Apr 03
Being a part of the audience at the downstairs concert hall of the Middle East club last night, I had a tangible sense that I was witnessing something unusually progressed. The NYC art-rock scene seems to have delivered its latest flourish of genius and it goes by the name of Stellastarr*.
Probably the most distinguishing characteristic of the show was the utterly cathartic audience response. A crowd of about 500 was able to generate arena-sized energy and the band rose to the occasion. While this can partially be credited to the city of Cambridge and its demographic cross-section, it’s the members of Stellastarr* and their prodigious talent that made it happen.
The vocal styles ranged from anthemic to bubbly to shrieky and the contrast between the male lead vocalist’s chaotic delivery was complemented well by the female bassist’s smoother backups. The interplay of the two guitars was also worthy of mention. The mostly uptempo overdriven rhythm sounds were exquisitely tempered by ambient delay-infused melodies. Manic drumming gave way to subtle percussive fills. Few bands are able to accomplish this kind of balance.
Lyrically, they’re art school kids and it shows: cryptic but fun. In ‘In the Walls’, the opening tune of the night, Christensen crooned “The falling chains and falling lies make pretend you’re mine.” Could someone please explain? In the chorus of ‘Pulp Song’ on the other hand, he poignantly asserts, “We’re lying, we’ve lied to you, we’ve lied to make our point of view.”
The greatest strength of these musicians, however, is their ability to effectively modulate the level of energy within their songs. The transition from quiet introspection to a disco-era frenzied climax in ‘My Coco’ had the crowd bouncing, literally.
By combining their individual talents, Stellastarr* create a picturesque soundscape that is uniquely their own.
Apr 03
So I’m sitting at my computer with an empty bottle of Wolf Blass 2001 Shiraz from South Australia, contemplating this task before me. Earlier on my “commute” (a 20 minute streetcar/subway ride) from work today, I came to the conclusion that my first post would focus on the concept of indecisiveness. As Prashant wrote, this idea had indeed been brewing for quite some time. I remember the exact time when this idea first exposed itself. Prashant and I were enjoying one of many pints at McKibbons in Montreal one February weekend. Even so, after countless discussions (online and in Real Life), arguments and drunken ramblings, we have decided that a Blog would be an ideal start, for wherever this endeavor will take us.
Yes, I will attempt a “deconstructionist analysis.” I use quotation marks because (I will freely admit) don’t exactly know the complete meaning of “deconstruction.” I will however examine this title that we have decided upon.
Uncluttered: To be free of clutter – clutter (as propounded by William Zinsser in “On Writing Well”):
“Clutter is the ponderous euphemism that turns a slum into a depressed socioeconomic area, a salesman into a marketing representative and garbage collectors into waste disposal personnel.”
(You may have noticed that I have incorporated various quotes in this first post. I blame it on my History training in university.)
Advocating: advocate – vt. To plead in favor of.
Evolved: developed, grown, progressed, advanced. It signifies change, from recognized historicity to (to borrow a Prashant word) “contemporary” ideas.
Thought.
My colleague has said that we might meander. I would rather argue that this blog (which I guarantee will NOT become a tool for us to pour our emotions onto our readers) is a journey. Meandering connotates an image of being lost, wandering. I say that every step contributes to our (and hopefully, your) understanding of what we are attempting here.
Aerosmith said “Life’s a journey, not a destination.”
I invite criticism and compliments from our readers-to-be.
Apr 01
This idea has been brewing for a while. After some debate over the title, content and style we’ve finally managed to reach a consensus.
The title was probably the greatest source of contention. We were struggling to find a compromise between brevity and accuracy. Nick’s a posteriori deconstructionist analysis will follow.
As this is an idea board, the content will undoubtedly meander into the surreal. We make no apologies for that.
So fucking come on and break the door down.
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