Your Underdog Show of the Week: Spider Bags at Union Pool
Upstart indie-rock band Arcade Fire kick off their three-night run at intimate Brooklyn club Barclays Center this week, which comes very much recommended for anyone with feelings (major bonus points for superior oddballs The Unicorns, Dan Deacon and Television — !!!!! — filling out the support bill), though tickets aren’t exactly cheap at roughly $40-$80 a pop. For a more economical option, Merge label mates Spider Bags take over similar Brooklyn club Union Pool tomorrow night. Though new to the label, the sound of just-released Frozen Letter dates back to decades forgone, a work of 90s recklessness with a blue-collar underbelly.
Album opener “Back With You Again in the World” is a meeting point between Tom Petty and Sebadoh, where frontman Dan McGee rattles on about the importance of honesty, splashed with a drowsy sax solo. Staying the course with small-town values, the “she” referred to in “Coffin Car” is the titular automobile, but by the time the song sheds its ricketiness and McGee bursts out with, “I’m tired over your love, baby,” his anger seems directed at something more human. Together, the album reads like The Suburbs for people who never made it to that populated part of town.
The broken-down punk of Las Rosas and emo-torched rock of The Rally set the pace from the local front. To sweeten the deal, tickets are just $8, which is almost no money. Meet you at the Tastee Freez before the show?
Follow Lauren Beck on Twitter @heylaurenbeck.