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Review Mon May 11 2009
Review: The Sounds @ Double Door 5/7/09
Last Thursday was a classic night at Double Door. Packed house, sold out show, two great bands, crowd loving it.
Hey Champ, who hail from Chicago, opened the night and were at the top of their game. They are tighter each time I see them, looking more at home on stage commanding a large crowd. Touring with such a high-energy band as The Sounds looks like it has been good to them on their climb to the top.
The Sounds took the stage and lead singer Maja Ivarsson was clad in the iconic black leather jacket and leather motorcycle hat reminiscent of Joan Jett, fully channeling their 80's predecessors. The band definitely ruled the stage that night, but I felt disconnected. I felt like I was missing something; there was something I just wasn't getting that the rest of the room was totally eating up. I felt I could watch a well-polished Cindy Lauper/Blondie cover band and get the same satisfaction. But that's it--they are better than a cover band, so what is it that is missing (or that I'm missing)?
I listened to their previous albums Dying To Say This To You and Living In America before the show, but instead of hyping me up for the evening, I got a little burned out. I was never into "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" girlie songs and resented them following us throughout our female coming of age (Was I supposed to sing songs from Grease at sleepovers just because I was a girl?). And now with the retro-revival of everything 80's, everything is back--good and (very) bad--but if it isn't used in a new way, it just falls flat, or falls into indulgence. And hey, I'm the first to indulge in guilty pleasures, but fluffed 80's girly rocker pop was never my thing.
The Sounds' new album Crossing The Rubicon will be released June 2nd. Hey Champ's full length debut will also come out this summer.
