“Plenty is Never Enough” - Tenement Halls
(Words/music: Chris Lopez, available on Knitting Needles and Bicycle Bells, Merge Records 2005)
Moderation makes practical sense but far too often remains an ideal. We understand the concept of it intellectually at least, but it’s also hard to shake that base instinct that suggests that more of a good thing will be even better. The past few days at XX Merge have been an exercise in excess. I’ve felt inundated with great music yet feel like I’ve had too much of a good thing. I’ve seen a lot of excellent sets over the past four nights but can’t help feeling that I might have enjoyed some of the bands more if there weren’t as many of them. Some bands were excellent (Superchunk and Lambchop among others), but I found myself thinking on a few occasions that I might have enjoyed some of the other bands if it weren’t for seven hours of standing in a room being blasted with loud sounds night after night. It came to a point where I had to give up on some bands – either sitting down in the back room, wandering outside, or going home to get some rest – in order to have energy for the rest of the week.
Tenement Halls, the new band from the Rock*a*Teens’ Chris Lopez, became one of these casualties. They played an outdoor show in the 97 degree North Carolina heat that was in addition to the seven hours later that night. As much as I wanted to see them (and Portastatic), cooler heads prevaled. I couldn’t help but think about his song “Plenty is Never Enough” while mulling through the merits of a full day of music and fatigure or trying to enjoy just a few of the bands in the lineup. “Plenty is Never Enough” is an upbeat pop song draped in a curtain of reverb and slight delay. It’s peppy, bouncy, and a little blurry – the perfect musical metaphor for the week itself. I know I would have loved hearing this if it was a single night out where I could drain all of my energy bouncing along. Instead, it became a casualty in the quest to survive to the end. At a point, there can be too much of a good thing, and I’m glad XX Merge gave me the opportunity to fill up on great music – I’ve just realized the diference between filling up and consuming everything. I’m also glad tonight’s show has seats!
More on Tennement Halls: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
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