Crash Kings – You say OCD like it’s a bad thing… (10/20/2009)

Lillian Beauregarde on 12 8, 2009

The Crash Kings at The Loft

My first note from this set. “Crash Kings’ lead singer can f*cking sing!”

This entire set was amazing! Oddly, I think I enjoyed their set the most of the entire night even though I’d never heard of them up to that night. They drove all the way from L.A. to join the tour in Florida when one of the other bands had to drop out because someone stole their equipment and lordy I’m glad they made the trip. (It wicked sucks for that original band…)

The vocals had a Jack White plus Coheed and Cambria feel without any of the whiny overtones. For a band with only three members they had an insanely great sound. Bass, drums, and keyboards and there was no end to the different sounds they created. The keyboard actually had a whammy bar on it and they used it to great advantage, sounding almost exactly like an electric guitar. They were also on the rock side but with a pop sensibility that I just loved.

The great thing about this band is that there was not one person who slacked in any way. The drums were insane to follow along with, rocking one moment and understated the next. The bass, which doubled as a guitar, provided a lovely and rocking harmony to the main instrumentation which was generally the keyboards. The vocals flowed with the other elements of the songs, not overpowering but blending into the song. Their song “It’s Only Wednesday” was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Zombieland. It will never stop reminding me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“Dawn’s in trouble? Must be Tuesday.”

There was not one song in their set that I didn’t enjoy the crap out of! I spoke with all three guys after the show was over and they were psyched to be touring and were just nice guys all around. Their self-titled LP, Crash Kings, is so worth the $10 I paid for it. To quote Ferris Bueler, “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.” I’ve had the cd since the concert and it’s been on a pretty constant loop. You can find their music here.

Here are a few tracks on blip.fm for you to have a listen:

It’s Only Wednesday

14 Arms

Mountain Men – Official Video

The Deathmobile