The Drums
The Annex, 6.3.09

Sometimes you forget that music can be happy.

Stricken with manic depression and lost in a haze of allergy drowse, for a week and a half, I’ve been a drag, in a serious rut. As with many people, the music I listen to reflects my moods, and most of my recent hours have been spent drifting off to the sounds of Red House Painters. Mark Kozelek’s slow, dreary acoustic tunes may or may enhance the feeling of melancholy, but they are also there to connect with and accompany me down the hole, providing a dim light to an otherwise black abyss.

As the allergies began to settle a day or two ago, so did the frequency of my listening to Red House Painters. John Vanderslice’s amazing new record Romanian Names began taking over my listening time, but I still had a ways to go.

Wednesday had the makings of another somber night—dark and rainy, and preceded by another drab day at the office. Sitting at home, drinking a beer, and watching Singles, I somehow found the motivation to leave my apartment, venture out into the rain, and catch my friends The Stationary Set play a show at The Annex. Their great, but all too brief set was a solid first step towards a good night, but I still had a decent trip ahead of me.

Following The Stationary Set’s performance, I ran over to Pianos to catch the tail end of Twi The Humble Feather’s set and mainly to see this month’s residency artist, Julianna Barwick. Knowing little about Barwick aside from a breif sampling on myspace, I had no idea what to expect. Standing alone on stage behind a table of sequencers and vocal effects, while video projected behind her, Barwick built beautiful atmospheric songs out of layer upon layer of vocal loops. Clearly influenced by Björk, Barwick’s performance and songs may not have the energy of Iceland’s greatest musician, but her music is definitely something really special.

Leaving Pianos, I felt pretty satisfied about my decision to get out of my apartment for the night, and I drifted back over to The Annex to catch The Drums. Upon my return, the small L.E.S. venue was packed with Gossip Girl fans and friends who were there for Pretty Reckless—a band containing Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen. I don’t watch Gossip Girl, nor would I see a band just because an actor is a member, so I didn’t mind catching only the tail end of their final song.

Minutes later, The Drums took the stage. From start to finish, they play a totally refreshing set that shed a bright joyful light over the entire room. It’s not that they have an original sound—they don’t at all—but what they do have is that indescribable special something. There’s no question at all that former Elkland singer Jonathan Pierce’s new band is going to be immensely popular before the summer is over. Their simple, yet infectiously catchy songs about things like surfing marry the fun of ’50s surf rock with the energy of 80s synth pop. Comparisons to The Killers first record and New Zealand’s Cut Off Your Hands will definitely dominate reviews of The Drums, and that’s not a bad thing. Further enhancing their set was Pierce’s performance. Dancing throughout the entire set, Pierce’s vocals and presence exude a feeling of bliss that envelopes a crowd.

This is exactly what I needed. When the backlash happens, critics will come down on The Drums for not being original, and for playing songs that lack the literal prowess of other indie bands, but sometimes after watching 9 or 10 existential foreign indie films, it’s really great to watch Kindergarten Cop.

The Drums will be joined by locals Zambri when they return to The Annex to continue their residency next Wednesday, June 10. I highly recommend catching them now, before everyone catches on and they begin headlining larger capacity venues.