je ne sais pas ce qu'ils disent mais je l'aime

Alright, we're gonna do this out of order tonight...

Snowden headlined at the Larimer Lounge this evening, with two opening bands - Everything Absent Or Distorted and Malajube. I begin with Snowden because they really weren't all that impressive. Mind you, I only stayed for (almost) 5 songs, but it was kind of a chore to get that far. I'd heard of Snowden, but had never heard Snowden, and I have to say that they had a hard act to follow in Malajube. I also have to say that they failed miserably. After the first song succeeded in doing absolutely nothing for me, I figured - to be fair - I'd stay for 5 songs. When the 5th song started, I knew it wasn't going to move me any more than the 4 that preceded it, so I left. They failed in one thing that Malajube did so well - to engage the crowd (even saying after about the 3rd song that it's "ok to move"). Additionally, Snowden seemed to take themselves entirely too seriously. There was no bantering with the crowd, no eye contact with the crowd, and most certainly no smiling. It was almost like the musical version of Office Space... It's too bad; I sensed that there was something that could be great lurking under the surface of their dull performance. Perhaps I didn't stay long enough, perhaps they were having an off night, but color me unimpressed.

Backtracking a bit, I arrived at the Lounge just in time to catch Everything Absent Or Distorted's final song. Pity. Based on that one song, it would've been a great set to witness. My initial reaction was to sum them up in two words: EAOD = geek rock. These guys were resplendent in collared shirts, sweaters and glasses, not to mention that both the accordian and the trombone were represented in that one song that I caught. When I got home I did some research and discovered that not only is the band local, but EAOD personnel includes a doctoral student, two lawyers and an acupuncturist. Geek rock indeed, this band is smart with a capital "S". I'm thrilled that they're from Denver... partly because there's a very good chance I'll get to see a full set soon, but also because of the dearth of good bands that hail from Denver.

And finally, Malajube - the band that I plunked down my hard-earned $8 to see... lol. Malajube is a five-piece band from Quebec (I couldn't find any decent pictures of them on the 'net... note to self: get a fucking digital camera already!). Everything's in french, and although I took french for 6 years in junior/high school, I can't understand a damn thing they're singing about. Nevertheless, I fell in love with last year's release Trompe-L'Oeil and was pretty excited when I heard they were coming to Denver. As much as I love the album, however, it didn't adequately prepare me for the live show. This band is waaaaaay more rocking on stage than I ever could have guessed from listening to Trompe-L'Oeil. They put on an entertaining, highly energetic set that made 45 minutes seem like 5. They were engaging, they were charming, and they all have very cute accents... :) They have everything that, in my opinion, Snowden was lacking. They actually interacted with the crowd - "Let me fix this problem of shit!" (equipment problems); "Come closer, I can't see you. My sweat is worth a lot of money". If you ever get a chance to see them, go - you won't be disappointed. Here's hoping for a headlining set in Denver before too long.

On repeat (Malajube - Trompe-L'Oeil):



Parce qu'on aime
fondre en larmes sous les draps
on s'aime comme ci comme ça
pour une dernière fois

Et s'il-te-plait
ferme la porte derrière toi
Et quand tu reviendras
je serai près de toi

Et si tu m'aimes
serre-moi fort dans tes bras
Est-ce qu'on ne s'embrasse pas
pour une dernière fois

Mais dis-moi à quoi tu penses
Et quand tu reviendras
Je serai près de toi
Pour une dernière fois

(Merci à Maude pour cettes paroles)