Ra Ra Riot & Pocket Parade @ pianos 5/24/06

Half of Pocket Parade is an old friend i came to check out and support. Little did I know id really like thier pop sensibility. A two piece from portland one plays drums and a laptop with a handful of other instruments prerecorded and the other rocks that saxamaphone. The songs come out sounding something like the get up kids (with a sax) its a fun sound that makes you want to sing along, but alas there is no recorded material yet so you cannot, but i could see them catching on to a younger generation and being quite a success.



Which brings me to the next band that i saw by accident because they played in this slot after my friend, but much to my suprise they were a seven piece bundle of joy. Ra Ra Riot sound like your younger brother invented the arcade fire. They have a tumultuous sonic assault from all sides. disco drums, some great guitar work, two killer keyboards and a cute string section to boot. i really think they could be a younger more accesable arcade fire. They may not sound so on the four tracks they have available, but think of the difference between the arcade fire live vs on record. the difference is huge, and the same goes for RRR. They played through about 10 tracks that were all over the place musically, but every but very fun and dancy, there were a few laughs and even a keytar solo. The encore brought a 6 minute epic that consisted of only the lyrics "come on kids this is where (insert persons name here) lives, he/she knows where the party is, the party is where he/she is!" it was a really great party for all involved. caught it again on 6/3 at the knit and it was just as good as the first time.