My friend Jason and I drove two hours each way to catch this band’s half hour set. I loved their last album, Rip It Off, which served to remind me of what I liked about indie rock when that label meant something (Pavement, Sonic Youth, Sebadoh, Pixies, etc.)–loud guitars, vocals that seemed to say something, a general sense of not giving a fuck, ambitions that outstripped the bands’ means and their talents. The band played loud, and they played all the songs I liked, but I honestly think they could have turned it down a bit. Even the band seemed to get lost in some of the noise, and these aren’t super-complicated songs. The set length was perfect, and the sense of purpose was there, but a more straightforward presentation would have made the point better.
The opening band, Titus Andronicus, was a pleasant surprise. Jason hinted that they were the flavor of the week before they played. They certainly were young. I’ll give them that much. And they didn’t seem to be faking their punkiness, especially one of the guitarists who dropped an “ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated” a couple of songs into the set. I’m not sure if he understood the weight of those words. If he did, he must have had an axe to grind. Either way, they played a good set. Loud, but not too loud, and energetic. What I would have hoped for from Times, really. I didn’t catch many of Titus words. They just seemed angry about something, frustrated. Who knows why? If it mattered, I’d like the music even more.
