Busy times here at the OL headquarters, both at work and at play, with lots of shows to report on:

Brightblack Morning Light + Mariee Sioux - Mercury Lounge, 6.23.06

As you might have guessed from all my talk around here so far, I arrived at the Mercury Lounge on Friday quite excited for Brightblack Morning Light. From the crowd's reactions throughout their set, it seems I wasn't the only one. The opening notes of "Everybody Daylight," which ended the set, even won a cheer. They started with "Friend of Time" and focused their set on the new Brightblack Morning Light LP. The band did a great job of transplanting the restrained chill of their studio sound to the stage - especially with the organ - but the vocals lost a bit on Friday. The words matter much less, but the stretched-out sounds of the voices are integral to the band's music and seemed too low in the mix. It left the songs feeling a little empty in spots, almost too focused on the groove. That said, the groove was quite nice and featured three guys on percussion - one on drums, one on congas, and one playing a whole mess of stuff that I can't even name. I'd love to see Brightblack play a seated venue with pristine sound, as I suspect they'd really shine in that setting. Joe's Pub would be perfect!

I definitely liked Mariee Sioux's solo opening set - she was a bit like Joanna Newsom in delivery and cadence, but with an acoustic guitar and a less quirky voice. Check out her MySpace page. We actually didn't stick around for Espers - perhaps the wrong call, but I've never gotten into Espers on record, it was crowded in there, and there were other things going on. Still, seeing a band live is sometimes all it takes. I'll need to give them a chance next time.

Asobi Seksu + PAS/CAL - Mercury Lounge, 6.22.06

The prior night also found me at the Mercury Lounge, for Asobi Seksu and PAS/CAL. It was part II of Asobi's Citrus record release shows, a companion to their June 1 gig at Joe's Pub. Not much was different - Citrus still rules, Asobi still love to bring the noise live, and the show overall was very satisfying. Not to plug Joe's Pub too much, but I preferred that first gig - seeing the band while sitting down made it easier to be overwhelmed by the density of their sound. I have no complaints about Asobi's Thursday set though. Their closing cover of the Crystals' "He Kissed Me" was even a little tighter this time. I hope Citrus gets the band some attention - it's totally deserved.

Detroit's PAS/CAL opened for Asobi and, with their usual backup singer away from the band, Betty Marie Barnes from Saturday Looks Good To Me helped out on all songs. As I mentioned before, this made me doubly excited for the set - I adore Barnes's voice and I was also excited to hear PAS/CAL's new material again. I say "again" because I heard some of it almost two years ago at Sin-e - unfortunately, Citizen's Army Uniform (their future LP's tentative title) is still brewing. (We hear a new label is all that's needed.) The new songs sounded great, as did "What Happened to the Sands" and "Poor Maude" from the Oh Honey, We're Ridiculous EP. They really need to release the new stuff though. Though PAS/CAL's melodies and energy are more than enough to carry the live show, the delicate intricacy of their music works even better in a studio. Oh and as for Betty Marie? I think I am in love.

Deadbeat - subTonic, 6.21.06

The digital dub sounds of Deadbeat soundtracked my Wednesday night at subTonic. I like Deadbeat's albums, I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard of him last May at Mini-Mutek NYC and, based on a strong review of his 2006 Mutek set, I expected last week's show to be even better. Alas, it wasn't. I don't think it was Deadbeat's fault - he built up his set really nicely, getting dancier and more cut-up by the minute. The sound needed more bass though, way more bass - usually not a problem at subTonic. It was still enjoyable, but it could've been better.

The Rapture - Crash Mansion, 6.11.06

It's taken me a couple weeks to write about the Rapture's June 11 show at Crash Mansion, perhaps because there's not a ton to say about the Rapture these days. For me at least, their reputation as a live act is steady and sealed. I've enjoyed every set of theirs I've ever seen. "Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks" never fails to be a early winner, Luke Jenner's guitar screech-outs still sound fresh, and though Echoes left my regular rotation long ago, I'd listen to those songs live every day. The new songs are promising though. We heard less of them at Crash Mansion than at the Bowery last October, but if anything they sounded better this time. "W.A.Y.U.H." is the one to have leaked, and I actually think it's the worst of the bunch. ("The Devil" was my favorite at this show.) I haven't heard any updates on the new Rapture album in a while, but hopefully we'll hear more of it soon.

Favourite Sons opened up, and I'm interested to hear more of them. The lead singer was totally channeling Ian McCulloch. Dead Combo also opened, and I shall be avoiding them in the future. They were one of the worst bands I've seen in recent memory, but perhaps that was the point? It seemed very Spinal Tap. Who knows.