The New Sound of Numbers @ Caledonia May 19th (w/Paper Tanks)

One of the most interesting bands in Athens just got a lot more interesting. The New Sound of Numbers (aka Sound Houses) unveiled their new line-up this past Monday night at the Caledonia and they were a revelation.

Past NSofN shows have been uneven, uncertain, and all too often uneventful. As someone outside the group, I have no business speculating on what’s been going on behind the scenes---and as a small, self-indulgent, non-journalistic blog, I have no business going up to anyone and asking questions--but lead NSofNumber Hannah Jones has evolved from a deer-in the-headlights performer into a more confident, self-assured front woman. She’s never going to be Bono and start swinging from the rafters, but there’s a sense of freedom and abandon in her performance that we haven’t seen before. Her vocals feel more relaxed. And to all the people who have described her singing as ‘bored,’ I know what you’re saying and why you’re saying it, but there’s a difference between sounding bored and sounding like an angel who has seen beyond the empty promises of heaven. There’s a texture in Hannah Jones’ voice now, or maybe it’s the inflection of her eyes, that says she knows exactly what she’s doing.

Previous comparisons to The Raincoats were unfair to the Raincoats. Now that comparison is unfair to The New Sound of Numbers.

The new songs reflect this growth as well. They’ve progressed from two chords in a song to three chords, and from one note melodies to two note melodies--the NSofN equivalent of adding a string section. Where previous songs seemed content to pace back and forth in a sparsely decorated room, the new ones occasionally go up and down the stairs, even if they never leave the building--let alone the neighborhood.

They played a cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ that made perfect sense. It sounded like a lost NSofN song, the kind of thing you can’t pull off unless you know who you are.

Reasons for growth? I blame the drummer. NSofN has turned downright groovy, becoming a dance band in the sense that Pylon is a dance band--adding Randy Bewley guitar with them means less than you think it does but more than you don‘t. The band were having so much fun playing their last song that they didn’t want to stop. This says there’s a ‘Sister Ray’ inside NSofN that is dying to get out.

But.

For a band that just overhauled their sound from an overcast afternoon into a rainbow, it’s understandable they would want to change their name. And having read the explanation--new personnel, different methods of making music, etc.--on their website I’m not going to argue on behalf of keeping their name. . .

But.

If you’re going to trade in a name that is bright, distinctive, and original you’d better come back with one better than the flat, anonymous-sounding, shittyband-reminding ‘Sound Houses’. The name comes from a phrase in a Francis Bacon essay, quoted in full on the band’s website. As a general rule, if you feel the need to explain why the name of your band is a good one, then it’s probably not as good as you think it is. It’s a shitty name because it isn’t fun to say. It’s a shitty name because it doesn’t jumpstart your imagination. It’s a shitty name because there isn’t any mystery, no sense of surprise. But ultimately, it’s a shitty name because this band deserves better.

Though it’s still better than naming your band Vic Chesnutt.

Paper Tanks went on afterwards. They want to rip open your heart and feed it to you without ever raising their voice, and they are totally fearless. If you find yourself at a show and they’re about to go on, you have a very important decision to make--not about them, but about yourself.