An extremely full week now concluded, I can report:
The Strokes show was a blast, even if their live presentation didn't add much to their music. Standing in the back, we were spared having to pay too much attention to the vocalist's rock star sneers. The band was amazingly tight which isn't too big a suprise since they've been playing the same songs for two years. I ran into an old friend at the show who told me she'd seen them seven times already. That might be five times too many.
The Bjork extravanza in Oakland's Paramount Theater was something to behold, but it was disappointing to learn that my dress circle seats were actually twenty feet shy of being nosebleeders. Homeboys Matmos opened with a much more interesting live set than the one time I'd seen them previously (opening for Wire); full use of PowerPoint slides, balloons and a ratcage, in addition to the standard keyboards, guitar, and laptop(s). Bjork did two sets, backed by Matmos, a local string orchestra, a harpist, and a choir from Greenland; the sets were separated by an intermission, and while the first half was, I felt, marred by weird lighting choices (harsh white that seemed to sap the energy of everyone onstage), the second half was astonishing. It's rare that anyone these days can do a presentation of this scope without seeming horribly pretentious and she pulled it off. Even if our seats left a lot to be desired, I'm glad I didn't have to forgo rent to get in the way some people I know did. Emiel has some fuzzy snapshots and short video clips from the Amsterdam show for those who weren't able to make it.
Finally, met up with blackyellowblack, Miss Rodeo America, Daz and Squid and a bunch of other people when Will Oldham joined the Smog bill at the last minute on Thursday night, ensuring that the Bottom was packed to the gills (my fault for spilling the beans, sorry). Jim Yoshii Pile Up opened, but they seemed to be lacking the energy they've shown in more recent gigs. This was the first time I'd seen Winifred E. Eye, a band from Oakland with a good Lambchop/Tom Waits-esque style. Oldham played solo and ran through a few songs I recognized (including "A Minor Place") and a few I didn't. During his second song, as the drunk people back in the corner realised who it was onstage, a complete hush fell over the crowd; it was the first time I'd ever seen the Bottom completely silent (except for the chug of the register). Smog ran through a lot of songs from the new album and a few from the more recent records; backed by a drummer, a bassist, and a violin, it was a lot louder and more energetic than I'd expected, which was good, since by the time 1:40 rolled around, we were so tired from three continuous nights of live music that we had to flee back home before the set was over and collapse in near delirious exhaustion.
Next week, Papa M and Charles Atlas followed by Stereolab and more sleep deprivation.
Also, I heard that the Court and Spark won an SF Weekly Music Award this week, which is a good thing.