Attending Duchess Says and Les Georges Leningrad left me with many mixed emotions whilst trying (and failing) to hail a taxi back to the East Side during Vancouverí’s annual í¢â‚¬Å“snow stormí¢â‚¬ . The eventual ride back over the Georgia Viaduct facilitated the conversational equivalent to Scandinavian minimalist furniture í¢â‚¬“ neat, to the point, and fulfilling only in a fleeting kind of way.

Me: í¢â‚¬Å“I liked when the lead singer of Duchess Says totally got everyone in the club to sit down on the floor with her as she told us about her bedroom back in Quebec City.í¢â‚¬ 

Date: í¢â‚¬Å“Yeah that was amazing. She was so cute, just passing out on the floor like that. And I caní’t believe we got to scream into the mic! That was so fun.í¢â‚¬ 

Me: í¢â‚¬Å“Yeahí¢â‚¬ ¦ and did you notice that during each song sheí’d stare at somebody right in the eyes for the ENTIRE song?í¢â‚¬ 

Date: í¢â‚¬Å“Oh yeah. She did that to me! It made me feel so uncomfortable. She was so intense... really memorable.í¢â‚¬ 

Me: í¢â‚¬Å“Yeah. But Ií’m pretty sure we were way too sober to really get into those bands.í¢â‚¬ 

Date: í¢â‚¬Å“Well, I got high outside with your friend.í¢â‚¬ 

Me: í¢â‚¬Å“Ohí¢â‚¬ ¦í¢â‚¬ 

Date: í¢â‚¬Å“í¢â‚¬ ¦í¢â‚¬ 

Me: í¢â‚¬Å“í¢â‚¬ ¦í¢â‚¬ 

Date: í¢â‚¬Å“Wasní’t it awesome when the drummer of Georges Leningrad tore down the Media Club sign with his teeth?í¢â‚¬ _

Me: í¢â‚¬Å“That was insane! Holy shit, those people were easily on crystal meth or somethingí¢â‚¬ 

Date: í¢â‚¬Å“No way. Really? I doní’t knowí¢â‚¬ ¦ I think a lot of it was an act. But either way it was really fun. Hereí’s our stop.í¢â‚¬ 

Leaving the cab, hugging the friend goodbye and walking the remainder of the trip home, the mixed emotions about the show stewed in my head. Was it all an act? Was the music even that good?

Bands like Les Georges Leningrad and Duchess Says are not so much about crafting songs as they are about the spectacle and the art of performing. Ití’s an entirely different philosophy from what shapes the mentality of Matador-style independent groups (my extreme generalization based on one popular record label). Artists like Stephen Malkmus just walk on stage wearing the kind of attire one would normally throw on to walk to 7/11 for a pack of Belmont Milds. But, the music that many of these artists put out there from the stage is going to blow minds.

It was then that I realized that Les Georges Leningrad are, themselves, not unlike Scandinavian minimalist furniture í¢â‚¬“ extremely neat, directly to the point, but not fulfilling in any sustainable fashion.

Dan McCash