Some musical moments...

We've finally begun to take advantage of the music that Amsterdam has to offer, starting last weekend with a solo show by Gomez singer Ben Ottewell at Paradiso. If you're not familiar with Ottewell or his work with Gomez, just think of the growliest, gravelliest (is that a word?) blues singer you can imagine and then picture it coming out of a twenty-something white boy from England. The show, which was in the small room at Paradiso with an audience of a couple of hundred, was just Ben and an acoustic guitar, so it was even more of a showcase for that voice than usual, and the sound was simply awe-inspiring!

Thankfully this series of shows wasn't in aid of some new solo project, so we were treated to a mixture of covers (Nick Drake, Tongue, Jackson Brown) and re-worked Gomez songs, which was exactly what the audience was clamoring for. In their new format, the most striking thing about the Gomez songs was how simple they are when stripped of the multiple harmonies and complex rhythms of the full-band versions. Ottewell's delivery didn't leave any time for missing those other elements though. Having seen Gomez several times in concert, I'd almost begun to be a little bored by their shows (as fun and interesting as they are live, they seem unable to escape their first two albums) - seeing those songs presented in a different format was just what I neeeded to renew my love for the band and their music!

The other notable musical moment is the release of the new album by The Shins, Wincing The Night Away. Get it! The Shins have exploded internationally since their last album, Chutes Too Narrow, so this follow-up has been fervently awaited, and on the basis of a few listens, it's at least on par with their past work!

And finally, My Ninja Lover played the Big Day Out on the Gold Coast this past weekend, so thanks to anyone reading this who was there supporting them - I'm very jealous!