Hip To Be Square

(Picture taken from Big Digits website)

Going to begin a new tradition here at The Square. Like other music blogs and journals, I am starting my own ranking system. Only this is for live shows and not albums. And I have seen a few shows recently so I'll start off this tradition with three reviews.

First I saw Serena Maneesh last Wednesday at TT and the Bear's. I had only heard a couple of tracks by these guys and thought that it sounded interesting enough to check out. Unfortunately they were more enjoyable off stage then on. We met with their new guitarist, his name has one of those "O's" with a cross through it, and he was quite hilarious. Our conversation included vikings, mesoamerican mythology, and talking about how Icelanders are more beautiful then Norwegians - he said it, not I. But once they got up on stage their presence changed. They became darker and took on a sinister approach to their instruments - beating their guitars into the ground and scratching their strings with capo's. Don't get me wrong, the feedback was amazing. Neil himself would be impressed. But the music just wasn't very accessible or danceable. I guess I should have expected that but for some reason I was anticipating more hooks and less sprawled out jamming. But they had moments of clarity. I think the show overall wasn't that great for both the band and the audience - both didn't seem to connect. The place started to thin out and I believe the band may have ended earlier then they were suppose to.

Serena Maneesh gets a 6 on the Square's live music scale.

Now to a local group that I was introduced to last night. Big Digits have got to be the best entertainers in the greater Boston area. Until I'm proven otherwise, I will stand by that statement. I'm a child of the 80's and I think many of the musicians on the scene today are in the same boat. But these guys just throw it down. With a push of a button their preset beats and melodies start the magic and their dance moves and tag team style vocals bring it all home. They are true performers. Check out their website and download some of their music, here.

Big Digits get an 8.5

And for the final band, Hot Chip was quite amazing. Now, you have to be a fan of some electronic music and four on the floor disco beats so if you are looking for a straight forward rock show, you need not go any further. But if you like a band that makes you sweat after the first few songs, keep on reading. And make sure you look further into this band. Keep your eye on Hot Chip. They have yet to really break out either here or back at home in the U.K. But if more people go see them live I think that might change. Go to their website, here, to listen to some of their tunes. And I also have to mention that it's not every day that a band says the crowd is better in Boston then in NYC. Apparently the crowd at the Bowery Ballroom, where Hot Chip played before Boston, wasn't all that great. Not sure who was in the crowd but they must have been brain dead. These guys rock.

9.0