TWO BANDS, ONE GREAT SHOW
The Rapture and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Today
Majestic Theatre, 7:00 p.m.
Detroit
Detroit is far away from Muncie, in both miles and appeal. But tonight's bill at the Motor City's Majestic Theatre is worth the five-hour trip. New York City-based The Rapture and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (B.R.M.C.), the dark trio from San Francisco, will fill the Majestic with atmospheric, post-punk dirges. The Rapture, led by singer/guitarist Luke Jenner, experienced almost Strokes-like hype preceding its 2003 debut, "Echoes." After a series of spotty EPs, the band teamed with production duo DFA and made a record that is even better than the litany of press junkies and in-the-know hipsters thought it could be. From the initial strains of eletronica that is "Olio," to the angular, slithering dance-punk anthems "House of Jealous Lovers" and "The Coming of Spring" and the Duran Duran-fueled "Sister Savior," the album showcases the band's influences, as it seems to have thrown David Bowie, Gang of Four and The Cure into a blender. Despite The Rapture's nods and odes, the quartet still managed to create one of the darkest, dirtiest and best albums of 2003. Touring with The Rapture is B.R.M.C., a three-piece rock 'n' roll outfit comprised of drummer Nick Jago, singer/guitarist Peter Hayes and singer/bassist Robert Turner. The band is often compared to The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride and countless other drone-rock shoe-gazers that had a penchant for the woebegone. Fortunately, the members of B.R.M.C. are influenced by both acoustic folk music and the swirling, headphone-friendly sounds of drone. The combination leads to heady stuff: political rants, social commentary and laments all hissed over thick layers of treated guitars, measured bass and insistent drumming. Make it to Detroit for this one. The Rapture or B.R.M.C. playing their own show would be something else; seeing them play one after the other might give us the answers we've been looking for.
THE BEST THING OUT OG IRELAND SINCE U2
Damien Rice
Friday
Murat Egyptian Room, 8:00 p.m.
Indianapolis
Damien Rice continues winning awards for his emergence, excellence, etc. and he deserves most of them. He won the Shortlist Prize for "O," his lush, simple, small folk record. He won the first XPN Award from WXPN at the University of Pennsylvania basically for existing. Other critics have given handfuls of faith to Rice. They praise him and his gentle songs, his art. He is more than a musician. But while "O" is a tenderly crafted, beautiful collection of ballads, in a live setting it might make for an incredibly boring evening. Now this critic likes solemnity and regret as much as the next unauthentic, misguided hipster but watching a sad Irishman play his sad acoustic songs could become, as he might say, stone stale. Luckily, Rice usually brings with him Lisa Hannigan to sing backing vocals and Vyvienne Long to play a rather heartbreaking cello. As it is on "O," these musicians create more layers, which is often what solo performers lack in a live setting. But it seems Rice understands the trappings of being just a man with a guitar. He is known to string together a medley of jams during encores, sometimes playing "When Doves Cry" by Prince and Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You." The disheveled Rice is likely to charm the crowd and the songs are there, full and powerful. But for the sake of boredom or emotional monotony, let's hope he keeps pulling tricks out of his hat.
MUST MISS
John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting
Tuesday, 4/13/04
Birdys, 8:30 p.m.
Indianapolis
If a radio is tuned to a Top 40 station, its DJ is likely minutes away from playing (or having played) John Ondrasik's "100 Years," his latest Elton John impression. The song, like anything John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan or Norah Jones does, has made older generations feel cool and somehow still alive and still plugged in. There's nothing wrong with that. But where Mayer, McLachlan and Jones are deservedly critically adored, Ondrasik's piles of chord changes have fewer redeeming qualities than Tara Reid. What makes it worse is that off the radio his weird, quivering falsetto has been, unfortunately, ubiquitous, a staple of Olympics previews, melodramatic WB sitcoms and other kind of cheap television promos. It has left the rest of us wondering when the world went wrong. Ondrasik technically records and tours under the name Five for Fighting (a charming, little hockey reference) but no one doubts the sappy, sentimental schlock of "100 Years" and his previous smash, "Superman (It's Not Easy)," belongs solely to him. He just pours it on. He even did his best Scott Stapp (lead singer of Creed; pretentious buffoon) impression during the video for "Superman." During the song's bridge, he somehow appears at the crest of a mountain, his arms spread wide, wind blowing through his disappearing hair. There is no more egregious offense in the music-video era than imitating Creed. Additional support: "Superman" includes (perhaps) the most self-indulgent lyric ever written: "It's not easy to be me." Yikes. This critic's advice: Stay far, far away from Birdys next Tuesday.
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