all words: the singular Miss Libby Ellsworth- Kasch
all photos: Dave Stroup, taking a break from his usual byt beat
If you missed Cale Parks’ set, just imagine Tin Tin/Lyle Lovett playing 30 percussion instruments at once (fantastic limb control). Like our young Belgian hero and favorite musician-turned-actor/ex of Julia Roberts- Cale manned the show solo, moving from drums, to electric board thing, to other electric board thing. I have nothing but respect for a one-man band. His catalog consists of a collection of songs that can best be described as reminiscent of New Order or a gay version of New Order. Listen for yourself. I enjoyed it.
Paper Route was terribly mediocre (I would take an awful band who took risks any day over mediocrity). Each band member looked and played like a less cute and talented member of another band; each melody and lyric a tired rip off of another band’s hit.
You know what wasn’t mediocre? Michael Angelakos’ falsetto. Passion Pit opened with “I’ve got your number” during which Angelakos nailed the simultaneously annoying and endearing line: “have you seeen me crrryyy, tears like diiiaaaamondsssss”. There was a collective gasp around me- everyone looking over to their show mate to confirm the identity of the creature that actually makes those noises. From the High-Brows “He must be a castrati”, from the Low-Brows “does he have any balls?”
You know what else wasn’t mediocre? The sweet group of high schoolers who tore it up, X-es be damned, for the entire night (even during Paper Route). I hate the fact that during my youth cool bands would tour Chicago-Minneapolis, passing up the hidden gem of Milwaukee. These kids were dancing their asses off and frenching without abandon on a TUESDAY night. Second semester senior year is so sweet.
This is all I remember since I proceded to bow to peer pressure and get tanked.
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SHOW? TELL ME YOUR FEELINGS! SHARE WITH US!
the singer in paper route looked like a shitty, cheap knock-off of pete doherty that you would buy out of the truck of a car in an alley in LA.
cale parks had excellent limb independence – that always impresses me.
February 5, 2009 at 1:58 pmAt some point someone came up to me (face and names are all a blur) and was like “Look at paper route, they just whipped out 20 instruments onto the stage for this song”
And I just said : “it still sounds EXACTLY the same as the previous song”.
I mean, why pull out the accordions if you’re not going to REALLY use them (for REALLY using them see “Drink up buttercup” btw)
Cale Parks was special and I love how his hands were his own special effects show.
Passion pit was great, and that new song was great and those shots of whiskey right before “Sleepyhead” were pretty great too, even if we swore not to drink them only
three seconds beforehand.
It just needed to be a little longer, for my taste.
Maybe a “Jackson 5” cover, while they’re working on new material or something like that?
I wish I’d gone to this show.
PS Apparently the folks at DCist were not feelin’ Passion Pit. The most love went to Cale Parks. Their description of Paper Route was hysterical:
“Paper Route, however, didn’t fare nearly as well. At their best, they mixed the synth-heavy atmospherics of early M83 with the syncopated rhythms of dance-punk, but they spent the majority of their set reaching for Bends-era Radiohead, though usually veering closer to the radio-friendly arena pop of U2 and Coldplay.”
What’s wrong with Bends-era Radiohead? At least it’s not “Pablo Honey” or “Drill EP” era!
http://dcist.com/2009/02/click_click_passion_pit_the_black_c.php
February 5, 2009 at 2:09 pmCcoming from the airport mere hours before, I raced in just as “I’ve Got Your Number” wrapped. Still, the rest of the show left me amped for a full-length. Big fan of “Better Things” live. Had more ooomph and was a little speedier. Same goes for “Smile Upon Me.”
I agree, I wish they had included a cover or something funky just to prolong the show.
And, any idea what that new one they played was called?
February 5, 2009 at 2:40 pmThis show, well, the Passion Pit part of it, left me glowing. So good! And I can’t wait for the full-length.
And I agree about Paper Route. They try way, WAY too hard.
February 5, 2009 at 4:28 pmMy opinions lie closer to DCist’s than this review. I thought Passion Pit was a huge let down. I loved the EP, but they couldn’t reproduce any of the songs on stage. Their too-short set just plain sucked. I’d like to say high expectations are to blame, but honestly, I don’t think so. I’d have been embarrassed to death if any of the non-fans I tried to talk into going actually came.
February 5, 2009 at 5:05 pmQuick addition: The whole night I was dwelling on how I decided to pick Passion Pit over Antony and the Johnsons, saying to myself, “I’ve made a huge mistake,” Arrested Development-style.
February 5, 2009 at 5:09 pmYeah, paper route was terrible but their drummer was rad!
February 5, 2009 at 5:26 pmwe should start a “save the paper route drummer from being the paper route drummer forever” group or something.
February 5, 2009 at 5:36 pmSecond semester senior year was sweet. Those were the days.
February 6, 2009 at 3:38 am
they didn’t open with I’ve got your number, that was #2. I didn’t recognize the first song.
agree with your paper route desricption. they sounded like an indie emo band caught up in the current electronic/synthesizer trend. in other words, i hate their silly emo voices and their music sucked. the balding drummer was very impressive though.
February 5, 2009 at 1:49 pm