The Hourly Radio @ Darkroom - 10/29/06

On Sunday, October 29th, The Hourly Radio played a half-hour set at Chicago’s Darkroom. I hadn’t heard of the venue before the show, since it is more of a club then a live music hot spot. The stage was situated in a rear corner, while a rectangular bar glowed red in the center of the room. The first thing I noticed was the low attendance. To the band’s dismay, the crowd never grew past 15 or 20 people. It’s easy to empathize with performers who tour the country playing shows that no one comes to. But a band has to spread its name somehow, and good old fashioned word-of-mouth by touring never hurt anyone. Luckily the band seems on the right track in the touring department. They recently shared some shows with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and opened for a stretch of stellastarr*’s tour. It doesn’t look like anyone is pointing fingers for leeching off of buzz bands as of yet.

Aaron Closson announced a few songs in that the group is from Dallas, TX, which almost made me wish that he had a marked southern accent. Closson was on stage with Ryan Short (guitar), Adam Vanderkolk (drums), and Tim Jansen (bass). The band wore all black clothing with white lights shining on their faces. This made them look almost too serious, but then again they didn’t have much to work with as far as stage production goes. Closson has an extremely distinguishable voice that sounds exactly the same live as on CD – a noteworthy fact considering the over-produced sound of the album. However, few people still want to hear those high-pitched wavering vocals reminiscent of the emo explosion around five years ago.

It is regrettable that the band chose not to play “Travelsigns,” the opening track from History Will Never Hold Me (released on Kirtland Records on September 5^th). That track’s floating guitars, washed-out synths, and crashing drums would have been a welcome change during the somewhat mundane show. “Crime Does Pay” is one of the bands tagged singles and was saved for the last portion of the show. The band’s embarrassing lyrics (“Get off / get free / get off ‘cause I miss you too”) were kept afloat by the bouncy rhythm. Granted most pop music is relatively meaningless, but some complete, intelligible phrases would not be unwelcome. On “Deaf Ears,” the band’s other single, Closson screamed “suffer to know your cold heart is to blame” without a shred of pain in his voice, like he had only witnessed heartbreak in movies.

The band emphasized their beats and vocals throughout the entire show, but failed to provide any build and release. They avoid chord changes or even the slightest bit of exploration. Instead, they prefer to keep arrangements tight, which would be beneficial if the songs were catchier. It’s much more interesting when a band can pump new elements into familiar formulas, or at least give of themselves entirely in the process. But the band sounded like they have been playing these songs for years, only to be slightly tweaked by a record label (albeit an indie one). Don’t get me wrong. Watching the band was not a completely unpleasant venture. The most enjoyable moments of the show came when the band combined power pop with a retro shimmer, like Jimmy Eat World crossed with Tears for Fears. But the band’s naïve lyrics and sleep-inducing sounds set them way back when it comes to indie credibility.

Watching the group play, I couldn’t help but think that someone had sold them a big fat lie about becoming famous on MTV. I kept asking myself questions: What is their target audience, and what are they trying to accomplish artistically and professionally? They seem to be emulating a sound and image popularized by FM radio bands like Franz Ferdinand and the Killers, but the most obvious connection is to U2 (hey, why not try to replicate the world’s most successful rock band?). Maybe the band will find a place in the frat party scene and subsequent bar star crowd. According to the band’s website, they were recently featuring in Rolling Stone’s Hot List of editor’s Top 5 Picks. But the fact that the magazine draws a comparison to My Bloody Valentine is completely unfounded and utterly offensive, regardless of whether you think Loveless is one of the best albums ever created.

As the band’s set came to a close, not much had been accomplished. The group did, however, manage to capture the attention of some Darkroom visitors dressed as our country’s founding fathers. Those fellows probably didn’t come to see The Hourly Radio (or any band), which is a testament to the group’s accessibility. The band needs to pump some passion into their craft and find new angles to approaching their influences. Then, maybe, they would create something – on album or on stage – that is a little bit more memorable.

MySpace link:

The Hourly Radio