5/21, Bowery Ballroom: White Rabbits, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Antlers

Aside from being pissed as hell that I had to bail before the encore because I had to catch a bus, I was very pleased with the show. Certainly, none of these bands is really in my upper echelon of personal favorites, but when I saw it was a three-for-one deal, I sprung immediately. I really enjoy seeing shows when I'm at the level of band-familiarity that I was, and still am, with all three of these acts. If you don't know anything about a band, a live show can be fairly meh, because small clubs aren't the greatest venues to initiate yourself to a new act. But if you're too familiar with a band's studio work, you can have a certain ingrained mindset, vis-a-vis how the songs "should sound," that totally puts a damper on the experience. (Bear in mind, the latter isn't really common. I'm just making up a straw man to suit my initial point, which is something that I think more people should regularly employ.)

The Antlers were first up. Trio band--drummer, guitarist/vocalist, and a keyboarder. I thought they were pretty damn tight. I'm a big fan of "Kettering" off their album Hospice, but the rest is just okay in my mind. But live, they were really rockin'. Lots of shoegazey stuff transitioning into explosive finales. I was a big fan. "Two" was one of my favorites.

Next came Cymbals Eat Guitars, who were the act I was truly most looking forward to. They were a bit clumsy, and they didn't really differ from the album much--or "put on a show," if you will--but that's fine, because Why There Are Mountains is just a really great record as it is. Terrific versions of "Indiana" and "Wind Phoenix," both of which sport orgasmic trumpet numbers. Overall, they were enjoyable--but I perhaps liked them even more than I otherwise might because I usually don't really like the scream-y indie rock groups. So I'm always surprised that I keep coming back to listen for more.

Headlining, of course, were White Rabbits. I think It's Frightening, their just-released album, is pretty much whatever. It's not bad, but aside from "They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong" and "Percussion Gun," nothing stops my heart. But I'm a big fan of Fort Nightly! And they of course rocked the place out with "The Plot," "Kid on My Shoulders," and "While We Go Dancing," the latter of which is just insane when performed in a club setting. Their entire sound was great (the clarity of each piano key means a sigh of relief for me) and their energy even better (it really makes all the difference; even the so-so songs are head-boppers). I love big ensemble acts and I love drum-centric bands even more, so, even though I might not be choosing to listen to White Rabbits ad nauseam, as I often do post-show, I had a lot of fun.

But seriously--"While We Go Dancing" is just fantastic. Like The Clash fused with '64-era Beatles.