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08/29/09 Subterranean Chicago, Illinois
Discography
08/30/09 The Boat Toronto, Ontario 08/31/09 Il Motore Montreal, Quebec 09/01/09 Middle East Club Cambridge, MA 09/02/09 Mercury Lounge New York 09/03/09 Johnny Brendas Philadelphia, PA 09/04/09 Rock and Roll Hotel Washington DC 09/05/09 Duke Coffee House Durham, NC 09/07/09 The Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, GA 09/08/09 Club Downunder Tallahassee, FL 09/09/09 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA 09/10/09 Rudyard’s Pub Houston, TX 09/11/09 Mohawk Austin, Texas 09/12/09 The Cavern Dallas, Texas 09/14/09 Modified Arts Phoenix, Arizona 09/15/09 Echo Los Angeles, CA 09/16/09 The Loft San Diego, CA 09/17/09 Rickshaw Stop San Francisco, CA 09/18/09 Luigi’s Fun Garden Sacramento, CA 09/19/09 Music Fest North West - Berbati’s Pan Portland, OR 09/21/09 Media Club Vancouver, BC 09/22/09 The Vera Project Seattle, WA
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The Brunettes @ the 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis 8.26.09
OR
R.I.P. Twee
Wednesday night the Brunettes played to a fairly underage crowd, which is usually the outcome when you mix indie pop with summer break. Because I am old and cranky, I resented the children and their positive attitudes. So I drank more to counteract the offenders. Interestingly, two beers in I discovered a few things worthy of note: 1). It’s possible that one of my legs is longer than the other, or that one of my shoes is more worn down than the other! 2). the “dress over jeans” style of the early 90s is back and popular amongst teenagers born in the early 90s! 3). the Brunettes have so many percussion instruments!
It’s true. Number three is true. Besides the obvious and boring drums, select members of the band also played the triangle, castanets, wood blocks, glock, and the human hands. There was a lot of clapping in sync, a few failed attempts at starting a clap-a-long, several rounds of “la la la-ing,” one doll-sized piano, one man in white jeans, two pretty girls with long Chan Marshall hair, and plenty of awkward postmodern chit chat about buttholes and poop (just kidding, I don’t remember). Yes, friends, it was that kind of show.
Now, in theory, I have no problem with those kinds of shows. I like the triangle. I like visible discomfort. I like accents (the Brunettes hail from New Zealand). What I don’t like is being force-fed high levels of “cute” AND watching in horror as said “cute” manifests itself as an interactive Urban Outfitters window display. I guess musicians are not aware of the very important Seventeen Magazine life advice that tells us boobs are sexier when covered because it’s a sign of self-control and self-control is sexy (take that, translucent mesh halter top!). I think these wise words could also apply to bands on cute overload. Behold the unhealthy levels of precious:
- Ridiculously attractive band members. Question: if you look like a little porcelain doll, do you train yourself to be talented too, or are some people just blessed with better gifts? Another question: how do the beautiful find each other to start bands and stuff? Craigslist?
- Heather Mansfield’s twee voice. I’m not convinced that singing in boys’ choir range actually constitutes singing. It’s more like making a long, drawn-out mouth noise.
- An overall feeling of meticulous, stylized awareness, like how the Monkees impersonated the Beatles and still had hits.
It’s a shame, really, because the songs aren’t rotten. Sure, they have titles like “Loopy Loopy Love” and “Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth,” but these are no worse than Yo La Tengo’s moppet lingo discography. Twee is such a flimsy, absentminded genre it’s nearly impossible to find profundity amongst the milkshakes and thick-rimmed glasses. (Twee is a Sofia Coppola film: pretty but vacant.) Strip a twee song of its prettiness and you’re left with the adolescent musings of a dreamer. Trouble is, we grow up. Perhaps the most disappointing moment of Wednesday’s show was the realization that cute is no longer enough. Likewise, we all know that seeking higher standards is totally being an adult, which is frightening to those of us in transitional stages. This begs the question: are you ever truly an adult if you’re in a twee band?
The seemingly adult Brunettes are Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield, plus a rotating lineup of additional musicians. They formed in 1998 but didn’t officially release an album until 2002 (Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks). Since 2002 the band’s issued two full-length albums and two EPs; Structure and Cosmetics is their latest album, released on Sub Pop in 2007. Currently, the Brunettes are on tour. Visit their website (via Lil’ Chief Records) or Myspace for more info.
08/28/2009 20:56:02 ♥ lara (
/lara206.vox.com) ♥ myspace.com/thebrunettes
