Show Preview: Brackett & Co., Real Estate
J. Tillman at the Mohawk - Giveaway
The larger back stage at Emo’s is not known for its ventilation, and during these long, hot Austin evenings it can be downright oppressive. There is a large fan, but based on its uselessness we’re convinced it’s simply a permanent art installment. So beware ye waifish indie-rock enthusiast, lest ye be embarrassed by passing out head over Sparks during an outside show! Even in the face of this redonkulous summer heat wave, last Saturday evening was made a little more bearable by our humble Scottish guests, Camera Obscura.
D.C. power-pop quartet Georgie James kicked out some candy leading up to CO’s set. Thoroughly impressed, we were tempted to spend our last ten-spot on a CD, but alas, our boots had cartoonishly melted to the floor. Also, they don't have a CD yet. Note to self: keep checking for Georgie James album at official website.
At eleven, surveying a measly crowd, we were prepared to shun ungrateful Austin denizens for not coming out to see such a rare performance from across the pond, but by eleven-thirty our ranks had blossomed, and CO took the stage amidst a healthy “howdy!” of applause. Tracyanne Campbell, guitarist and lead vocalist for the sextet, cast a dour hypnotized gaze upon us and the band launched their set. This would begin a pattern we would see throughout the show: dour gaze, cute stage banter, dour gaze, cute stage banter, etc.
The mix left much to be desired, forcing us to strain to hear keyboard lines, and failing to flatteringly integrate all the musicians, specifically, Tracyanne’s voice. Delicate and wistful, she delivers unabashedly glib lyrics which need to be heard, but instead her pipes were lost somewhere between the kick drum and too-middy guitar. CO’s albums are crisp, clean affairs, perhaps even an inexact reproduction was a bit too much to expect from a venue where the bathrooms are… well you know…
But oh, the adorable stage banter! Campbell and co. informed us that fans don’t go “WHAOO!” anywhere else they’ve played. This is a uniquely American phenomenon, evidently, and in response the audience looked around at itself proudly. We were also treated to a Tracyanne’s child-like wonderment at the amount of thrift stores we have here in our burg, exclaiming, “Carey [keyboards] spint a ‘undred doo-lahrs!” In these fleeting moments, we were distracted from the heat, and were completely content. And bad sound aside, on cuts from their new album Let’s Get Out of This Country like “Hey Lloyd”, and older songs like “Keep it Clean” the performances outweighed the mix and were enough to keep our focus on the stage and not the thermometer.
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Georgie James does have a seven song demo for sale that's pretty good. Although I don't know if I can listen to it anymore, now that the good readers over at DCist have decided that they're no longer hip...