by Chris Aponick

* Back when I wrote for another publication in town, I briefly did a short column of live concert reviews succinctly titled Show Notes. After two major sold-out shows this weekend, it’s maybe time to revisit the concept. On Wednesday, I checked in on the sold-out Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., for Interpol. The moody New Yorkers picked songs mostly from their indie records, leaving songs from their lone bow on Capitol, Our Love To Admire, off the setlist. The loss of Carlos D may not have detracted from the band’s style, but the addition of a new bassist and a full-time keyboardist seems to have muddied the dynamics of the band’s live show. Instead of peaks and valleys, Interpol plowed through their monochromatic set a step fast. Fashionista opening act School of Seven Bells hewed closely to Interpol’s post-punk indie, with an added dollop of ’80s shoegazer rock. Unfortunately, they also lost momentum on too many songs, which seemed to plateau after intriguing introductions to each. * Saturday night’s Best Coast and Wavves show at the Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St., was a case of two sides of a genre often considered to be one thing. After a forgettable My Bloody Valentine tribute act by No Joy, Wavves unleashed an easy-going but energetic set of lo-fi garage rock that was light on lo-fi and garage rock. Instead, Nathan Williams and his two bandmates messed around with a pogo-inducing take on early ’90s Lookout Records pop-punk. If you were into early Green Day, watching Wavves struck the perfect chord. Best Coast then took the stage and provided a relaxed pop counterpoint to Wavves’ faster-paced set. Singer Bethany Cosentino introduced a cadre of family members sitting just off the stage, before playing most of her first album Crazy for Love, plus choice Lesley Gore and Loretta Lynn covers. * If you’re looking to judge politicians on some sort of indie-rock hipster scale, Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry may just rate the highest on some sort of Pitchfork-meets-Politico rating system. Terry was spotted enjoying Saturday’s sold-out Best Coast/Wavves show, from beginning to end. Meanwhile, former Terry challenger Jim Esch took in the packed Interpol show.

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