The Triumph of Tired Eyes

Say Hi To Your Mom is Eric Elbogen and he makes quirky bedroom pop songs on his home computer in Brooklyn. His albums are filled with slow monotone vocals with overlapping guitars and analog synthscapes. His songs are very catchy with playful lyrics that reference everything from robots, vampires, and aliens to the nostalgic things we grew up with in the 80’s. The lyrics are more silly than clever but you’ll catch yourself singing along. Looking at my itunes play count, I’ve played the song “Laundry” well over 50 times this week.

I was bummed he didn’t play that song live but he worked in some oldies into his new set. It was kind of strange to see this “band” live which was basically Eric on guitar and a girl fiddling around a Korg machine. Although his music isn’t necessarily the type of music you’d get excited to see live, it’s still fun. You’ll feel guilty admitting to like this geeky pop, but I’m ok with it and so should you.

sayhitoyourmom.com/

Laundry.mp3

I have been quite crazy about the Wrens latest album, “Meadowlands”. The band has been on a hiatus for over 5 years and I was overjoyed to hear that they were actually going to play live, considering the album is over 2 years old. First off, the album is an intense, emotional, and dark masterpiece. The songs are complex and on further listens offers up more sonic nuances. Every time I listen to album it conjures up emotions of loss and turmoil, which must reflect the tumultuous years the band had undergone those previous years since their last.

I had no idea what to expect from them live. These guys are in their late 30’s and wasn’t sure if they were going to rock like in ages past. The sold out show at Bowery was filled with fans, young and old. There was a lot of energy in the room waiting for them to come out. They took the stage with a hearty applause. They proceeded to play through the songs of Meadowlands with more passion and tension than on the recording. The band was so intense gaining more and more momentum as the night went on. They did several instrument switches and vocal arrangements to capture the variety of musical styles found on the album.

I was so impressed. I left the show with that feeling of witnessing a grand event. Truly a great night and hopefully the beginning of more from this stellar band. You’ll find it hard to remove the album from your player and you just HAVE TO see them live to really capture their musical power.

http://www.wrens.com/

I just recently got into this band after hearing a few songs off their new album Treble & Treble. I thought they had conjured up the spirit of Elliot Smith, who had recently taken his life. Their lush haunting melodies are created with delicate lyrics and orchestral instrumentation. Their live show was more uptempo but still retained their whispery themes. Not a great show, but I was happy with their performance.

http://www.earlimartmusic.com/

This was my last U.S. show before I embarked on my long trip to Argentina. It was a great show to leave on. Rainer Maria is always great to see live and especially in a small venue like the Mercury Lounge. This trio is a band you’d expect to play at someone’s basement knocking down the walls with their explosive sounds. The band continued to rock out their new-ish songs from Long Knives Drawn which is still a powerful record. The crowd was great and they even played a few requests. They treated us with a couple new songs that were a little rough around the edges but showed a lot of potential. Caithlin sangher heart out and looked fantastic. I still can’t get over my crush on her. A great show and yea, Kyle Fisher still sux.

http://www.rainermaria.com/