kevin barnett

Arrrr, no seriously.

Watching this film makes me want to hop on the LIRR in the morning. I even looked at the train schedule – the first train leaves Penn at 7:49am. Maybe I should wait for the dead of winter…I’m crazy like that.

Simian Mobile Disco wield their analog magic at Blender Theater (photo: Cracker’s United)

James Ford and Jas Shaw of Simian Mobile Disco have it all figured out. They get to produce rock hits in the UK, then noodle around with some mad-scientist-rigged analog equipment and make dance tracks. Then they put an album of said tracks together and go play some theaters and clubs, assaulting audiences with a mind-numbing mix of their material. During this performance, with the blinding strobes and deafening-beats, they manage to push all of the right buttons, plugs, etc. right when they’re supposed to. I don’t understand how it all works (yet) but damned if it isn’t fun to dance to.

At least that’s how I experienced their performance at Blender Theater which, despite their quality sound was a disappointing venue. It must have been a 18+ show, because alcohol distribution was limited and security was a little too heavy. Not that got in the way of us having a good time…

I’m not sure what hurt more after the show — my eyes or my ears. It was hard to tell after 45 minutes of glorious information overload. I liked the live mixes but would have preferred shorter versions to allow for more tracks off the album. Not that we need an album performance but short, tight production goes a long way.

the setlist:

Sleep Deprivation
It’s The Beat
Hustler
I Believe

The album itself – Attack Decay Sustain Release – is addictively absorbing. I can’t stop listening to it and don’t see an end in sight. It’s one of the better electronic/dance records in my rotation and my hope is that they can keep things fresh, remixes aside.

I was just listening to Simian Mobile Disco - Hotdog

Paul Banks performing lead vocals and guitar for Interpol. (photo: luhp)

I wasn’t sure if Interpol had graduated to arena rock or if they wanted to play to a large home crowd. Either way, their performance at MSG worked well. The new material off of Our Love To Admire coupled with select tracks from Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics fits well in a setlist. It’s hard to believe but Interpol actually exhibited some energy as if they were having a really good time. Paul thanked the crowd several times, Carlos D had a skip in his step and Daniel Kessler pulled off a Buddy Holly dance move more times than I could count.

The un-natural still life imagery from Our Love To Admire and stage lighting was appropriately matched to each song but if they plan to stick with arena rock, they’ll have to consider upgrading. The crowd was extremely receptive to the new songs in addition to the old hits. And getting the band to come out again to play Untitled was my favorite moment. They brought it home, completing an impressive setlist and performance.

Pioneer to the Falls
Obstacle 1
C’Mere
Narc
Say Hello to the Angels
Pace is the Trick
Mammoth
Hands Away
No I in Threesome
Slow Hands
Rest My Chemistry
The Heinrich Maneuver
Evil
Not Even Jail

NYC
Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down
PDA

Untitled

*update: Rolling Stone has a captioned photo gallery of Interpol backstage @ MSG before the show.

Theo Jansen, a kinetic sculptor and design heavyweight, is featured in this South African BMW commerical. Clearly, he’s using more than 10% of his brain.