July 5 2008 Emperors of japan, Necronauts, and Former Friends of american kids @ the Monte Vista

Concert review, Emperors of japan, necronauts and former friends of American kids.
7/5/08 @ the Monte Vista, Flagstaff AZ

(FORMER FRIENDS OF AMERICAN KIDS)
As we walked into the Monte Vista hotel and lounge we noticed that the first band had already taken the stage; Former friends of American kids. Nothing caught my eye really other than the bass player was wearing a graduation robe and cap for no particular reason, there was no definite gimmick with this band, and the lack of energy on stage and involvement with the audience, they just didn’t seem too into it. The entire band consisted of a drummer, the guitarist (that was also lead vocals) and the bass player. I’m not sure what was with the back-up singer, she just stood there and hummed a couple of lines per song. Since we’re on the topic of songs, I’ll get into their music. It had a very “chill” vibe which was appropriate for the small setting and the lighting they had on stage with shades of blues and greens also fit their sound. After listening to a couple of their songs it felt tired and boring. Many of the guitar riffs sounded alike and were very simple and most of their songs sounded like something you would here in the background of a movie, or the tracks you would hear at the end of an album…for the ENTIRE set. Most of their songs also sounded the same from what we could hear, there was a lot of feedback from their instruments and the entire thing sounded “underwater”. They could be considered ‘ambient rock’ and if that’s what they were going for, they met expectations but did not exceed them which in turn left us with the feeling of being let down. The one thing that really got me in the end was the last song, there were multiple build-ups with no resolution what-so-ever. Most would see this as a unique move (if done right) but it wasn’t this time and may have caused an uncomfortable dissonance for the listener. On top of that the last song dragged out way too long as if they were trying to lull the audience to sleep before the next band. Over all this band is nothing too special and I think they can do more.
Former Friends of American Kids gets a 4/10

(The Necronauts)
Ah, the second band, there’s nothing negative I can think to say about this band. They were amazing. Set up and sound check went by pretty quickly. While they were still setting up the drummer was nice enough to grace us with a drum solo to keep us entertained. Before they even started their set they said a few words and even threw around the names of a couple of other bands, showing them support as well. Pretty awesome. They got right into their music without hesitation and the audience exploded with the energy they put off. Their sound was like funky punk with their own heavier slant. I could even go to say that they could be compared to a combination of the Chili Peppers and sublime with a dash of punk. They themselves called it ‘Indie Space Rock’, which pretty much sums it up. They definitely have their own style that is nothing less of rockin’. Everything from the guitar to the vocals, the drums and bass, was awesome and next to perfect. The songs were short, sweet and to the point. And they seemed to have as much fun performing as the audience did watching them. As my buddy put it, “this band has their shit together!” and I couldn’t agree more. The show was free that night, but we agreed that we would definitely pay to see them again, given the chance. The last sond they played was an instrumental piece that was darker and heavier than the rest of the set, a perfect finale full of rockin’ guitar solos, smashin’ drums, and sick bass. Unfortunately the set has to end sometime. The only thing I have to say is that I would like to see them use more of those super-awesome last song skills in future work and they just rock. They come at ya’ with more energy than you know what to do with and with a variety of sounds that will leave you wanting more.

The Necronauts get a: 8/10

(Emperors of Japan)
So here came the ‘stars of the show’. Set up took way too long, as if they expected the audience didn’t mind waiting for them. The first song started out with a repetition of the same 4 notes twanged out on a clean guitar over and over. At first I thought that it was for sound check or maybe just a little jam before the set started…but it wasn’t, it was the song and it was horrible. Soon after the bass and drums kicked in and again I have to say it was nothing special. The guitarist was even wearing one of those pooh bear kids costumes as a hat as if it was cute or unique which it wasn’t. And again like the first band, this band was full of slow redundant riffs that most people could probably play in their sleep and the lyrics were incomprehensible and the melodies dissonant. In fact, this could be compared to the first band only louder with more feedback which was surprising considering how long they took to set up. We were very disappointed and did not stay for the entire set, but did however drop of some business cards of a local costume designer at their merch table, maybe they’ll use them and at least be something to look at instead of another generic mediocre band.

Emperors of Japan get a: 3/10

After the show, and after writing this review, it’s clear that even though Emperors of Japan were the headliners for this show, the Necronauts were definitely the stars. I recommend checking them out so you, too, can experience their awesomeness.