Pictorals Galore

Sonar. Baltimore, MD

White Rabbits

What should be said about our Brooklyn six-piece friends The White Rabbits ? Well, I was told by friends who had made their show earlier in the season at Baltimore's Ottobar that they had more time to work with. Can't blame them for having to shorten things, the bill was a bit full. I'm told I missed a 10-minute White Rabbit take on Maggie's Farm. What they did do, however, was blast through a compilation of Fort Nightly, which, if you're interested, is fully available via-stream on their website. They ended, appropriately I might add, with a tight, loud, and a masterful jam on the albums mesmerizing opening track, Kid on My Shoulders.

The Walkmen

Ah, the Walkmen. Looking back at that last picture-less entry on The Real Thing, I realized that "The Rat" makes me think of an American version of Bloc Party, call it, a more surreal version of "Like Eating Glass". What's crazy is that while "The Rat" is actually that good, it's not quite The Walkmen. In fact, they spent their stage time at Sonar playing some newer, slower (but not at all softer) material. Hamilton's antics as a frontman were wonderful. It's great to see someone care about their performance the way he sings-rapt in emotion and tortured by his own melodies. I got word from the same crowd of friends that the Ottobar show with White Rabbits did not measure up. Check out their website for streaming samples, but check out Daytrotter for the good stuff, i.e. the Walkmen getting their hands on some Sex in the City scripts.

Spoon

I haven't seen a set like this one in a long time. It's incredibly refreshing to know that Spoon isn't letting a bunch of radio time and some newfound success go straight to their heads. They really know how to play. I'd love to wax poetic about how wonderful everything they did was, but I really just don't have the words. Just fucking find out when they're playing near you.