Let's say you like bands with boys who wear eyeliner, both old (The Cure) and new (The Killers), but you don't really like the look of the eyeliner. Let's say you like Interpol. Let's say you like Wolf Parade. (Let's pretty much say you're me, right now...)
Then you should be listening to The Double.
One part recent Wilco. (David Greenhill wore cowboy boots on stage.) One part Interpol. With a bit of a singer-songwriter, math rock feel. Synth/keyboard. Guitars with multiple effects pedals. Drums. And a drum machine.
I hesitate to say drum machine because the drummer, Jeff McLeod, was really fun to watch banging on the actual drum kit. But on a couple of songs, Greenhill put down his bass guitar and stood at the drum machine giving the set a moody, sonic brilliance the entire room was nodding along to.
Recent Matador signees, The Double have an album, Loose In The Air, coming out 13 September 2005. Until then, you can purchase their 2004 release Palm Fronds from Catsup Plate Records or from one of your favorite indie record outlets. (I've been listening to it since Thursday.)
"with water we did each other's hair up into mohawks at first we couldn't get it to go up but then we really got it goin'"
Sarah Dougher started off the night at Bottom of the Hill. Reminded me of Erin McKeown but she just didn't strike me. I can't even think of words to describe her. (My last show at BotH was Rilo Kiley where the opener was a forgettable girl with an electric guitar too.)
John Darnielle and Peter Hughes (including, for a few songs, producer John Vanderslice) ripped through songs from The Sunset Tree--including Lion's Teeth but excluding Dilaudid--and older songs and occasionally playing an eager audience member's request. I tend to enjoy a show more when the guys on stage look like they're having fun, and The Mountain Goats looked like they were having a blast--John even did a little bit of dancing. The Double's drummer, Jeff McLeod, returned to the stage for the end of the set; and The Mountain Goats came back out on stage for two whiskey fueled encores.
Since I was practically sitting on the stage, and BotH being an intimate venue, the whole night felt like hanging out a friend's house listening to great music.
eta: Some lovely person taped the Mountain Goats set. (Flac. No registration required.)
The Mountain Goats setlist:
1. Intro
2. Twin Human Highway Flares
3. Dance Music
4. Old College Try
5. Game Shows Touch Our Lives
6. Pet Politics (Silver Jews cover)
7. Broom People
8. Source Decay
9. Color In Your Cheeks
10. Linda Blair Was Born Innocent (with John Vanderslice)
11. Dinu Lipatti's Bones (with John Vanderslice)
12. New Star Song (with drummer from Double)
13. Grendel's Mother (with drummer from Double)
14. Lion's Teeth
15. Mountain Goats Shirt Song (to the tune of Going to Georgia)
16. Alpha Incipiens
17. This Year
18. Furniture Store (Furniture Huschle)
Comments