 SSLYBY at The Bell House ♥ photo by Dave Tour Dates 12/12/09 Outland Ballroom Springfield, MO
Discography
01/13/10 Maxine’s Pub Hot Springs, AK 01/23/10 Gallery Sounds Springfield, MO 01/28/10 Schubas Chicago, IL 01/29/10 Courtyard Cafe Champaign, IL 01/30/10 Mojo’s Columbia, MO 01/31/10 Jackpot Lawrence, KS
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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09)
In terms of favorite bands with excessively long names, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin is right up there with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. (Fun Fact: There’s a band called Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia that won BBC Radio’s title for worst band name ever. When you think about it, the Soviet Union is a rich source for potentially awful band names, IE: Lenin’s Mausoleum, Khrushchev’s Thaw, The Gulag, etc. etc. etc.)
Anyway.
SSLYBY provided a refreshing lack of plaid and/or flannel to the Bell House on Monday night. It was nice to see a band so sincere and enthusiastic, whose only incidental brush with pretense stemmed from the fact that their bassist/drummer bore an uncanny resemblance to Michael Cera. They seemed so affable that one wayward audience member felt compelled to describe them as “the Jimmy Buffet of the indie world.”
They opened with “Pangea,” the jangly first track from their debut album, Broom. However, the jangle did not seem as prevalent live as it does on the album. To borrow a word from Chuck Klosterman’s phrasebook, the songs sounded considerably more “trenchant” compared to their recorded counterparts. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gave pop-centric tracks like “Oregon Girl” and “Gwyneth” a slight edge. It also allowed them to turn the bittersweet confection that is “Dead Right” into a slow-burning, thumping number.
Singing duties switched between guitarists, John Cardwell and Philip Dickey, and they invited friends on stage to sing and play the occasional tambourine. The audience was peppered with their fellow musicians/friends, such as Jason Anderson and Paul DeGeorge from Harry & the Potters. With such support, it was only natural that an impromptu audience rendition of Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” should happen. (It did. It was short-lived but sweet.)
They ended the show with “Modern Mystery” before returning for a much-welcomed encore. Say what you will about their clunky name or the curse of USSR-related monikers, but overall, it was a perfectly lovely show. Besides, how many Putin-inspired bands have you heard of lately?
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
In terms of favorite bands with excessively long names, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin is right up there with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. (Fun Fact: There’s a band called Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia that won BBC Radio’s title for worst band name ever. When you think about it, the Soviet Union is a rich source for potentially awful band names, IE: Lenin’s Mausoleum, Khrushchev’s Thaw, The Gulag, etc. etc. etc.)
Anyway.
 SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave |
They opened with “Pangea,” the jangly first track from their debut album, Broom. However, the jangle did not seem as prevalent live as it does on the album. To borrow a word from Chuck Klosterman’s phrasebook, the songs sounded considerably more “trenchant” compared to their recorded counterparts. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gave pop-centric tracks like “Oregon Girl” and “Gwyneth” a slight edge. It also allowed them to turn the bittersweet confection that is “Dead Right” into a slow-burning, thumping number.
Singing duties switched between guitarists, John Cardwell and Philip Dickey, and they invited friends on stage to sing and play the occasional tambourine. The audience was peppered with their fellow musicians/friends, such as Jason Anderson and Paul DeGeorge from Harry & the Potters. With such support, it was only natural that an impromptu audience rendition of Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” should happen. (It did. It was short-lived but sweet.)
They ended the show with “Modern Mystery” before returning for a much-welcomed encore. Say what you will about their clunky name or the curse of USSR-related monikers, but overall, it was a perfectly lovely show. Besides, how many Putin-inspired bands have you heard of lately?
Photos by Dave:
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave 
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave 
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave 
12/09/2009 22:35:36 ♥ kateg (
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