Results tagged “electriclightorchestra”

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008.

Last night's show was underwhelming. Not in terms of performance, but in terms of turnout. Given, the show was up against NME's David Bazan extravaganza (ouch). I feel compelled to expose the flaws in order to prove that Acute deserves much, much more. As I arrive fashionably late, I walk into the Troubadour and my jaw drops. There's no more than 50 people inside as Acute began their set with the upbeat 'Rip Your Heart Out!'. Nevertheless, the band dove head first into a set full of foot-tapping songs. Frontman Isaac Lekach successfully carried the band to safety from the Hot Water Music fans with the usual playful and endearing antics. He joked about getting stopped at the border for marijuana possession, despite not having any, and played the beginning of the set with a fake mustache, subsequently attaching it to his guitar for the remainder. Other highlights included: the irrefutably infectious 'Take A Step Back', the prom-perfect 'You Could End Up In Love', the sing-song 'Trouble' and an unbelievable cover of Electric Light Orchestra's classic 'Mr. Blue Sky'. I just couldn't get over the fact that such a tightly knit performance could pass so carelessly under everyone's radar. The crowd's distance from the front of the stage conveyed an overall hesitancy to approach, even to truly connect. Who would've thought? Hot Water Music front-man, Chuck Ragan, and Jesse Malin, who's most notably recognized through his associations with Ryan Adams, formed an abrupt conclusion to Acute's resoundingly poppy set.

The Ataris - Welcome the Night (Sanctuary) David Bowie - Station to Station [VCT] (Virgin) David Bromberg - Try Me One More Time (Appleseed) Bobby Conn - King for a Day (Thrill Jockey) Dean & Britta - Back Numbers (Rounder) Delorean - You Can't Win (Yep Roc) John Denver - Essential John Denver (RCA) Dr. Dog - We All Belong (Park the Van) Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue [30th Anniversary Edition]...