Another Good Night With Go Back To The Zoo

It's nice to be able to see a band a few times in a year especially a new band like Go Back To The Zoo who's career sky rocketed in no time. It's interesting to see if they are growing and what changes they go through. So for the fourth time this year I saw the guys play and this time they were taking the small stage of Paradiso that has been sold out for months.

Go Back To The Zoo at Paradiso Amsterdam, November 5 2010 (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Sold out venues are normal for the band by now. Almost every stage they take in their club tour has been sold out for weeks. And from the first note on the crowd goes wild and doesn't stop until they have left the stage. Like I mentioned last time this is due to the catchy songs they have come up with. And with all the publicity the band got over the past months that's exactly why people come to see them: to party! Even the big mounted bird is taken for a bit of crowd surfing.

At the same time this can be their pitfall. Once the hip label and magic has worn off people may loose their interest. But for now things still look good. They are playing tighter than half a year ago so the many gigs are paying off. At the same time it doesn't sound they have changed much in their set. Of course they only have the songs that are on their debut album so there isn't a lot of variation possible. They could play around with the songs a bit more though.




But they still haven't lost any of their energy and everyone in the packed small room is having a good time. Hopefully they are writing new songs on the road so they can spice up their set. This should get them through next year's festival season after which it's time to start on a new album and show that they are here to stay.

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Beautifully Arranged Album By Broken Records

Broken Records - Let Me Come Home (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The new album by the Scottish band turns out to be a gem. It holds ten tracks that all are just marvelous. The sound is full with beautiful arrangements and tasteful strings. Singer Jamie Sutherland's vocals are diverse with plenty of emotion. Although he sounds a lot like The Killers' Brandon Flowers it never is too much. The songs are telling a story and the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Nick Cave are never far away. They may have put themselves clearly on the indie map with this record.

Let Me Come Home on Spotify

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Yeasayer Enlightens Melkweg

It's been hard to miss Yeasayer this year. The band from Brooklyn played lots of festivals and several club shows as well over here in the low lands. And for a reason: their latest album is very successful and their festival shows got positive reviews including mine. So I was really looking forward to their club show in the Melkweg last Friday.

Yeasayer at Melkweg Amsterdam, October 29 2010 (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The stage looks familiar as it shows the same setup as the festival shows. The keyboards, samplers and other electronics are placed on square lit pillars that can change colours. When the venue lights dim they start to glow red while the band members make their appearance. During the show they are bathing in the changing colours.



This is characteristic for their show. Their music consists of several layers with many percussion elements, samples and tasteful use of electronic effects. It's what colours their music. The live versions of their songs are different than the album versions which give them an added value. Singer Chris Keating seems to be more lively on stage as is the rest of the band compared to a few months ago. He is moving around to play some percussion either with percussionist Ahmed Gallab or drummer Jason Trammell or on his own instrument. Bass player Ira Wolf Tuton and guitarist/singer Anand Wilder sometimes leave their spot on the right and left side to face Tramell or join Keating. They are really playing together as a band and it looks like they are all feeling relaxed and enjoying the gig.

There isn't a lot of interaction with the audience besides the occasional "thank you's" and "I love this place". Besides maybe more uptempo songs like 'O.N.E.' or 'Wait for the Summer' most of their songs aren't exactly gonna turn the crowd into a bouncing sweaty mass going mental. Nevertheless there's a good atmosphere in the venue tonight and the band sounds tight and convincing. I find that somehow they sound better live than on their albums that doze off on some points.




After a short hour they leave the stage and when they come back play a few more songs as an encore. Still it feels like a short performance and they could have added a few more songs. But it was a strong performance and they have shown that they are making progress because of playing many live shows. This is good news for the future.

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