street to nowhere: endearingly maladroit

as mentioned a few posts back, i went to see the format at irving plaza. they had quite a queue of artists playing before them, two of which were anathallo and rainer maria. i was lucky enough to get there early to catch the very first act that night, a band by le nom de notre temps existentiel, street to nowhere, from oakland, ca. i was instantly won over; despite being a starter, they had the audience by the throat-- myself included. considerably intrigued by their overtly honest lyrics mixed with a great acoustic quality and a nervously angsty voice ringing it all true through the speakers, i vowed that i would get to know this band.

granted, it took me awhile. everyone ended up at shades of green, and i shared a few compliments and some eye contact with the band members. yet, i never really bothered to get more of an impression on them, even though i thought they were pretty cool guys. it wasn't until i bought a ticket to an upcoming kevin devine show that i recalled them. as they were playing on this bill as well, i decided to take up my past initiative and buy their album.

best.decision.ever.

charmingly awkward has been playing non-stop since i received it last week. the songs are simple enough to catch the minimalist in me, but occasionally it will break into ecstatic ballad vocals and rock-out riffs that get me soaring at the same time. ranging from self-loathing to humourously self-deprecating to political, the songs broach quite a few topics, although it mainly centers around booze, sex (or the lack-thereof), and, of course, being charmingly awkward.

yeah, i definitely know what that's like.

if you feel the need to see what's up, check out "boxcars boxcars boxcars," on their myspace page, as it gives a pretty good idea of what this group is about. while each song is my favourite in its own little way, the tracks i have had on repeat consistently are "waste my life for you" for its cheeky chasing amy potential, and "you can't go to sleep" which is bordering on 20-something-emotionless-revulsion... but that's how we do. however, you'll have to shell out some dough and support these guys to here those. so go do that. right now.

they'll be back in nyc come december, playing with matt pond pa, kevin devine, and straylight run at bowery. buy a ticket. support a band (or four). hang out with me. i'll buy you a beer and probably sing some lyrics in your face. sounds good, right?

mayhaps i'll see you there.

/jen/