the magic numbers, feist, bright eyes @ landmark loews theatre



it was sort of a last minute thing but i went to see the magic numbers open for feist and bright eyes in jersey city of all places! at the landmark loews theatre, which is a slowly renovated old vaudeville theatre. quite majestic. i've been hearing about the magic numbers for a while now... i think the first person who referred me to them was kevin from one of my favorite bands, seafood. then i started hearing the buzz. now they have a happy-go-lucky self-titled album out that kind of reminds me of stars... and seafood, actually. i had no idea how the music would translate live, but they really charmed me and the sold-out crowd at the bright eyes show. i think everyone there was half my age, but hey, that's what you get when you go see conor oberst. they had the kids clapping and cheering. it made me smile. their boy-girl vocal play was cutesy, and their long hippie hair wasn't annoying -- it was... cute... the way it flipped to and fro to the beat of the clap-happy music. i liked it. should i remind you the band has a sold out headlining show at bowery ballroom tonight? pretty sweet if you ask me. check out their song "love me like you" on my jukebox above.

i was afraid feist would come out on stage by herself. the first and last time i saw her, it was just her and her guitar and her somewhat coy witty banter. now, i can see how the guys can be quite smitten with her, but i was just bored. i think she's a nice, eloquent person (i heard her speak on a panel during cmj, and she was smart and all...) but her music is borderline jazz pop, sort of like diana krall. it's like lounge music for the inside of a lexus jeep. it's silly because i like her voice a lot because it reminds me of beth orton or cat power, but the music is... eh.

the boys from bright eyes did come out on stage and join her for a song. that was supposed to be climactic, i think, but it fell a little flat. the kiddies liked it though! and that's all that matters.

this was also my first time seeing bright eyes... quite honestly, his band was better than him. i just don't get his music. i think it just doesn't speak to my generation or me or something. i'm not that old, but i am certainly not 15 and crying into my pillow because i think the world is against me and nothing will ever lift the black cloud that hovers over my blue pixie haircut. but i think his music does speak to people, and those were the kids at this show. i think i did like one bright eyes song, and he didn't play it the other night... the song that goes "i want a lover i don't have to love..."