You know, sometimes I get excited about "rock music," but only when the sound is truly unique. Matson Jones is nothing if not one-of-a-kind. Two adorable indie chicks in vintage dresses playing cellos. Upright bass. Aggressive drums. Whenever I became homesick for Fort Collins, I always put them on. I think of them as an underground staple for the city, so for them to take such an extended hiatus profoundly pained me.Seeing them live, as I did at the Aggie Theatre on Friday night, is definitely an emotional experience every time. Not only are the lyrics replete with power struggle after power struggle (which is something I think we can all relate to, unfortunately), there is also the visual punch in the gut of two beautiful girls singing in violent and woeful tones about being dominated by those they wish to burn out of their thoughts. "A Little Bit of Arson Never Hurt Anyone" is an excellent example of their brilliant use of contrasting imagery and juxtapositional timbres (much like a quirky, indie rock version of the Nirvana loud/soft paradigm):
I've got people to seeAnd places that I need to burn down
And people that I need to burn out of my head
And I know a kiss on the cheek
Will not take care of everything
But you'd better give it to me anyways dear
My arms, my arms
Could be broken but you wouldn't be charmed
My legs, my legs
Could be broken but I'd still have to beg.
It certainly is an emotional trip to be in a cramped venue, seeing every possible sort of person singing along and throwing themselves around to Matson Jones' music. I highly suggest you download a few of their songs. Matson Jones is way more than a local band to me; it defines a period of my life that I feel is never quite over, and brings out the inner feminist in me I suppose (but not in a crazy way, so don't worry.)
Some of my favorite Matson Jones tracks:
"Italian Song"
"Good Advice"
"He Means Nothing, Dear"
On another note, MAGIC CYCLOPS opened for Matson Jones. Basically, it's a dude who plays some previously recorded stuff on his MacBook Pro (hidden by the suitcase it's in) and acts like he's Axl Rose while singing / air guitaring / power kicking over the instrumental stuff he's come up with. He did songs about teen pregnancy, Iowa (my friend got to hold the Iowa flag for him), a cover of Bonnie Tyler's "Turn Around," and other short songs I can't remember because I was too distracted by him pulling an inhaler out of his crotch or chocolate out of his trousers. It was actually really funny. I liked it. On his Myspace (link above), he has various videos and sells locks of his hair. Check it out.BUT it wasn't all fun and games. There was a guy who wasted our time by telling pretentious, artsier-than-thou stories before the show started, which were actually just depressing and kind of pathetic. I didn't like that. I also don't like Monofog - the most overrated "indie" rock band in Colorado. Ultimately though, the pros outweighed the cons.
(Note: the Myspace link provided for Matson Jones above isn't official...but it has several downloads.)
