Great Lakes Myth Society at Martyr’s
Friday, July 27, 2007
Having run in the self-consciously scruffy alt-country circuit for far too long, I am always happy to see a band put a little flair into their presentation. There’s nothing like a fine suit or a handsome tie to give a band a bit more luster under colored stage lights. And so I was a bit too excited to see the Great Lakes Myth Society scoobied out in their Sunday Thrift Store Best. It was a fine show, but the set, like their wardrobe, showed signs of over-wear and maybe a hint of pretension.
I like the indie rock. Sure, I like a wailing guitar solo from time to time, but I have no qualms with melodic, intelligent rock with queer song structure and a lack of machismo. Math geeks like to be stars too, you know. So I was looking forward to seeing this band from my home state I’d heard so much about. Eastern Michigan (read: Detroit) boasts a particularly insular music scene and is prone to hype so I approach all word of Best New Thing from the Motor City with a heaping bag of salt.
The Myth Society’s opening song put me at ease though. A jaunty, jangly punch up featuring THREE guitars playing in sync with each other, it was the indie rock version of Skynyrd. Throw in a few songs with clear shanty leanings and more than a few mugs of beer were waving in the audience.
Sadly, those highs were too often brought down by slow tempo snoozers that sucked the momentum out of an otherwise exhilarating set. Don’t get me wrong, the slower songs were intriguing in their own right, but they tended to throw off the pacing of the set and erase any of the forward motion built up before them. If a great wave was building these songs acted as the break wall.
John F. Kennedy said, “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” I have no idea if the members of the band believe their own myth, but the fact that they’re a band worthy of your attention is no lie.
MP3s:
GLMS has some great songs. There’s a few on the first album, and a few less on compass rose bouquet. The great songs are the best you’ve heard, but records with just a few great songs make, like philips says, for a snoozer of a record.