Afternoons w/ The Happy Hollows, The Movies, and The Boxing Lesson @ Spaceland 06-30-08

The Boxing Lesson came to Spaceland from Austin, TX sans their original drummer who, according to the band's singer, couldn't leave the state due to some marijuana-related charges. The self-described "space rock" trio ran the gamut of intelligent rock genres throughout the course of their quite likable forty minute set, deploying textures of psych, prog, shoegaze, and even a few art rock accents tossed-in for good measure.

Synthlordress Jaylinn Davidson had a console rig that would make HAL envious, but it was her Texas-twang backing vocals that first caused me to see that this band was not simply more of the same. Also of note were singer / guitarist Paul Waclawsky's lead vocals which were clear, audible, and mixed-up over the instrumental rockscapes. How refreshing, a psych-rock act whose lyrics can be understood!

The sum total of The Boxing Lesson's opening set was easily digestible thinking-man's rock for the novice. That's not meant as a put-down. Pretension was absent, making a band unfamiliar to me easy to enjoy. If you're trying to get your friend to put-down that Spoon disc and move-on to something of a little more substance, The Boxing Lesson would be a good start. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?





The Happy Hollows, after having been relatively in absentia as of late, had the balls to come-out the gates with a set of mostly untested, never-been-played songs (presumably) from their upcoming album. Some of the songs were slower, less energetic, and not as well rehearsed... but they were also more cerebral and less familiar to the longtime fans; significant leeway is to be given. I really liked the new stuff. It was not the most invigorating set The Hollows have played, but certainly one of their gutsier performances that I've personally witnessed.

While laying low and writing new material, The Happy Hollows seem to have grown a bit, too. They relied less on thrashy-arty noise and seemed more confident in letting the songs speak for themselves. The quirk was still there, but the set as a whole was perhaps one of their most substantive. Singer / guitarist Sarah Negahdari was less of the focal point in the band last night; the three members seemed to be sharing a more equal role, a creatively wise move. (Negahdari's illusory finger-dancing on the neck of her guitar is still the climax of their set, however.)

Crowd-pleaser "My Wet Tongue" was wedged in the middle of the setlist. It's still one of the band's best live numbers, but perhaps starting to feel a little stale. "My Wet Tongue" isn't quite representative of The Happy Hollow's sound as it exists today.

The latter half of the Happy Hollow's set featured some more newish songs, but ones they've been playing live for a while. "Monster Room," "Lieutenant," and the Charlie Mahoney-sang "DeLorean" reminded everyone who patiently waited through the less familiar tunes of why the band consistently makes most peoples "Top 5" lists. Those three songs were electrifying, bigger than the room. Easily the best three songs the band has written.

Expect another show some time this month, and of course be sure to catch The Happy Hollows at Sunset Junction in August.







Watching the bombastic Afternoons at Spaceland was a lot like attending an indie rock parade. The band features two drummers (swoon!), a trumpet, and an opera singer. At one as many as eight musicians were on stage, creating a visual and sound spectacle that might also be produced if Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote an album for The Arcade Fire and put it on Broadway.

On the surface, Afternoons were stunningly good. If one's body involuntarily moves to the music and you find yourself suddenly aware that your eyes are closed and your mouth is up-turned, well then, there's no response other than "That's some good music right there."

And yet.

The over-thinking critic in me couldn't quite submit. Every song seemed to have the same jangle and the same melodies. How many songs can go "Oo, ooo-oo"? (The answer: Oh, eight or more.) If you took away the overlayered vocals and multiple percussionists, would the songs cease to be interesting? My gut says yes. A part of me feels like Los Angeles' Afternoons, in a different music scene (say, Boulder or Nashville), would have been a jam band. Ugh.

The use of an operatic singer in such an act is inspired. The catchiness and pleasing aesthetics of their songs can not be denied. If you don't need an excuse to don a fedora, prance about, and have a good time, then you're a better music listener than I. The wall-to-wall crowd was not wrong for loving every bit of it.

Perhaps their set was too mature for my tastes. (That's your cue, anonymous commenters!) We'll be seeing them again for Also I Like to Rock later in the month.





I was hoping that the packed room would dissipate considerably for The Movies. That wish was not to be fulfilled. The room was suffocating and the between-set songs on the PA were too loud for conversation. (Really, you shouldn't need earplugs when the bands aren't playing.) I started getting one of my social anxiety attacks, tried to stick-it out, then bailed. I could hardly pay attention, ergo, proper thoughts on The Movies' set can not be offered.

But "Get Your Macho Out" sounded awesome as I was vacating the premises in search of fresh air and a sound mind.

Here's The Movies' hilarious new video for "When I Was In Nam", directed by Simon Cardoza: