Rockness Recommends
Death Cab For Cutie and Pretty Girls Make Graves Rock the Vote.
October 20, 2004
This show is a tale of two small bands making good (although only one of them was prominently featured on a hit cable TV show about death).
When a scene in Six Feet Under centers on Claire and her college cronies getting high and singing Death Cab For Cutie, one has to wonder just how "indie" Death Cab really is. I mean, they're in the Starbucks muzak, after all. And word on the street is that they're giving Barsuk the boot and will be on a major label for their next album. But that's what happens when you write incredibly catchy songs crooned by a man who has never hit an off note in his life. We aren't haters here at Rockness and give Death Cab props for their success. They deserve it. Like Modest Mouse, Death Cab will have a place in the hearts of indie kids everywhere no matter how big they become or what coffee establishments choose to spin their record. (And at least Ben Gibbard has his experimental, highly enigmatic and extremely hard to listen to, side-project, The Postal Service, as a creative outlet. Oh wait...)
While they haven't reached Death Cab territory yet, Pretty Girls Make Graves have also seen a meteoric rise in popularity. Their relatively small debut Good Health was released in 2002 on Lookout! and generated enough buzz to convince Matador (the label with the Midas Touch) to sign them to their roster. 2003's The New Romance had a mellower, less pop-punk, sound that their old fans adapted to and has garnered them many new ears. To be honest, I can take or leave vocalist Andrea Zollo. Sometimes her emoting is just what you want and other times it's just grating. The real star of this band is lead guitarist Jay Clark. The notes this guy makes with his guitar are jaw dropping. He carries this band and it's because of his musicianship that they are a step above others in the post-post-pop-punk genre.
This show is part of the Vote for Change tour and your ticket money supports an important cause. Vote for Change's goal is simple: to get people to the polls. According to the Death Cab website, "Vote for Change is a loose coalition of musicians brought together by a single idea, the need to make a change in the direction of our country. We share a belief that this is the most important election of our lifetime. We are fighting for a government that is open, rational, just and progressive." The Vote for Change tour will be presented by MoveOn PAC, with all concert proceeds benefiting the work of America Coming Together (ACT).
Death Cab for Cutie and Pretty Girls Make Graves play Friday, October 22nd at Roseland.
When a scene in Six Feet Under centers on Claire and her college cronies getting high and singing Death Cab For Cutie, one has to wonder just how "indie" Death Cab really is. I mean, they're in the Starbucks muzak, after all. And word on the street is that they're giving Barsuk the boot and will be on a major label for their next album. But that's what happens when you write incredibly catchy songs crooned by a man who has never hit an off note in his life. We aren't haters here at Rockness and give Death Cab props for their success. They deserve it. Like Modest Mouse, Death Cab will have a place in the hearts of indie kids everywhere no matter how big they become or what coffee establishments choose to spin their record. (And at least Ben Gibbard has his experimental, highly enigmatic and extremely hard to listen to, side-project, The Postal Service, as a creative outlet. Oh wait...)
While they haven't reached Death Cab territory yet, Pretty Girls Make Graves have also seen a meteoric rise in popularity. Their relatively small debut Good Health was released in 2002 on Lookout! and generated enough buzz to convince Matador (the label with the Midas Touch) to sign them to their roster. 2003's The New Romance had a mellower, less pop-punk, sound that their old fans adapted to and has garnered them many new ears. To be honest, I can take or leave vocalist Andrea Zollo. Sometimes her emoting is just what you want and other times it's just grating. The real star of this band is lead guitarist Jay Clark. The notes this guy makes with his guitar are jaw dropping. He carries this band and it's because of his musicianship that they are a step above others in the post-post-pop-punk genre.
This show is part of the Vote for Change tour and your ticket money supports an important cause. Vote for Change's goal is simple: to get people to the polls. According to the Death Cab website, "Vote for Change is a loose coalition of musicians brought together by a single idea, the need to make a change in the direction of our country. We share a belief that this is the most important election of our lifetime. We are fighting for a government that is open, rational, just and progressive." The Vote for Change tour will be presented by MoveOn PAC, with all concert proceeds benefiting the work of America Coming Together (ACT).
Death Cab for Cutie and Pretty Girls Make Graves play Friday, October 22nd at Roseland.
