Crowd Sourced: Hockey and The Hush Sound
It’s no secret the Rookers have a plethora of interests. Sometimes we like to enjoy these interest live and in person. And more often than not, we’ll tell you how it was. This is ‘Crowd Sourced’.
I went to a concert last night. Which is only notable because I was up until 3:30am the night before and had no plans at all to do anything other than take it easy. Of course as Murphy’s law would have it, my very persuasive friend happened to have an extra ticket to see two bands I’ve never listened to. Hockey and The Hush Sounds at Webster Hall. If you know me, you know I’m down for anything, even death metal shows. So even though I knew I needed sleep I didn’t put up much of fight with my friend, I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Two slices, a Red Bull, and a Mercy* later I was ready to go.
Hockey:
Hockey was the second act on, but the first act for us. We had just shown up at 8:30. Every Hockey song seems to open with a back tracking, that at times sounds like percussion samples created on a Casio keyboard in a good way. Also in a good way these back trackings aren’t there to smother the live music but instead thankfully fade into the background as they should. Furthermore, the percussion’s, once the whole song kicks in has a bit of simple complexity that immediately makes the songs very easy to get into. This probably has something to do with the drums being accompanied by another drummer (who doubles as another guitarist on certain songs) on an electronic drum set, and then the occasional lead singer picking up sticks and playing along with the lead drummer. Imagining it in your head might sound like its chaotic but it’s all well orchestrated. Top all this with smooth melodies and a penchant for soulful singing and you have a great all together sound. Best way I could describe it, is that the music made me want to jump in my car on a sunny day and just drive. They sound a bit like a more mellow, more consistent sounding (this is to say less eclectic, not referencing talent) band in the vein of ‘The Rapture’, which for me is good company to be in. Seems like perfect driving upstate on the Taconic with trees passing you by music. I gave the whole album a listen last night after the show and this morning, I like to ensure I wasn’t just wooed by the live crowd. Awesome enough its just as good. For those who have known Hockey for a while, you won’t be disappointed, for those who are looking for something new, definitely check them out.
The Hush Sound:
Second on in the show was ‘The Hush Sound’. Again I’ve never heard this band before (bring on the internet hipster rage). From jump I liked what I heard. The band seemingly has alot of moving parts but I thought they nailed all the right beats. Their sound was refined and every song sounded like it could be some catchy tune for the summer. They balance the lead vocals of the female lead and the male lead through out the show. The poppy piano accompanied by the aggressive guitar at times, made for a great combination live. Being in the vein of ‘Fun.’ or ‘Hot Hot Heat’, I imagine their songs will be popping up in a few places this summer. Imagine this as great music for outdoor grilling and day drinking with your pals. Listening to the two singles they released this year after the show, it definitely loses excitement, but that’s to be expected with any live show. It was still very enjoyable and played well on my commute into work, giving me a little pep in my step.
Overall the show was great. Met both of the bands after we snuck backstage (does it count as sneaking backstage if you use your real sites name, not that I think they recognized but I guess it sounded official enough) and both were extremely nice for just finishing a show and having to immediately head to Philly.
*Mercy is this new beverage that claims to prevent hangovers. I can’t attest to this or not because frankly I don’t get hangovers, but I will say I feel rather energized the next morning for having drank a fair amount the night before. I definitely recommend at least trying it once.