Friday, September 19, 2008

Jena Berlin / Bridge and Tunnel / Scream Hello / Algernon Cadawallader - 8.28.08

Party Mansion
8PM

So, this is about a month late. I've really been slacking on the blog lately, and that's a bummer because I've actually been listening to a lot of great music. Unfortunately, with school starting up and my pocket situation being a bit dire, I haven't been to a show since this one. Wow, that's bad. It's almost been a month! I need to remedy that soon to gear up for Fest!

So it appears that Jena Berlin shows at Party Mansion bookended my summer. One with Stay Sharp and Landmines was on the last day that I had classes, and this show was the last weekend before I got my students back. Pretty wild. Regardless, this was a really fun show, and a nice get-down to end the summer. I'll keep it brief, since at this point the review is pretty irrelevant.

Algernon played first and turned in a similar set to the last time I saw them at Party Mansion. Similar songs and similar kids getting into it. There were a good amount of people there, and as usual, Algernon (again as a three-piece) didn't disappoint. The aforementioned light wallet kept me from picking up an LP yet again, but I'll get one sooner or later.

Scream Hello was next, and was impressive. I like this band a lot. Part of them remind me of Braid, but a bit slicker and less awkward. My only gripe is that all of their songs seem to be at least five minutes long. I feel like I'd enjoy them a lot more (particularly live) if they exercised their editing skills a bit and cut their songs and sets down. They didn't play too many songs, which was good and kept it from getting toooo long, but a little discretion in the writing process would interest me a bit. Regardless, they were energetic and seemed to really have fun playing, which is always a positive. Their new record is good (albeit long, obviously), so check it out when it comes out!

Because of how much I used to dislkike Latterman, I never really gave Bridge and Tunnel a shot. Recently I listened to a stream of their new LP and realized I'd dropped the ball. I really like their heavy, but still very indie rock feel, almost like Domestica-era Cursive. Everyone who had seen them previously said that they were much tighter than before, which is good to hear, as I intend to pay a lot more attention to these guys and girls. Do yourself a favor and pre-order (because it's STILL not out) their new LP on No Idea. Seriously.

The night and summer ended with a strong set from Jena Berlin (as a five piece again! I can't keep up with their lineups). This was much tighter than their infamous set at the Party Mansion earlier in the summer. Either way, there's not much I can say about this band that I haven't already. Awesome dudes, awesome music, and I hear they just destroyed the entire continent of Europe. I hope they remember to bring me back my Quo Vadimus German press LP.

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