Bishop Allen is my new puppy

Posted by tmushett , Nov, 2008 @ 12:00 pm

At their best, Bishop Allen makes me feel like I am cuddling with a really adorable puppy right after a break-up. I am sad–heartbroken, even–but this is tempered by the cuteness of the thing on my lap (the puppy or excellent pop music, respectively). And, in this instance, “cute” does not equal “me being dismissive.” It equals “geuine enthusiastic emotion.” In other words, Matt and Kim cute, not baby-chicken-on-a-kitten cute.

This weekend, I saw Bishop Allen on the second night of their two-night stand at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Their set was loaded with new songs, presumably from their upcoming release Grr…, and judging by what I heard, we’ve got a lot to look forward to. While a few of their earlier songs can border on cloying (see: “Click, Click, Click, Click“), the newer material seems to strike the balance between sweetness and substance that made “Rain” one of my go to summer songs in ‘07. I was especially struck by the song “Clementines,” a forlorn little tune that builds from a ballad into a full-on sad-rock anthem so passionately delivered that it gets away with the coming of age/ripening fruit metaphor at the song’s center (“Though the years have been unkind / like a winter clementine / we can only come of age in the cold”).

Also, I’d be a a stupid idiot if I didn’t give some love to Savoir Adore, easily the most impressive of the opening acts. Their songs are tight and carefully crafted pop-rock numbers, and Deidre Muro’s voice has a heft and versatility that warrant comparisons to Jenny Lewis and Zooey Deschanel. Expect big things.

Tags: Bishop Allen, Concerts, Jenny Lewis, Matt and Kim, Rilo Kiley, Savoir Adore, She & Him, Travis' Picks, Zooey Deschanel