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Review Sun Mar 13 2011
Review: Obits @ Empty Bottle, 3/12
Obits have often been quoted as saying, "We're not into innovation as a band." The Brooklyn foursome's debut album was a full-on rock'n'roll powerhouse and the forthcoming Moody, Standard & Poor is no different. Singer/guitarist Rick Froberg (Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, et al.) pulls from a similar vein as his other projects with a distinct wail as the calling card over a pummeling rhythm section and ominous surf-rockish guitars. Saturday's set at a packed Empty Bottle began with a few new tracks that were received with the typical applause and whoops of unheard music from a trusted source, but it wasn't until they dropped in known tunes ("SUD", followed by "Widow of My Dreams") that the crowd came around with manic cheers and hollers.
From there, Obits indulged the fervent audience with recognizable songs mixed with new ones. As evidence of how new some of them are, even guitarist Sohrab Habibion muffed a title, to the amused chagrin of Froberg. But who really needs to know song titles when the musicianship is so spot-on? Obits barely missed a beat, which shouldn't be surprising for a band that supposedly rehearsed for a couple years before their first live show. What's remarkable about Obits is that, on the surface, nothing they do seems like it isn't being done by a thousand other bands right now. Yet they pool their ingredients in a way that no one else does and come across harder and leaner than nearly anyone.
Both times I've seen Obits at the Bottle, an opener's wowed me. The first time it was Obits (opening for Constantines). The second time it was Disappears. I expected the same on Saturday, but it wasn't the band I thought would do so. In the past, I've paid little attention to Milwaukee's Jaill because whatever I'd heard had simply never caught my attention (and that extra L bugs me). Live, though, it was a different story. Their jangly garage-rock hooked me immediately in a way like a much more polished Black Lips with amusing banter, streamlined construction and spotless execution. Chicago's Loose Dudes turned in an entertaining set of punk/hardcore and Lansing's People's Temple delivered a fresh set of garage/psych-rock that'll see the light of day on Hozac in April.
john yingling / March 13, 2011 8:37 PM
I recorded the entire set. Fucking amazing. Take a listen : http://hotmetaldobermans.blogspot.com/2011/03/listen-to-obits-play-moody-standard-and.html