN will we have had a good discussion!