By Samir Mathur
Contributing writer
Got a few shows to look forward to at Backbooth this week, as part of the Parafora Anniversary Week. Who doesn't love a good celebration? As ever, if there's something I've left out that you are excited about, post a comment!
Tuesday - January 25th
Yo La Tengo at the Social
Just reposted my November blog about this. So read that.
Wednesday - January 26th
Little Dragon at Backbooth and at Park Ave CDs.
The first I heard of Little Dragon was on last year's Gorillaz album, so I was happy to investigate some more and find that they'd put out two albums of light, pleasant electronica that you can also dance to. They just played at the L.A. Natural History Museum (cool!), where a review described them as hitting "an evocative sweet spot of laptop noodling, Motown bass grooves and the expertly fussy percussion of Erik Bodin." Kind of like the Notwist, if they had this guy Erik Bodin, then. They're one of those bands that throw a lot of influences into the pot, most visibly 80s R&B and slick, clean electronica, and everything works well together. Oh, and they'll be at Park Ave CDs at 1.30pm for a fun, free, lunchtime performance.
Thursday - January 27th
Peter Baldwin at Backbooth
Though born and brought up in Alaska, Peter Baldwin is very much a local boy done good. Armed with a guitar, an amazing singing voice, and a great backing band, he'll hopefully be moving up in the world with his self-titled EP, due out in April. Peter has played extensively in the central-Florida area and been racking up some stellar reviews, so go and check him out.
Tokyo Police Club / Two Door Cinema Club at the Social and at Park Ave CDs
Two hotly-tipped buzz bands in one bill. How's that for an alliterative sentence? Two Door Cinema Club are from Northern Ireland and sound a bit like lots of other recent British bands like Editors or Bloc Party or The Futureheads. You know, short, snappy, catchy indie rock songs. It's an old formula, but they work it well. The same can be said for Canadian youngsters TPC, whose second album 'Champ' came out last year and was pretty good. The show at the Social has sold out, but you can catch both bands playing acoustically earlier in the evening at Park Ave CDs, for free, from 6pm.
Saturday - January 29th
Matt Butcher and the Revolvers at Backbooth
A reader emailed to clue me in about this one. Matt Butcher is another Orlando resident, who was born in the UK. He makes woozy folk-rock, the kind that sounds perfect with a glass of something on the rocks. I've been listening to his record 'Me and My Friends' over Grooveshark at work, and it's even enjoyable in that setting. That album was dark and somber, written by a man that had just gone sober. (Do you go sober? "Become" seems like the wrong word.) With an album due later this year, there are new songs to unleash this time, and I'm sure the sparse instrumentation and dark introspective lyrics are perfectly suited for an intimate room like Backbooth.