Deerhunter w/Times New Viking & Braids @ Lee's Palace

Whether you call it growing up, maturing or simply learning the act of good showmanship, I have to say that the Bradford Cox that was on stage at Lee's Palace on Wednesday night was significantly different than the one that I read about from the last time Deerhunter was in town. Gone were the dresses and general audience alienation and, in its place was a charismatic and appreciative frontman who blasted through a fabulous set of shoegazey ambient punk rock. As Springsteen's Born To Run blasted through the speakers, it quickly became apparent that no other song could have been a more appropriate introduction to the show I was about to see! (New guitarist Whitney Petty was even sporting a GNR t-shirt!)

Although personally I prefer the sonic drone of the bands' previous effort Cryptograms , the follow up Microcastle is still no slouch. I've heard several comparisons to bands like The Strokes, but I've got to be honest, I don't really hear it. Sure, Cox has decided to take a slightly more accessible route this time around, but the newer songs are still steeped in enough atmosphere to keep things interesting. The show opened the same way as the new album does, with a brief intro before sequeing into Agoraphobia , and this song, as well as the other newer ones took on an extra air of triumph in this live setting. However, even songs from Cryptograms like Octet , Hazel St and the unmistakable title track sounded a little bit more controlled, almost epic. And Bradford graciously thanked the audience several times with an infectious grin, again showing that most of his headline making angst has been put behind him, at least while he's onstage.

Photos: Deerhunter @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Myspace: Deerhunter
Review: A more detailed review is up at Eye Weekly
Download: Nothing Ever Happened mp3


Times New Viking are Deerhunter's tour mates this time around, and their brand of lo-fi indie rock served as a perfect warm up and complement to the headliners noise fueled shoegaze. They're currently touring in support of their new album for Matador called Rip It Off . The songs are mostly fast paced and immediate, but the hooks are definitely in tact. They like to rely heavily on fuzzed out guitars and trashy keyboard sounds, but together it creates a very convulsive onslaught of sonance, one that I enjoyed immensely. The fact that the people in my area were dancing so enthusiastically just gave further proof that the melody does manage to peak through all of the static, something that only a band that knows what it's doing can accomplish.

Photos: Times New Viking @ Lee's Palace on flickr .
Myspace: Times New Viking
Download: Drop Out mp3


Opening the show was Montreal's Braids . Just the day before the show, the band was still known as Neighbourhood Council but they decided to change their name because "Neighbourhood Council does not represent the music that we play anymore..." I'm not sure what that means, but as far as the music goes, Braids played an ambient form of progressive rock that was experimental and sprawling. Although I quite enjoy this type of music while I'm sitting in my room with the lights out, I have to admit that part of me was wishing that they would get to the point a little bit quicker. I believe that their set was approximately 30 minutes long, and I think that they only played three songs or so. Admittedly, I was a bit restless. Still, I've listened to their music since then and I really like it, so I can only attribute my restlessness to being tired and simply not in the mood. And I definitely admire the fact that, although they self release their own material, they still managed to get thee attention of Bradford Cox, who claimed that he saw them and kidnapped them for this show.

Photos: Braids @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Myspace: Braids
Download: Liver And Tan mp3