I Swear 'Looters' Follies' Has Never Sounded So Good

Allright, 'Looters' Follies' sounds better on the CD 'Destroyer's Rubies' than it does live. It's cleaner, richer and more paced. And so do a handful of other songs played last night at the Doug Fir by Dan Bejar and Destroyer...

I get there at 10, just as the second band Hudson Bell begins their set. Hudson Bell (the singer, guitarist, and songwriter) is originally from Baton Rouge, and the southern accent does show through. Hudson Bell (the band, also featuring John Slater on bass and Brian Fraser on drums) is really good. Strong, dense, distortion filled epic pop blasted from the PAs for a good 45 minutes. Think of the musical offspring of Built to Spill and Pavement with a little Niel Young tossed in for good measure. I didn't have the cash to pick up a CD last night, but their new (and I believe only) CD 'When the Sun is the Moon' is on my shortlist of music to check out.

But enough about opening acts... I grab a beer during Hudson Bell's last song, and during the break, when everyone else heads to the bar, I snag a great standing spot right in front of the sound booth. I am two steps above the floor, pretty much dead center, and have a great view of the stage. I spy Dan Bejar grabbing a drink at the bar, seems like no one knows it's him. They set up, and the shop begins...

I only have one Destroyer album (a wrong which will quickly be righted), so I can't give you a decent list of all the songs that were performed. Roughly half of the 12(ish) song set was from the new record 'Rubies,' while the other half spanned their other 6 albums. They played most of my faves from the new album, with one notable exception. I had expected to hear '3000 Flowers,' and in fact the crowd called for it several times, but it was not in the cards. Seems to me this one would have been great live. 'Rubies' was played, but seemed very rushed, as did 'Looters' Follies.' 'Your Blood,' 'Painter in your Pocket' and 'A Dangerous Woman...' fared better, and were faithful to the record. The true standout was 'European Oils,' a great version of the song, the piano sounded great, as did the thundering base and blissed out, fuzzed out glam rock guitar solo. Brilliant.

A few final thoughts on the show...

1. The songs I was unfamiliar with were great, and reinforce the fact that I really need to get some old Destroyer soon...
2. I really want to know who the ass was who yelled out 'Go Back to Canada.' Dummy...
3. I saw the best tattoo ever (possibly) while there. Check the EP Blog soon for more on that...

All in all, 'Looters' Follies' has sounded better, but the show was still terribly enjoyable.