I had my first show in a long time at the freshly-opened Lincoln Hall in Chicago, the new venue by the owners of Schuba’s (the quintessential Chicago bar+stage combo). I’ll write about the venue itself some other time, as it was actually exceptionally nice, perhaps almost too nice, and a great backdrop to the night.
This would be my third (?) time seeing Maps and Atlases live. Though I wouldn’t call them one of my favorite bands, it seems like every time they do a worthwhile downtown show, half of my friends mobilize to see them. They have their debut LP coming out soon, too, which may be excellent. I have reasonable hopes.
Old Fake opened the night, and I was pleasantly surprised. They’re a no frills three-piece who launched into their set with high energy and proficient fresh-from-the-garage musicianship. I wish they would have given me something more to distinguish them with - the songs were all mostly nondescript besides that each and every one was fun to headbob to. Still, when you kick off a show with that much enthusiasm, I’ll go along with just about anything.
Three-Piece Garage Rock + Stompy Drumming + Genuine Eagerness To Play A Show = Old Fake (Myspace)
Vacations was awkward and uninteresting. They’re a four-or-something piece who took the stage, took up their ukulele, and provided boring background noise for the remainder of their set.
I don’t know why this keeps happening every time I see M&A. There tends to be an unexpectedly great opening band, some larger-yet-vastly-inferior middle act, and then Maps. Admittedly, I did like their last song (which I can only vaguely remember, I was fairly buzzed by that point), but seriously. I’m at a show where I am making a deliberate attempt to enjoy the music, I should have something more to say than “their last song was okay”. Something was amiss, and for once I don’t think it was me.
Noah and the Whale B-Sides + (The Twee Part of Los Campesinos! - Violin) - Stage Presence = Vacations (Myspace)
Maps and Atlases kicked things off a little before 11. If you haven’t heard them before, M&A sounds rather like two bands; one a Seattle-aping blur of tapped chords and time signature mindfuckery, the other a deceptively poppy (but clever) indie rock group. The two teeter back and forth over the span of a set, with older songs leaning toward the former and vice versa. That said, the new album may finally push that balance to the pop side and sell tons of fukkin’ records. I’m interested to see how fans will react.
As for the show itself, I was… Not quite disappointed, though that’s close to the word I’m looking for. Considering this was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen them draw (easily over 200), and considering the familiarity everyone had with their setlist (big clapalongs to some fairly complex rhythms), the disconnect between the band and the audience was unsettling.
Still, it’s not like it was a bad show. They played their equivalent of hits, crossed with plenty of new stuff, Dave’s voice was as misty and swoony as could be, and all the instrumentation was spot on. It just felt… Detached? Lethargic? Maybe that’s it, considering how breakneck everything M&A typically feels. I never felt like I was along for the ride. Ditto the crowd, as enthusiasm and applause was scattered at best. Then again, from the balcony it looked like the monthly gathering of Indie Bastards, Local 181.
Weirdly enough, even though their set ran for less than an hour, they had a three song encore. Go figure.
(Minus the Bear (Complexity x 2)) + (Singer Songwriter Vocals - Crooning) + Clever Indie Pop = Maps and Atlases (Myspace)
The night was a lot of fun for reasons besides, but you’re here for the music, not for the LiveJournal bullshit. Bottom line, if you get the chance to see M&A now, do it before they get huge and go play with Letterman and stuff.
