Things are what you make of them

I first became acquainted with Bishop Allen via Music For Robots this summer, when the blog supplied a link to "Click Click Click Click". That little song, about a stranger walking into someone's wedding photograph, has been stuck in my head for months. I've even shared it with a couple of photographers who know a thing or two about shooting weddings.

"Click Click" is one of four songs on the band's July EP, one in a yearlong series in which the band is attempting to release a short record every month. (Not clear whether the concept has broken down yet.) That stunt has earned Bishop Allen plaudits in the Village Voice, among other places. Whether it's because of that gimmick, blog buzz or whatever else, an awful lot of people showed up last night at the Bar of Contemporary Art to see Bishop Allen, along with Starlight Mints and Tom Heinl. "I think everyone's here to see Bishop Allen," one 21-year-old kid said to me out front. I think he was right: Half the crowd, including this observer, left while Bishop Allen removed their equipment from the stage, before Starlight Mints could begin.

That was quite a task, too. I went up to check out their gear before they started playing, and it looked like they hadn't even finished setting up. The stage resembled some musician's messy attic, with a snare drum randomly placed over here, an old Wurlitzer there, a nylon-string guitar way in the back, a glockenspiel right in the middle.

Sure enough, though, when the five-piece band took the stage, the layout all made sense. It quickly became apparent that almost everyone was going to play multiple instruments as the night went on. The band played a series of thoughtfully-arranged pop songs, all melodic to the core. None were especially noisy or aggressive, although most were clearly rooted in a love for rock'n'roll. Everyone loved the quake reference in "The Same Fire" too. Seems like their main man can write a little, though I can't say how consistent he is just yet.

If you're curious, there's a film of Bishop Allen playing an earlier, louder version of "Click Click" on YouTube. Honestly, I found this clip fairly unconvincing, but the rearrangement of the song was far more likeable, as is the recorded version.

Opener Tom Heinl played alone with guitar, although he intermittently used pre-recorded elements as well. Like, say, fellow Oregonian Todd Snider, Heinl was as much a standup comic as a songwriter, with a tendency toward the bawdy and a penchant for writing about alcohol. He got a lot of laughs. After ten minutes, I thought I'd be recommending him heartily in this space. After twenty, I just wanted to go outside and get some fresh air.

I'd never been to BOCA before. (Check impressive reviews.) It's a newish venue tucked in an alley near Fifth and Market, around the dogleg from Mezzanine. There are a lot of video screens in the room, which maybe they should consider turning off during the live music performances. I don't mind a moderately expensive Martini if it's huge, and it was. But please, people, don't post the cover charge on your Web site as $9 if it's going to be $12. Not cool.