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Concert Fri Dec 07 2007
Comptrollin'
I first wrote about Comptroller Records a few months ago, when referencing the brilliant EP Bridget Quits, from the Sharks. Well, tomorrow, the good people at this brand new local label will circle the wagons at Ronny’s and suit up for their coming-out party, Comptrollin’ on a Saturday Night, and they promise an ecstatically good time.
Kicking things off at 9pm is the debut of the Spectacles, a two-person, boy-girl, keys-guitar-drum machine outfit spotlighting the usual brand of synth pop expected from this particular formation. Thankfully for me, I happen to find this sound totally endearing and cute, especially when a girl sings about ice cream and sweetness and love over a simple and blistering riff, like they do on “insatiable”. It’s almost as if they’re envisioning some anthem for a 14-year old girl, re-cast in an alternate universe of butterflies and chocolate and dreams that don’t actually exist in real life. And kudos to them for tackling one of my favorite songs, the Talking Heads’ “Naïve Melody” and closing it with the solo from the Stop Making Sense version.
Playing second are the Sharks. The past few months have done nothing to dull my love of Bridget Quits, their 5-song debut and the very first Comptroller release. The music on the EP is fast, loose, noisy rock’n’roll of the kind rarely seen since the mid-90s, and listening to “the kidz know best” gets me all-nostalgic for teenage basement parties I never actually attended. Echoing what seems to be a refreshing trend for Comptroller Records, the Sharks refuse to take themselves and their music too seriously, but they’re skilled enough to make seriously awesome music. The re-addition of Evan “The General” Skow on keys means a more diverse sound, but there’s no way that will turn down the charm. In fact, since I wasn’t able to catch their record release a few months ago, I’m most excited to catch this endearing bunch of Islamofascists turned conventional rock band (and forgive me for once again printing that ridiculous back-story but I think it’s perversely hilarious).
Closing the set for the evening will be the Fake Fictions, returning to Chicago stages with a brand new album in tow, Krakatoa. While I’m unfamiliar with the band that is being called a “local favorite” (I know, I’m real uncool), the band has called their newest release “raw, stripped down, and loud”, three adjectives that light my rock’n’roll flame and I hope to be back in a few months with a review of the new record.
Comptroller Records have a good thing going, a no bullshit approach to fun, catchy, stripped-down tunes, the kind of sonic elements that make rock’n’roll so irresistible in the first place. Tomorrow, in addition all of the heavy hitters, they will showcase an elaborate set design by Mechazilla, an acoustic performance by Mark Danjer of Poem2Song and the vaudeville trickery of Magic Superstars. The whole night should be festive and spirited, a great way to battle the cold weather blues.