Two Nights at Bowery Ballroom

So my summer of music has continued a bit since my last post. I revisited the Bowery Ballroom twice. The first to see Ambulance Ltd and the second to see We Are Scientists. I missed the openers at both shows so I was in and our of there in an hour both times. Quite lovely, in fact. Got a music taste and I was off to other things. Here are my reviews:

Ambulance Ltd, Bowery Ballroom - July 24, 2008
I attended this show with my very good looking friend Weston. Keep him in mind because he'll become important eventually. We arrived about 5 minutes before they came on and what good timing it was. Ambulance Ltd took the stage, played straight through the entirety of their music catalog without even pausing for so much as a "thank you" between songs (with the exception of the encore. Lead singer mustered up a "Thank you"). Having just recently re-fell-in-love with Ambulance Ltd when I was sitting in a movie theater watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall and hearing their "Heavy Lifting," I had them connected to movie soundtracks in my mind. Their ease with playing their songs back to back, pause-free, had my mind made up by the third song of the concert that if I ever create a movie, I would love to hire them to create the soundtrack.

Now as my favorite band to make me a soundtrack, I feel it is better for them to be behind the scenes as their are an oddly put together band. (I apologize for the slightly cruel descriptions that follow). The drummer is a goateed, overweight 30-something, the bassisst and guitarist were rather blah, what you normally suspect to be, musicians, the keyboardist was a sloppy, drunk-like-overly-into-his-music-face-making keyboardist, and the lead singer was drop dead gorgeous. (Key good looking Weston). When he first came on stage I thought to myself, wow he's really good looking and he kind of resembles Weston. Not more than two songs later did Weston tap me to say that, "the lead singer looks like he could be my older brother". I nodded and swooned a little on the inside. How often is it that one attends a concert with a friend who is as attractive as the singer belting out the notes to songs that have made your heart melt? This would be my first. I thought it was interesting to note, since I normally put these musicians on good-looking pedestals even if they are gross, but the music they have created has made my ears go pitter-patter. Well, normally I go to these shows with normal, okay-looking people and the bands are tre sexi compared to my friends and I. This time it was not and that was for some reason or other a special experience to me.

As for the rest of this show: it was an hour long set, it was not sold out but pretty close, the crowd seemed to enjoy what they paid for, and sadly they did not do my favorite song by them, "Anecdote," justice. I could hardly hear the heavenly guitar melody that makes that song so unique and rings in my head when I think Ambulance Ltd. As the song ended I had felt silly that when I began I whispered to Weston that the song they were playing was my favorite as it didn't even reproduce as one of the best songs of the evening.

But I cannot complain because the whole set was quality and will be perfect as the only music in a movie one day. They can be my Yo La Tengo.

We Are Scientists, Bowery Ballroom - August 1, 2008
I have seen this band twice before as openers to other bands who I don't like as much. I originally saw them in 2006 at the knitting factory when they opened for Art Brut and played under the alias "Art Brut 47". At the time I only knew their single "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" from hearing it on music choice on IO. But that evening the dorky threesome with the bassist who wore science goggles caught my attention. For the rest of the spring and summer of 2006 I listened and loved their debut album, With Love and Squalor. A few months later I had the pleasure of seeing We Are Scientists again, opening for Artic Monkeys on A.M. first tour following their blow-up-hype in the states. We Are Scientists filled up Roseland Ballroom with wonderous angular guitar, while the Arctic Monkeys looked miserable. With Love and Squalor continued to spin on my iPod while Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not lost its play count.

So on this First of August I had the pleasure of seeing We Are Scientists! With a new drummer and added keyboardist/guitarist, and a new haircut for the bassist, my dork-rock loves finally were playing a headlining show that I was attending (and they left their dork-tastic goggles behind with the drummer who quit)! I'm not sure if the show was sold out or not (leading up to the show the Bowery Ballroom website said sold out, but the day of there were tickets on sale), but the place seemed well-filled by the time they took the stage.

I'm not the biggest fan of the new album, Brain Thrust Mastery, but there are a few key songs I enjoy. We Are Scientists totally feel the same way. Their set was just perfect. They played the whole first album mixed with the gems on the new record. I tapped my foot, bobbed my head and was sooooooo happy to be hearing a full set of songs where nothing was unfamiliar. I knew nearly every word and that's something I can only do for a few bands. Normally bands toss a rando song in there I've somehow missed, but not this night! It was just great. The set was a little over an hour and although some songs were missed, I would't have chosen for them to do it any other way. They closed with their best song "The Great Escape" and I felt at audience-home when all the fans threw their arms and fingers to the sky yelling "Up Up Up". There's just something about singing and the obvious movements that go along with the lyrics that gets me, and We Are Scientists have successfully gotten me 3/3 times.