Robbers on High Street by Clare McNulty
November 17, 2007
When Robbers on High Street performed at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco last Friday, I got all turned around. They’re a tricky band, these guys.
The earth-toned hipsters started their set with songs that could have been a mating call for early Strokes and Spoon fans, but as they drew more from their new album Grand Animals it became apparent that the Robbers are quite eager, and ready, to carve a niche of their own.
And little wonder; when you’ve been accused of being derivative as many times as the Robbers have, it seems like you’d be itching to distinguish yourself. Reviews make comparisons with The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Interpol, The Arcade Fire, Maroon FiveÖ a reviewer for Stylus magazine decided that the band owes a “great debt” to Spoon (are they supposed to pay them back in quarter notes, I wonder? In drumsticks?). And yeah, you’ll recognize the influences, but you’ll also enjoy it, because they’re integrated very, very well. So well that watching this band sort of strips you of the indie-rock mentality dictating that you’ve got to snub the familiar. Instead, you just kind of rock out.
With the songs on the new album, we’re given a pretty vivid look at the Robbers’ identity crisis; their style varies wildly from song to song. The once upbeat rhythmic guitars and jaunty horns of their first album, Tree City, seem to be transitioning into something a little darker: some blues, some gypsy cabaret, and some prominent funk-inspired bass lines. Grand Animals ranges from “Across the Knee,” a delicious little poplet set on edge by disconcerting lyrics, to “Guard at your Heel,” a mysterious combo of lilting trombone, synth accordion, and a lot of minor chords. These darker songs are obviously the band’s forte; watching “Married Young,” “The Fatalist,” and “Kick ‘em in the Shins” performed was like watching purveyors of cool give their very best pitch.
This darker bent was apparent in performance, too. I got the distinct feeling that the band was, like, 100 steps ahead of the audience at all times. It felt like I had stumbled into a 60’s sock-hop, and while everyone around me was swing dancing, the band was sneaking sips of Jack Daniels out of concealed flasks and skipping off to the bathroom to bone their groupies. They had this really mischievous attitude that seemed inconsistent with a band that looked and sounded (at first) like nice guys who were eager to please, and this is the characteristic that serves Robbers on High Street the best, I think. They’re subverting their own image, and their own musicÖ like a little schizophrenic rebellion. The result is really solid music with a devious edge, and it’s definitely worth listening to.
