Melt Banana - Classic or Dud?

(support slot last night was DJ Scotch Egg doing his usual GameBoy Gabba thing. divided the audience somewhat but i loved it)

My ears ringy. It's all good. I don't need to hear ever again.

I think they're a little disappointing on album, but the live show is amazing.

They covered Uncontrollable Urge & Neat Neat Neat, which was fun. So glad I went (I had to go on my own, as I suffer from a distinct lack of noisecore loving friends).

the BBC session mentioned above will be broadcast by Rob Da Bank, i think this thursday evening. (ie tonight)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/exposed/meltbanana549p01.shtml

On their sixth full-length studio release Melt Banana exercise a hitherto undetected area of their musical musculature: the "rock" region. Summing up an entire album, and one as diverse as Bambi's Dilemma, with such a pedestrian qualifier is risky business, agreed, but it seems to fit like never before. The band, of course, refuses to accommodate any such pigeonholing: "Maybe it is rock, but maybe not. We just make whatever we want. We just follow our own instincts!" The truth is MxBx makes music as they please, relying solely on their own maverick talent to get them where they need to be.

Bambi's Dilemma's eighteen tracks careen from extreme, fastblast attacks to more serene moments (usually reserved for nonalbum releases) to the band's revolutionary new, guitar and bassless "Theremin-core".

on tour now!!!

17 Oct 2007 8:00 P
Wow Hall Eugene, Oregon
18 Oct 2007 8:00 P
Hell’s Kitchen Tacoma, Washington
19 Oct 2007 9:00 P
Nightlight Lounge Bellingham, Washington
20 Oct 2007 9:00 P
Badlander Missoula, Montana
21 Oct 2007 9:00 P
Zebra cocktail lounge Bozeman, Montana
22 Oct 2007 7:00 P
Imperial Inn Rapid City, South Dakota
23 Oct 2007 6:00 P
Nutty’s North Sioux Falls, South Dakota
24 Oct 2007 8:00 P
High Noon Saloon Madison, Wisconsin
25 Oct 2007 8:00 P
Cactus Club Milwaukee, Wisconsin
26 Oct 2007 6:00 P
High Dive - Champaign Champaign, Illinois
27 Oct 2007 9:00 P
2 Cents Plain St. Louis, Missouri
30 Oct 2007 7:00 P
Rhino’s Bloomington, Indiana
31 Oct 2007 9:00 P
Mac’s Bar Lansing, Michigan
1 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Magic Stick Detroit, Michigan
2 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio
3 Nov 2007 7:30 P
Benedum Auditorium, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
5 Nov 2007 9:00 P
Big Orbit’s Soundlab Buffalo, New York
6 Nov 2007 9:00 P
Bug Jar Rochester, New York
7 Nov 2007 9:00 P
Smog - Bard College Red Hook, New York
8 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, Massachusetts
9 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Living Room Providence, Rhode Island
10 Nov 2007 7:00 P
Heirloom Arts Theatre Danbury, Connecticut
11 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Club Europa Brooklyn, New York
12 Nov 2007 7:30 P
First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
14 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
15 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Satellite Ballroom Charlottesville, Virginia
16 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina
17 Nov 2007 9:00 P
Lenny’s Atlanta, Georgia
18 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, Florida
19 Nov 2007 9:00 P
Studio A Miami, Florida
20 Nov 2007 9:00 P
Back Booth Orlando, Florida
21 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Crowbar Tampa, Florida
23 Nov 2007 7:30 P
Bottle Tree Cafe Birmingham, Alabama
24 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Hi-Tone Memphis, Tennessee
25 Nov 2007 8:00 P
The End Nashville, Tennessee
27 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Parish at House Of Blues New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana
28 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, Louisiana
29 Nov 2007 8:00 P
Walter’s on Washington Houston, Texas
30 Nov 2007 7:00 P
White Rabbit San Antonio, Texas
1 Dec 2007 8:00 P
Jake’s Sports Cafe Lubbock, Texas
3 Dec 2007 8:00 P
Hollywood Alley/TBA Mesa, Arizona
4 Dec 2007 8:00 P
Club Congress Tucson, Arizona
5 Dec 2007 7:00 P
Epicentre San Diego, California
7 Dec 2007 8:30 P
The Independent San Francisco, California

Just got back from the Eugene show, their 1st of the tour. They covered "Heart Of Glass" and were just as great as always.

I hope they come to Europe -- and Ireland -- again next year. I got my girlfriend into Melt-Banana, and she's love me forever if I could take her to see them live.

anyone else seen them recently? any good?

I don't think it's possible to see a Melt Banana show that isn't good.

Yeah, I saw them a week or so ago and had a good time.

What's the best album to get? I've seen them a few times over the years but never got round to buying anything. I think maybe now... it is time.

Everyone will have a different answer, but I started with Teeny Shiny so that's what I'd recommend. It's the best mid-point between their current slicker sound and their earlier noisy stuff.

i saw them driving in a van smiling last week!

Teeny Shiny is a fine place to start. I like Cell Scape a lot also.

My brothers' band opened for them in '96 and they floored us. I've since seen them with Fantomas, and then one of my bands chanced to support them in Missoula a few years back.

They have never disappointed me. Cell Scape is my fave, but I certainly haven't heard them all.

If you like Cell Scape so much, Nate, you'll love Bambi's Dilemma.

And I just remembered, they had a record on Skin Graft as well back in the mid-90s, Scratch or Stitch. Steve Albini and Jim O'Rourke both had a hand in that one.

Teeny and Cell but personally I prefer the shows.

i saw them on my birthday a year or so ago. best show EVAH.

Now I'm a mother of two and can't attend gigs (for the moment). Boo.

new one doesn't quite top Cell-Scape for me but still great... obligatory SEE THEM LIVE!! I was like O_O :O !!!

Charlie is v.good too

I keep hoping this thread will be UK dates :( :(

this band can really rip it up.

whatever happened to lake of dracula?

skin graft...sniff, eagle tear....

I am proud to say that I put out a record on Skin Graft a few years back. Such a cool label.

Lake of Dracula featured Weasel Walter who's still in Flying Luttenbachers and more...

English Leg of European Tour:

Mon 16th June 2008
* ULU - London

Tue 17th June 2008
* Brudenell Social - Leeds

Sat 21st June 2008
* Thekla - Bristol

Sun 22nd June 2008
* The Hare & Hounds - Birmingham

Mon 23rd June 2008
* Rock City - Nottingham

Wed 25th June 2008
* ULU - London

Thu 26th June 2008
* Barfly - The Gloucester - Brighton

you appear to have forgotten the 24th, where they will be playing the Cambridge Barfly. see y'all there.