Odd Future, CANT, M83 and Youth Lagoon…

Remember when I used to review shows?  Because I hardly do…

At any rate, what follows is an account of what I’ve been up to the past month and a half and hopefully the start of more regular reviewing again.

Let’s start with the Odd Future on 10/12 at First Avenue:

So yeah, that happened.  Remembering that I had some passes to the First Avenue owner’s box and some drink tickets, I somehow decided that this show would be the best use of that.

Um, no.  I mean, it was fun because my friends and I were determined to have a good time.  But seriously Odd Future?  I felt like I was at a Rhymesayers blowout, except that the Rhymesayers players are actually good.

Ok, so I was a little excited to see Tyler, The Creator ever since the ‘Yonkers’ video.  But even he was underwhelming.  The only bonus was the giant cat poster thing used as the backdrop for the performance.  Meh.

Chris Taylor’s CANT – 10/15 at 7^th Street Entry :

Ok, now this was amazing.  First of all, WHERE WAS EVERYONE?!  There might have been 20 people in the Entry.  I’m talking to you, you avid, diehard Grizzly Bear “fans.”  Oh well, your loss, because Taylor and the other dude who was on stage with him (I was a little messed up that night, sorry for partying, and this also explains the horrible picture I took) ripped through Dreams Come True like it was no ones business.  The acoustics were amazing, especially packing a punch with all the electronic tomfoolery heard throughout the songs on Taylor’s solo project.

Again, where were you?  Because you missed one of the best shows of 2011.

M83 – 11/16 at First Avenue:

M83’s performance was gorgeous, as expected.  There were synths, colored lights, the show opened with a band member dressed as that creature on the “Midnight City” single, oh and the show was sold out. Which meant sneaking into the owner’s box was the only way to possibly enjoy myself.  That was cool before getting kicked out after 30 minutes of pure bliss (and our own server!).

So then it was back to the masses, before being pulled to the front left of the stage by some braver friends.  It’s all good though, because M83 sounded amazing, saving “Midnight City” for the end of the show.  Everyone lost their shit because they had heard it in that Victoria’s Secret commercial!  Weeeee!

Youth Lagoon – 11/23 at 7^th Street Entry:

Going to see artists who are younger than you (and measurably more successful) is always awkward.  Can we talk about the fact that Rihanna and Drake are younger than I am?  Actually, I don’t want to talk about it at all.

Although not in the same class (or even genre) as Rihanna or Drake, 22-year-old Trevor Powers aka Youth Lagoon is certainly on his way up the indie/alternative/89.3 ladder.

Playing nearly every song from his debut The Year of Hibernation, Powers and his band proved that even pseudo depressing bedroom rock can still pack a punch, even with the incense being burned by the opener still swirling around the room.  Most uplifting was “Daydream,” which had everyone packed into the Entry bouncing up and down to the beats reminiscent of something the Postal Service might think up (RIP).

Watch out for this kid, he’s going places.

In other news, it looks like I’ve lived at the First Avenue complex.  Also, I saw and took a picture of this outside of the CANT show, for good measure.

I think I picked the better show…