"It's Rock and Roll. Remember? Isn't it Fabulous?" (Semi Precious Weapons, Mercury Lounge, 7/28/08)

"This is our first 21+ show.  Usually there's a row of underage girls up front showing me their vaginas.  And they're not here and that's kind of freaking me out."

I've come to see if I can erase, or at least absolve, the guilt from the pleasure I've gotten from We Love You, the debut from garage glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons (myspace).  I wrote about them before, when they were giving the Tony Visconti-produced record away for free; everything I said there stands (the album is being officially released on Razor & Tie September 30th with additional tracks).  If you snoot your schnozz at wallow-in-basics rock music, move on; if you slobber over slick licks in polished songs, jump in, raise some horns, wag your tongue.

"We're very subtle."  SPW is Justin Tranter's band, everything good and bad about it comes from that.  The singer's tall - more so in stiletto boots - and lean and frighteningly limber (there are splits, and taint-stretching high kicks, and he's given to throwing a leg over his bandmates' shoulders when they solo).  A thick muss of platinum fooshes out on top.  Eye sockets gunked with black, torn sleeveless black t under a white dress shirt, black spandex stretch pants.  (I'm sure there are fancier names for everything he's wearing.)  "Can you believe I look this fabulous on a Monday?"  It's all about making sure everything's in place, teasing it out.  Even when he trips, he turns it into a meant-to-do-that crawl into the crowd, returning with a willing audience member and staging a quick make-out session.  His voice is reedy and accurate; he's got a very pretty falsetto.  Insults, compliments, he is obnoxious and sweet.  He is gloriously effeminate, he won't stop demanding that you show him your tits.

It's Tranter's band, but they're all up there playing rock star.  Guitarist Aaron Lee Tasjan (who looks a bit like Paul Rudd) is modest with his chops and has a lower-keyed demeanor, but he's not above strutting to the tip of the stage and working his rock face.  His upper half's swathed in layers of shiny disco gypsy stuff, waist down he's jeans and sneaks.  The bassist is disturbingly active, like he's either taken too much or too little of something.  Might have fleas.

Semi Precious Weapons - Rock n Roll Never Looked So Beautiful (mp3) (preorder)

All the songs are sturdy, but there's A and B material tucked into We Love You's thirty-six minutes.  Though folks might sort their columns differently.  I'm still a huge sucker for the power ballad "Time Zones."  Almost worth starting a three pack-a-day habit so you're sure to have a lighter handy when that one kicks in.  I'm not fond of the built-to-provoke "That's Kunt" or "Jesus."  And there's a problem with a band as calculated as this swinging for the Big Anthem too often.  All the choruses are plied as arena-sized cheers.  The otherwise awesome "Magnetic Baby" devolves into something like "Here's my fist, there's a song, do you want to sing along?  Yeah? Yeah? Yeah yeah yeah!"

The Jet-fronted-by-Hedwig dynamic makes this act interesting.  Whether you view the riffage as solid stew or rehashed loaf, Tranter's perspective keeps this from being meathead material.  Whatever his sexuality - and it would be pathetic if something like that kept this from radio playlists - he's in love with the style and size of the rock stage and can express that without seeming weak or dull.  "Sometimes I dream so big my life just seems so boring," he sings up there in "Beautiful" before art directing his own funeral ("Put me in a sequined coffin/Stuff me up with mink stole stuffing/Put me in a crystal casket/Before they mix diamonds into my ashes").  Even when the sentiment's off-the-rack, it fits.

Tranter delves shallow into fratboy shtick when he insists on audience nudity.  On other bitchy turns, he's likeable:  He begs for more applause, then says "Shut up!" to laughter; he mugs for every camera without messing with the music.  Ultimately he's impossible to not like, not when he's on stage, where the egotism is an act.  He's a dedicated and gracious natural.  But when he stops the show and refuses to go on unless he sees female flesh things just get sad.  "I know that 80% of you are industry," he says, and I'm sure he's right, it's an early Monday industry showcase and everyone's on the list, I'm on the list.  "Just because you work in a cubicle doesn't mean you don't have titties."  Eventually an attractive redhead whipped out a for-tat, negotiating the removal of the drummer's shirt.  And who doesn't love titties, everyone loves titties, I love titties.  But still.  "It's feminism!" decreed Tranter.  Especially when it's the reaction to an ultimatum!

Come on.  That's not rock and roll.  That's whatever Fred Durst is.  And that makes it awful hard not to feel embarrassed about liking this band.

Semi Precious Weapons plays a $4 show at Europa tonight with Theo and the Skyscrapers and Hopewell.  (tix)

*

The Friendly Fires (myspace) are a UK dance band and I'm sure that's plenty ‘nuff for some folks.  Lead singer Ed Macfarland looks a little like Michael Cera, dances like his waist is a hinge.  Sounds like the proverbial wounded animal; if notes were ducks in a carnival game, he'd have a very empty kewpie doll collection.

Band's got good energy - by the end of their turn the stage was soaked and slippery and God I hope that was all sweat and spilled drink - but were only intermittently engaging.  Dance music is built on redundancy, and lyrics aren't important, they're just another rhythmic element; but too many of their songs feel like they have a single line.  This can be worked properly - LCD SS' "Yeah" can sometimes be the best thing ever - but much of the FF's material felt undernourished.  Hey, whatever happened to Professor Murder?  We liked the Professor Murder.

*

Also there for one or the other or both:  Let's Play Fascination, Music Slut, Soundbites, Tearntan, 32ft/second

tags: semi precious weapons  friendly fires  concert reviews  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    reddit