by Sahar Anwar
Daily Lobo
If you skipped Saturday night's show at the Launchpad, then shame on you, because you missed a good one.
Local act Unit 7 Drain, which was left drummerless but nevertheless affably tried to make do with a borrowed drummer, opened for non-locals The Spoon.
Formed in Texas, Spoon has been recording and touring since the early '90s. Saturday, the band drew in a sizeable crowd at the Launchpad, luring a diverse group of easy-going listeners, first-time enthusiasts and hardcore fans closer and closer to the stage.
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Spoon's brand of mellow rock had a well-polished, confident sound. Lead singer Britt Daniel guided the band with precision, good cheer and so much self-assurance you had to love the band even if you had never heard of it.
A steady drum beat and funky, eclectic keyboards set the backdrop for bursts of guitar and bass lines that sliced the solid beat, cutting through the control to create a tuneful, musical blend. Drummer Jim Eno and touring keyboardist Kevin Lovejoy's contrasting sounds mingled nicely. Where Eno was steady and even, Lovejoy was artistic, offering an assortment of sounds and melodies.
Spoon played crowd favorites - complying to requests shouted from the floor - as well as other songs off the latest release, a full-length album, Kill the Moonlight. Otherwise, it kept crowd discourse short, opting instead to play without interruption, making the most out of its set.
What caught me off guard, though, was Spoon's rigid presentation. The band dove into a well-rehearsed, professionally played set and hardly strayed from that. Though containing creativity and interesting melodies, its sound was sometimes formulaic, depending too much on a guiding drumbeat and not enough on bass-lines or stronger guitar riffs.
Spoon's eagerness to sound like a traditional rock band - but not of the arrogant, '80s influenced variety - took away from its performance and sound. Although enjoyable, well-played music, the standard drum heavy sound was lacking creativity. I was left wanting a little more craziness and spontaneity both in the band's music and in the live show, something to make me realize that this was more than just another set.
What Spoon lacked in spontaneity, first act Baltimore indie group The Oranges Band tried to make up for.
Its earsplitting music was loud, fast and just plain good - really blowing me away. These indie rockers played a short but fun set of what I can only describe as punk rock.
All in all, there was a sort of musical balance within this set. The Orange Band's wailing guitars was tempered with Spoon's steady beat and it all equaled good music.
So if you haven't already, get up, go out, and buy a new CD. Or better yet, buy three.
For more information on any of these bands visit www.spoontheband.com, www.theorangesband.com, and www.socyermom.com/unit7drain/.
