This Busy Monster
Thurs Sept 13 at the Crocodile.

Colin Powell announced today that Osama bin Laden is officially the Most Wanted Man in the World. Also today, several suspected terrorists were detained at New York City airports. At this point a war seems inevitable. Reservists are likely going to be getting phone calls soon.

Meanwhile, One-Night Stand is too distracted to really care about One-Night Stand this week. Oh, and the opening band wasn't selected at random, either. What I really wanted to see tonight is how people are behaving at a time like this. Are we honestly looking to be entertained right now? Three fairly well-known local acts are playing at the Crocodile this evening, so I assume that this will be the biggest show in town.

To my surprise, the opener, This Busy Monster, has drawn a decent-sized crowd. I would call it average for a Thursday night. The club seems a bit more hushed than normal, but there are plenty of people milling about, most with bright and shiny faces, ready to rock out. People share tables, chugging beers and laughing, and one lady is noticeably wasted and whooping it up.

I think I'm happy for them. Still, it doesn't seem right to me, this fun--not yet. It all looks like such a luxury to me. It all makes me uncomfortable. This Busy Monster takes the stage.

I realize immediately that the band is better on record than live, partly because singer-guitarist Christopher Possanza isn't a very energetic performer. Or if he is usually, he isn't tonight. His craft is gentle and pop-based. Most of the songs rock out in spots, with herky-jerk guitar lines and galloping rhythms. But I instantly prefer the band's quirkier (and more frequent) pop moments--the compositional twists and shifts that place Possanza within that XTC category of cerebral pop tunesmiths. The influence that XTC (Andy Partridge, in particular) seems to have had on Possanza is palpable.

I sense that the frontman aspires to be an outstanding songwriter, and I suspect that he could be, though he is far too withheld to actually convince me. Or maybe he's not great; maybe he's just pretty good. Either way, I think he and his band should concentrate on the baroque moments at work here--the pure, layered pop stuff that makes This Busy Monster somewhat singular in its region (cleaner, brighter, Beatlesesque), as opposed to the rock bits that seem thrown into the mix for spice or entertainment value.

Possanza also has a habit of pushing his lyrics out too hard, and over-enunciating. He often lets notes die off slowly at the end of a phrase as opposed to cutting them short, and the overall effect is that he sounds tired. While his voice is strong, it is often off-key, and I think he's trying too hard: reaching, for effect, as opposed to singing comfortably within the range (and mood) that is naturally his.

This Busy Monster has been together for about 10 years. I doubt the group's members are going to take my opinion and become Seattle's XTC, and I certainly don't blame them if they don't. Each member is a strong musician. Barrett Wilke's drums are high in the mix, and I find his playing quite tasteful. I love the clean but chunky guitar sound that Possanza gets. I believe Josh Rosenfeld is a good, creative bassist. He's nimble, dexterous, and he even plays solid leads.

Overall, I think the band is just fine. I leave the moment the set ends. I don't feel at all satisfied by my night out. But I don't blame This Busy Monster for that.