Greater than our bitterness.
“Battle of the Bands” is a concept we do not care for. We don’t like the idea that a wide array of wildly different styles of music can be judged against one another in any kind of logical manner. Elliott Smith vs. Iron Maiden vs. Tom Waits vs. Public Enemy vs. Muddy Waters vs. The Clash. Which one is the best? Which one is better than all of the others? Please be descriptive in your answer, and of course, show your work.
So why did we go to one? The simple answer is because Throwing Stars were playing. We can think of no other local band who has emerged as fully formed and realized from the first time they stepped on stage as TS. Perhaps because they are not kids. All members are over the 30 mark. Perhaps because there’s a couple of ringers in there, like multi-instrumentalist Michael Kapinus who has been a secret weapon in many, many bands – most notably Magnolia Electric Company. Whatever the reason, Throwing Stars dropped their debut album Bluebird Full of Fire and waltzed onto local stages with a complete vision that made them appear to be a road tested, multiple release, well oiled rock and roll machine.
Their update of early 90’s dream-pop and shoegaze influenced rock hits you like a long lost collaboration between The Sundays and Lush. The sweeping melodies of Una Winterman’s vocals push the guitar driven rock of her band into cinematic territory that avoids the pretentious obviousness of a band like Muse, but instead envelops the listener – turning each song into a tiny ecstatic experience beyond a simply auditory one.
Will Throwing Stars win the Battle of the Bands? We don’t know, but they won the battle for our attention at first encounter.
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