Art Brut & T.I.

Not much to say about the show, except that We Are Scientists have a number of problems to solve before they're a good rock band. I think they could be fun with a tweaked sound: add more cymbals, double or triple all vocals and guitar lines, speed up a bit. Apparently I did not blog about Art Brut when Charles, Kevin and I saw them in March so here it is: Art Brut is one of the most endearingly humorous pop-punk bands you will ever see on stage. Eddie Argos has shaved his mustache, but still looks like the sort of guy who likes to sit in the corner at social gatherings, picking his nose and staring off into space. You will want to listen to the record(s) before or after the show to catch the lyrics because they're that good.

Anyway, I was inspired by Teague's list to make my own of bands/performers I've seen. I excluded some very small acts and openers who failed to make an impression. I'm not sure the whole list is interesting to anyone but me, however, here are the ten most charismatic bands I've seen. That is to say, these bands sold the idea of themselves and their music to the audience best of those I've seen, though my list of top concerts might differ. My Morning Jacket is excepted since I can't tell if it's the stage presence or just the reverb that gets me at those shows. Also, I've seen a lot of fun techno/DJ acts, most notably Reggie Watts in Synthclub, but showmanship fits into the overall experience in a very different way.

Arcade Fire
Art Brut
The Black Keys
Bloc Party
The Decemberists
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
United State of Electronica
White Stripes
Wolf Parade
Yo La Tengo

And finally, since I don't pay as much attention to hip hop as a lot of other stuff I didn't catch this when it came out early this year, but I downloaded T.I.'s "What You Know" this week and have been listening to it more frequently than maybe any song ever. As Tom Breihan put it, the track's got "epic streaking synths and gut-churning Dario Argento synths weaving in and out of each other until they build each other up into this titanically huge thing...it's kind of breathtaking."