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Monday, April 19, 2010

MAPS AND ATLASES / DRINK UP BUTTERCUP @ CLEMENTINE CAFE, HARRISONBURG

Hey everybody, just wanted to give a quick rundown on the Maps and Atlases/Drink Up Buttercup show in HBURG last night.

Drink Up Buttercup
Great band.  There's just something about that name that just rubs me the wrong way.  Regardless, it ended up being a pretty good band.  The band was described to me just before the show started as a "demented carnival," but it turned out to be a bit more than that.  In the preview for the show I kind of said that they were a very Beatles-esque group with a lot of freak folk elements built into it, and I'm standing by that.  The performance itself as well as the music they played ended up reminding me more of Man Man than anything else, a very poppy but with kind of creepy undertones, with a slight hint of a carnival/vaudeville feel to it.  On the last song, "Sickness Pills," the band brought out a giant trash can and started beating it on the ground, which (pardon my lack of descriptive words) was pretty awesome.  Also, the drummer may or may not have been legitimately insane (which is a good thing, don't worry about it)  At one point I looked up and he was chewing on the plastic mannequin head that was previously sitting on top of his snare drum.  I always felt that drummers can get away a lot more with being insane than guitar players or lead singers.  After all, it's their job to hit things really hard, and frequently.  And since when is it anything new to have an insane drummer?

 
There is nothing wrong with this.

Maps and Atlases
Glad I ended up going to the show. GREAT BAND. The one thing I can say that this band did that I haven't seen a band do in a really long time is have two guitars work so well in unison.  Whether it was doubling a guitar solo, fingertapping notes or changing time signatures at the flip of a switch, these two could do it all.  Reminded me of Dirty Projectors a lot, there was one song that made me think of "Temecula Sunrise" a lot.  Also, throw in a little bit of Vampire Weekend (the parts that aren't alienating, etc.) and a dash of early Kings of Leon and that's a good recipe for a good night of music.  While this drummer wasn't as insane as the Drink Up Buttercup drummer, he was just as beastly in his ability to keep time in a band where if you lose time, that's the end of the song.  Playing xylophone (or some other mallet instrument, can't be sure which exactly) as well as keeping time on the snare and the high hat all at the same time?  That's skill.  Damn.

overall a great show.  Too bad you didn't go.  Or maybe you did, I can't be sure.  But it was still really great.  

GRATUITOUS PLUG FOR ODU CAMPUS CHAOS, which will feature both Maps and Atlases / Drink Up Buttercup as well as L.A.'s finest No Age, who was just added to the bill last week.  Other bands set to perform include Ra Ra Riot, Hermit Thrushes, Field Day, Turbo Fruits, and Das Racist.  Should be good, but I probably won't be going.  I've got... things?

UPDATE:  I can't find Drink Up Buttercup on the official Campus Chaos page, so I'll just pretend that they're not playing.  I don't see why they wouldn't, but I'm not going to argue with the offcial page.

 -Parker

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