Sat. Nite Duets
There’s nothing wrong with exploring more serious terrain, of course, but it’s something to be thankful for that many of the bands currently making waves on the city’s rock scene have a well-developed sense of fun. Take Sat. Nite Duets, who, along with kindred spirits The Fatty Acids and others, make music that’s substantive and interesting, but peppy enough to get thrown on at parties. From the punny title and Sgt. Pepper’s-skewering cover on down, the band’s pop-damaged irreverence is still amply represented on the new Electric Manland, a record that sounds, if not “mature,” like a band coming more into their own, evolving well past their initial Pavement worship with some frantic hooks and adventurous production touches. A new record, naturally, needs a record release show, though local watering hole/bowling alley Polish Falcon isn’t your usual choice of venue.
Nest 725 of the Polish Falcons of America fraternal organization is a neighborhood institution and its VFW-style hall gets plenty of use, though only rarely as a space for rock shows—which is, from a fan’s perspective at least, sort of odd. It’s a big, decent-sounding room, the only readily apparent drawbacks being a midnight curfew and its curious sliver of a stage, which is high and broad but barely extends far enough to accommodate a drum kit. Though a little spread out, opening act and local-boys-made-good Jaill seemed to fit just fine as they worked their way through a stage-polished but still scrappy set of the catchy, jangly indie pop that’s earned them significant national attention and a spot on the roster of not one but two reputable record labels, Sub Pop and Burger.
Obviously the reason for the whole shindig was Sat. Nite Duets themselves, and they soon took the stage, what little there was to take, eliciting an enthusiastic welcome from the costumed Halloween crowd. They predictably drew mostly from the new release, including a particularly lively take on “I Have the Wine,” but also veered into older cuts like the jaded “Conjugal Visit” and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden.” Live, the band has a more direct, tossed-off approach than the one heard in the busy yet meticulously crisp mix of Electric Manland, and while it doesn’t serve every song, making some sound flat or muddled, it gives rockers like “Born to Walk” an added spark. Their set was on the long side for a record release, where it’s probably advisable to leave ’em wanting more, but it was nevertheless a characteristically good time.
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