Austinist Show Review: The Rentals at Emo's

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Having never seen the Rentals play during their initial run, we haven’t anything to compare last Thursday's show to, but we can safely say that we were disappointed. We weren’t expecting miracles – a band that hasn’t produced any new material since 1999 is within its rights to sound a little dated – but the show wasn’t the nostalgia trip we wanted it to be, either.

After an intolerably long soundcheck, the Rentals tore through a high percentage of their rather limited catalogue. Highlights included “Please Let That Be You” and “The Man With Two Brains,” but the strongest performance of the night was a gentle rendition of “Sweetness and Tenderness.” The track, originally featured on the band’s first album, could easily serve as soundtrack material for a Wes Anderson movie. Part of the strength of that track stems from how well it has aged, whereas most of the Rentals’ new-wave inspired emo pop has dated a bit.

Matt Sharp’s vocals were at least slightly flat for most of the concert, and at times, the mix seemed just off enough to be irritating. Things were loud enough, sure, but not necessarily the right things.

The true test of how effective the band’s return can be will be whether or not they can manage to produce new material that is musically relevant. While the band has a penchant for interesting instrumentation – when was the last time you saw a band on-stage with a glockenspiel? – it's not enough to carry them into a new musical era.

A lot of things have changed since the Rentals last recorded. Even at their best-executed, songs like “Say Goodbye Forever” sound like bits of another generation’s music. The audience at the show seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part, though the incessant, full-volume chatter indicated that not quite everyone was feeling it. Sharp was definitely feeding the audience, saying he was thrilled with the turnout, particularly considering that the band doesn’t have a record out, and doesn’t have a record label supporting them.

However, past successes will not necessarily carry the band through a second wind. All in all, the Rentals delivered an underwhelming performance. They had the energy, and they had the rapport with the audience, but the show wasn’t quite spot on. The Rentals need to work on turning their musical skill and talents toward more forward-looking recordings. Also, they should totally work up a sweet cover of "My Sharona."

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By Carly Kocurek in Arts & Entertainment on August 14, 2006 2:12 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Benji

I just realized I've been referring to glockenspiels as xylophones for, like, all my life.

iWubCdub

I think Cruiserweight is great. Besides being talented musicians, as you mentioned, their shows are always a good time and they write some damn-catchy rock 'n' roll songs. I've never been bored at one of their shows, including the first time I saw them when I walked in as a major skeptic. I honestly can't say how derivative they because I've never listened to anything that sounds like them or that they are influenced by. Not really my thing. But these kids got somethin'.

I only watched a few songs of The Rentals, but I didn't like what I saw. Even "Friends of P" was incredibly mediocre. I felt awkward even being there. Thank God Tia Carrera and Beta Valentine were playing in the other room.

Declan McManus

Celebration of music?

More like: trying to pay back some debts with a high ticket price with nothing new to offer their fans.

And, not riding on what they've already done?

How can you possibly describe a band that is touring without any new material (officially released or in the works) as doing anything BUT riding on what they've already done!?

Finally, could the openers have sucked any more? I'm glad that Austinist didn't waste a single word trying to describe the suckfest beforehand. (Even though I think the folks in Cruiserweight are very nice people and I hold nothing against them as people or talented musicians, their music still is boring, derivative, and trite... not unlike say, Ozma)

EricSee

I wholeheartedly disagree with this review. First of all, the fact that the tour is nothing more than a celebration of music on a hot summer night, rather than a tour to sell a recent release is superbly gratifying. Second and most importantly, it would have been easier to replay the synth pop of their first release as it was recorded in all its two-dimensional glory, but instead they came at it with thickly layered instrumentation and drastic timing changes. I think this illustrates that they're not here to merely ride what they've already done. Whether this makes their sound more 'relevant' than any of it ever was is anyone's guess. The only negative review I have is of the dude who yelled out, "play the sweater song!"

Reynard Seifert

It seems like most of the show reviews you guys cover in this blog are negative. Maybe you should feature bands that probably won't suck or aren't five years late.

Justin

Last time I saw a band with a glockenspiel? TMBG, last year. I don't care much about the Rentals but don't be knocking glockenspiels without cause.