Song of the Week

I saw We Were Promised Jetpacks twice in a week. I didn't plan it that way, it was just...they played a free show last week and blew me away, and the next day they were all like, "Surprise! We're coming back next week!" And I was on a great concert high so I was like, "YES! I don't care that it's a 10:30pm set on a work night! They're playing the Mercury Lounge, I'm going!"

And they were awesome yet again.

Now, you know I love me some Jetpacks, and I had seen them twice before this past week but I always thought there was something off about their live shows. I always said they didn't have it. There was nothing particularly special about their live performances. But they really, really brought their A game to Pier 84 last week. They were incredible. I don't know if it's because they figured out how to incorporate the songs from their third album into their set or if the crowds were better or maybe it was just me. This time around I knew their songs a lot better, and you know, they didn't have James Graham and company opening for them. Anyway, they were amazing. And then they were amazing at the Mercury Lounge. They were tighter, they kept momentum going, their set just worked, and Adam Thompson's voice was surprisingly great (I say surprisingly because I never rank him among my favorite voices but his voice is so strong. Dude can sing.)

Anyway, I've been listening to the Pack a lot this week (it's been a mix of them and Dry the River, so I don't know what my feelings have been doing) and it's given me a chance to discover their second record, and rediscover their third. (Their first, These Four Walls, is perfect from top to bottom.) Now, we all know I liked Unraveling a lot when it initially came out but it kind of got lost in the Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave shuffle. But it is a great album. It really shows how strong their songwriting has gotten since These Four Walls (it's a bit more nuanced, less repetitive.) I've especially fallen back in love with "Peaks and Troughs."

There is something absolutely addicting about this song. It's catchy and infectious, just like "Quiet Little Voices" or "Ships With Holes Will Sink" but it's not as immediate. It slowly reveals itself; it doesn't seem like much of a song at first but it builds and eventually blows you away. "Peaks and Troughs" and "I Keep It Composed" are some back-to-back punch.