| So the other night I was listening to the new Her Space Holiday album, XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival, and it struck me funny. The prior work I’ve heard did not lead me to believe they would, er, take such heavy inspiration from Modest Mouse this time around. It’s not the first time I was genuinely surprised by a change of direction by a band, of course, but it does seem like one of the more obvious about-faces of recent years. Still, an electronically identified act with rock leanings going more fully in that direction isn’t quite as big a surprise as another directional shift I witnessed eleven years ago. I was working the door at the 7th Street Entry, the smaller room off to the side of the Minneapolis club First Avenue; the Entry holds about 250. Working the cash register that night was Kate, one of the coolest people I worked with there. Kate was excited. Consolidated was one of her favorite bands. Since they had peaked years before, the crowd wasn’t huge: about 75 people, mostly the Twin Cities poli-punk faithful. Kate was not a demonstrative type, but she was getting visibly excited to see what they would do. Then the headliners’ appointed time arrived and I went into the booth; Kate ducked her head inside the curtain that covered the door to check them out. And they sounded like Dashboard Confessional. I am not making this up. (Well, I sort of am. They actually sounded more like a cross between the Dismemberment Plan and the Juliana Theory. But you understand.) Front-dude rocking the post-Piccioto belt-cum-caterwaul about his feelings. Guitar-bass-drums behind him played involuted riffs while shaking their heads slowly side to side and alternately looking at their instruments and the floor. No (or few, that I remember at least) electronics. I was bewildered. Kate was shook. Speechless. Beside herself. Dazed, she made her way into the booth. After awhile, I said, “You know the world’s a fucked up place when Consolidated goes emo.” Her eyes brightened. “YEAH!” she replied. - Idolator |
