How big is this? Modern Hut, former For Science, current Don Giovanni label owner, Joe Steinhardt’s new band, are playing a gig at 285 Kent Avenue, opening for Waxahatchee on this Wednesday April 4th, 2013. Later this year, Modern Hut are releasing what is already among the great albums of the past five years, Generic Treasure, and the chance to see Joe perform them live is not to be missed.
Generic Treasure, which includes one of the smartest songs you’ll ever hear, “History,” and one of the sweetest, “America”, is nine finely crafted new songs and a For Science cover and it is a minutely detailed a piece of work, consider it the “Transparent Things” of rock music. Everything is exactly where it should be and to change a guitar part or a bell would be like drawing a moustache on the Mona Lisa.
On stage, Modern Hut has a sort of surly self-deprecating sense of self. As if Joseph is somewhere between pleased and irritated to be on stage. I love it, it plays with the fourth wall very effectively and the songs? The songs are fabulous plain and simple.
Joe says good things about the headliners, I don’t really know them, but Modern Hut's album is a masterpiece, a sort of divine intervention of sound and thought. Personally, I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I don’t know how Generic Treasure will be recognized but it doesn’t REALLY matter, it doesn’t need us to acclaim it. It acclaims itself. If you want a taste, "Wrong" and "Life" are posted on their band page.
I don't know what rock nyc thinks it's doing after four years of chasing its tail, but if all it is doing is turning you onto bands as great as Modern Hut, it has justified its existence.
The band goes on t 945pm.