Canasta With Palaxy Tracks And Headlights
(Subterranean 11/18/50
PALAXY TRACKS:
I love Palaxy Tracks. I mean, I’ve seen them a few times now and every time, they put on a great set. Originally from Austin, they have a warmth and sadness that makes me inevitably connect with their sound. As I stated in my review of Mazarin/Sound Team, their most recent album, Twelve Rooms, reminds me a bit of the Czars. I love their earlier two albums as well but I think this one is their best one by far and will be in my top five not because it’s coming from a local Chicago band but also because it’s one of the top five releases of 2005 period.
They also seem like really nice guys. When I asked the lead singer, Brandon Durham, if he was cold after the show (seeing as how they moved here from Austin, Texas recently) he had this magical look in his eyes and said how it’s great and that he loved the snow on Tues.) I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised as my cousins from Georgia are always amazed at snow as well when they visit for the winter holidays.
Ok. I have to say it. I don’t want Twelve Rooms as an album to be overlooked and disappear into indie rock obscurity. Not just because te band members kind of strike me as nice guys or because they live here but because there’s a certain magic in it as well, much like the first winter snowfall and I think people can positively connect with it on an acute emotional level. There is no band out there quite like Palaxy Tracks and Chicago is incredibly lucky to have them amongst us.
HEADLIGHTS:
The Headlights are what you might expect from being on the Polyvinyl label. They are fun and catchy with alternating female/male vocals. The female lead singer’s voice actually reminds me just a touch of Amy Milan from the Stars (another fantastic band) I really enjoyed their set as well as their ep entitled The Enemies. They don’t have too much stuff out now so I gather that they are a newly formed band. I look forward to hearing their future albums and seeing them play in the future.
CANASTA:
Canasta is always great fun to see live and I’ve seen them play so many times around different clubs in Chicago that I actually knew alot of the lyrics to their newly released album We Were Set Up already without realizing I would. They are often funny and quirky, commanding, “Chicago slow down!” and also during the fantasticaly catchy and danceable “Microphone Song.” They can be sentimental and touching as in the case of their song, “ShadowCat” when Matt sings: “You can try but you won’t pin this on me. You were broken before we came to be…and the church we passed by for three years I tried but couldn’t bear to step foot inside.”
I also have to say that live it is always a great experience because of the instrument dynamics working so well between the horns, violin, and cello making up such a large part of the songs. There is also the added bonus of Edith Frost singing on the touching “Just A Star.” She also joined them on stage for a couple of songs as an added treat (see above pics.) Hearing her and Matt sing the soft lyrics on this song, “It’s the sun but you swear it’s just a star and so it is…”
December 11th, 2005 at 3:43 pm
[...] Before The Earlies was Canasta, playing a good mix of the catchier and slower songs off their new album “We Were Set Up” (although unfortunately they didn’t play my favorite song of theirs “Just a Star”) and ending with a cover of Peter Schilling’s, “Major Tom” (I’m Coming Home). I also have to put in a good word for Matt, their lead singer who is very nice and likes the film Magnola (that’s how you know he’s a smart one) I wrote more about Canasta at a previous show here [...]
January 3rd, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Thanks a million for the really nice words. We’ll take any help we can get! Do you mind if I post these photos on our own photo page? Who shall I credit them to?
January 3rd, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Go ahead and use any photos you want-I will probably take more of them in the future as I try to go to see you guys play often. I take all of the photos personally unless in the rare case I link to the photographer (I did that only once for cloudberries as they don’t exactly grow in the US).
I want to reiterate again how much I love your music and how greatly it has enriched my life. I really connect with it emotionally and I think you all are extremely talented and heartfelt musicians.