Iota question

[bellenseb]

Shrug, I really enjoyed the show. They're sort of carrying on the mantle of old-school B&S, and I can't complain. They played my favorite, "Sun on his Back".
 
 I actually thought the music was pretty upbeat and not so "soft"...compared to say, Iron and Wine...but others' idea of the center are different than mine. This and the Essex Green/Ladybug Transistor show have made for a great week of live indiepop.

[Bags]

bellenseb, are you the one who yelped when she announced "sun on his back"?
 
 I guess that while I like softer albums to listen to, I can feel quite uninspired at a show; I need more energy  (or a sit down venue with a different vibe).  The music was nice, but the band was really...even-keeled.  The girls looked as if it rained on them they might weep...
 
 I saw Belle & Seb at DAR -- great show because it was a huge spectacle, great lights, pretty funny (they seem to have fun playing as well as a sense of humor).  Very different.  The friend with me last night is a HUGE B&S fan, and the term "soft" for C.O. was his, actually...I was calling them "way twee."  But, another guy with us enjoyed C.O., certainly preferring them to the Rosebuds.  
 
 From your description, Iron & Wine maybe isn't for me...              But, that's what makes the world go round (and Camera certainly had a big audience).  Otherwise all the same shows would be packed.
 
 I heard that Essex Green was great.  I was all set to go to that show and I just bailed for no reason.  I'm disappointed...I keep missing some good ones for no reason!

[Bags]

-edit- woops

[jkeisenh]

honestly, though, their albums don't sound so "soft"... chalk it up to them being so visibly, and audibly, burned out from their tour.
 
 note to bands: please don't so overwork  yourselves on tour that the shows become dead.  it somewhat discourages fans that paid to see you play in a more lively state.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Like playing for 60 minutes a night is such godawful hard work. If only we could all be so lucky.

[Random Citizen]

"Here's what I always said about touring: You don't get paid for the show, you get paid for the 22 hours of fucking around you gotta do waiting for that show." -- Greg Dulli

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I could find a hell of a lot of cool things to do if I had 22 hours a day free, especially if it were in a new city every day. Even if it meant driving a few hours a day. Sounds like what I do when I go on vacation, except for the 1-2 hours of "work".
 
 

Originally posted by Random Citizen:
  "Here's what I always said about touring: You don't get paid for the show, you get paid for the 22 hours of fucking around you gotta do waiting for that show." -- Greg Dulli

[bellenseb]

Naw, I didn't yell out. Great song though.
 
 I dunno, they sounded pretty identical to the album to me - not much less or more lively. I didn't expect lots of ultra-high energy. I feel like their music is meant to be comforting and wistful and not very excitable, really.
 Good stuff for their not-so-excitable fan base.
 
 I was bummed out by that DAR show...the whole sit down/stand up tension was no fun. They needed to play in a floor venue, and the DAR gestapo didn't let anyone dance. I really only like to sit down to see solo acoustic type performances.

[snailhook]

i'm totally with bellenseb here...i thought that camera obscura was just fine last night (though a bit quiet, which didn't really bother me because i could have worked my way up closer if i wanted to get away from crowd chatter). and i thought that belle and sebastian flat-out sucked at DAR; the 9:30 show last october was far superior.
 
 camera obscura were incredibly twee, but they had wistfully good melodies, and i was in the mood for a good twee show. there's only so much abrasive noise, free jazz, and doom metal a fellow can listen to   :p  
 
 the rosebuds impressed the hell out of me, too. i wasn't that into their show at the black cat last month -- it was good if unmemorable -- but the iota sound and atmosphere really brought out the best in ivan's singing and the group's overall energy. i'm definitely a fan now.

[Bags]

I think C.O. following the Rosebuds may have impacted my reception of the band...the Rosebuds had a lot of energy, and I felt quite...left afloat by C.O.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

sounds like I missed a good show...
 
 Camera Obscura At Iota
 
 It's hard to imagine seven people who look less likely to be in a rock band -- even an indie rock band -- than the members of Camera Obscura.
 
 Appearing overwhelmingly ordinary, however, is just one of the group's sneaky charms. At a crowded Iota on Monday night, it displayed many others, most noticeably a bent for winsome, clear-eyed pop that is as sharp and wry as it is occasionally heartbreaking.
 
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 There are no flashes of brilliance with the Scottish group, or anything particularly complicated about its sound: A muted trumpet solo here, a shimmering tambourine flourish there, lightly strummed guitars. Drummer Lee Thomson uses brushes as often as he uses sticks. And yet, as simple as the songs are, they float on a sort of morphine loveliness as calming as a piping-hot cup of Sleepytime tea.
 
 The band's atmospheric creations -- and its Glasgow address -- have earned it comparisons to fellow Glaswegians Belle & Sebastian.
 
 The bands do share a penchant for twee pop, but Camera Obscura also infuses bits of '60s girl-group soul and a touch of twangy country to create its own pedigree.
 
 Tracyanne Campbell is both lead singer and chief deliverer of droll asides.
 
 When she introduced "Sun on His Back," a loud "whoo-hoo!" came from the back of the crowd. "Well, somebody wants it" was her deadpan response. Deadpan might also describe the title of the band's new album, "Underachievers Please Try Harder," and a couple Morrisey-esque songs they played, "Let Me Go Home" and "I Don't Want to See You."
 
 Perhaps the band's greatest achievement is making the mundane sound absorbing.
 
 The line "I should be suspended from class / I don't know my notebook from my [bleep]" isn't exactly great poetry, but Campbell and John Henderson's harmonies on the chorus took it into hopelessly forlorn and achingly beautiful territory.

[jkeisenh]

I think the reviewer was standing behind me (next to the booth-in-the-middle-of-the-room) taking notes the whole time.
 
 It was interesting to me that he was tall.  I guess that makes sense... I'm short and I sort of don't see half the bands I go to see.

[Bags]

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
 The bands do share a penchant for twee pop, but Camera Obscura also infuses bits of '60s girl-group soul and a touch of twangy country to create its own pedigree.
 

You may have enjoyed it Rhett, it was quite twangy at times, and very retro -- like a sleepy time patsy cline with a quiet voice.  Which I found....sleepy.
 
 That's what I think Rosebuds and C.O. have in common -- a retro sound, though one is twee and one is rock.

[eltee]

Originally posted by Bagalicious Tangster:
   

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
 The bands do share a penchant for twee pop, but Camera Obscura also infuses bits of '60s girl-group soul and a touch of twangy country to create its own pedigree.
 

You may have enjoyed it Rhett, it was quite twangy at times, and very retro -- like a sleepy time patsy cline with a quiet voice.  Which I found....sleepy.
 
 That's what I think Rosebuds and C.O. have in common -- a retro sound, though one is twee and one is rock. [/b]

I thought to go...listened that morning and they're not too bad. But, I was more in the mood for a rock show.    so, Bags, did you go get you hand stamped and then go back? Just curious for furure goings to Iota.

[eltee]

Originally posted by Bagalicious Tangster:
   

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
 The bands do share a penchant for twee pop, but Camera Obscura also infuses bits of '60s girl-group soul and a touch of twangy country to create its own pedigree.
 

You may have enjoyed it Rhett, [/b]

Oh, and yeah, Rhett would have liked 'em.