we saw: Shout Out Louds, Joe's Pub

"It's Now, And We're Too Late"

Seeing a band in a place like Joe's Pub is alot different than, say, you're average beer soaked rock club. Not only are the bathrooms clean and void of years of amateur graffiti and bad stickering, but the acoustics are as warm and crisp as any lauded theater and there isn't a bad seat in the house (Although we wouldn't really know as we sat front row, center).

It was clear the Shout Out Louds knew where they were playing, as the band ditched their jeans and button downs for dressed for a more formal look... Did someone say rental tux?? And while the Cure conjuring swede's looked mighty dapper, they're sound was a bit, how do we say, lethargic. Possibly in an attempt to fit the venues super mellow, jazzy vibe, SOL played a toned down set full of alternate versions of songs from their recent Our Ill Wills and 2004's Howl Howl Gaff Gaff. From the beginning we knew something was up, as the happy happy joy joy "Impossible" sounded like the original on ambien. Fittingly, most of their set was played in half time, making use of whistful bossanova melodies and pouring the sap on thick. On record, SOL's overly emotive sensitivities are shroud in joyful sing-a-longs and pigtail bopping harmonies, however, last night the band actually sounded heart broken, and not in a happy go lucky way.

Fortunately after taking a short break from the uber-attentive audience, SOL came back out kicked out the jams, most notably on Our Ill Wills standout "You Are Dreaming," one of my favorite songs of 2007. All in all a special night, even if the band didn't exactly 'bring the heat.'

(Photo by Brilliancy)

(Photo by Alexistheo)