I’d liken seeing The Better Half live to watching a fun garage band practice in their garage. Based on what I’ve heard, they’re still willing to experiment with sounds and crazed textures; that kind of willingness to try new sounds regardless of what listeners might think is ballsy, to be sure. It’s a little reckless, and it’s a little naïve, because it’s a part of that whole ‘We’re-playing-in-someone’s-garage’ mentality, and basically means they don’t care what it sounds like to other people, as long as it sounds good to them. That’s not a bad way to come up with material. I think more bands should be like that. What if U2 never made Pop? What if The Strokes never released First Impressions of the Earth? What if GNR didn’t release Chinese Democracy? What if Prince never forgot his mojo and changed his name to a symbol? Haha, their fans wouldn’t have had to convince themselves to like music they hated, and I think each of those artists would sleep better at night knowing they didn’t compromise their vision. Unless they wanted to release crap albums on purpose.

My point is, The Better Half sound like they call their own shots. The music is loose, it’s got a good vibe, but the best songs are the ones that aren’t too experimental, like “Give It to Me,” which is really vocally driven and has a nice cascading guitar/crashing drum in the background. “Face Down” is a garage song, and made me a little sick to my stomach, but it is different and scary, and may appeal to people who see a need for nausea rock. But I’ll let it slide because I figure you gotta try everything and see what works. “Brand New Day” is a poppy, fun ditty of the jump-around variety. Overall, the band seems willing to explore its style, which is awesome. This also means those who come to the show will be lil guinea pigs (an album is on the horizon, so you’ll be hearing some of that action), so do these gents a favor and make sure you’re extra loud if you hear something awesome, and really awkwardly quiet if something is lame. A little tough love never hurt a band.

Saturday, May 1, 2010, 9 p.m.
Crills Wilson w/ The Better Half, Kettle Pot Black, Fishstick
The Khyber, 56 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Get Tickets