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“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to celebrate rock & roll,” said Tyler Glenn, lead vocalist of Neon Trees.  He was absolutely right.  On Monday night, the band showed off a bold, well-rounded sound, encompassing a blend of indie rock, new wave, synth pop, & classic rock styles – all in all, modern alternative rock at its finest.

“An Intimate Night with Neon Trees”, the first of two sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom in New York City, marked the eve of the release of Neon Trees’ sophomore album, Picture Show.  The quartet from Provo, Utah (Glenn – vocals/synth, Branden Campbell – bass, Elaine Bradly – drums/vocals, & Chris Allen – guitar) & their touring guitarist, David Charles, played a stadium-worthy set of songs that left fans eager for the album’s midnight release.

Some Nights is not merely an album – it’s a musical masterpiece that makes getting slapped with tickets for noise ordinance violations (in the name of fun.) well worth it.  The sophomore album of the NYC-based indie rock trio consists of 11 brilliant tracks capable of stirring up euphoric uprisings in any living being’s visceral parts – and that’s putting it mildly.

Venturing from the indie pop genre of their 2009 debut album Aim and Ignite, Nate Ruess (lead vocals), Jack Antonoff (guitar/vocals), & Andrew Dost (keyboard/vocals) employ a hip-hop influence in their sophomore album that jolts the band into genre-bending territory.  In an interview with blogcritics.org, Dost credited Kanye West’s critically-acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (from 2010) for inspiring fun.’s stylistic epiphany, which resulted in the band’s enlistment of producer Jeff Bhasker, who had a hand in producing West’s album.  Together, they developed Some Nights, a majestic blend of cool indie pop, laced with hip-hop grandiosity, & presented with outstanding theatrics reminiscent of the glam rock band Queen’s heydays.

“Did you miss us?  We missed you,” said Dougy Mandagi, frontman of The Temper Trap, to the spirited crowd at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. 

Three long years have passed since the Australian band released their debut album, Conditions, to acclamatory reviews.  In anticipation of the release of their self-titled sophomore album, The Temper Trap took to the road, introducing new songs at SXSW music festival, then to multitudes over a sold-out North American tour.  On Thursday night, fans in Brooklyn found it nearly impossible to bate giddy enthusiasm for the ARIA award-winning band’s return. 

What would you expect to hear from an album entitled Suck It and See?  At first blush, it’s easy to envision most people would probably expect something lewd, or inherently vulgar, in nature.  Well, shock, horror!  Once all chuckling reflexes have been exhausted from the – let’s just say “provocative” – album title, you’ll find Suck It and See is a charming collection of post-punk revival ballads.  Even the album’s namesake track, “Suck It and See”, is a soft-toned love song delicately sprinkled with a vintage 1950’s vibe.  Arctic Monkeys pulled a fast one, & their cunning use of double entendre screams, “In your face, premature judgers!”   

The album is presented with some stylistic discord, though, as if frontman Alex Turner wanted to pour his heart out about love, but still maintain the band’s punk rock cred.  “Library Pictures” & “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” are head-banging tracks that seem to have been haphazardly strewn among a bed of darling tracks, including “She’s Thunderstorms”, “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala”, & “Reckless Serenade”.  In “Black Treacle”, Turner sings a telling line, “I feel like the Sundance kid behind a synthesizer.”  In terms of track-by-track cohesiveness, this sentiment of being “out-of-place” rings true for the few grunge-style tracks in Suck It and See.  Maybe the album would’ve been better without, but then again, maybe not.  Maybe it’s necessary to include an incongruous mix of styles to develop a deeper appreciation for the more “experimental” tracks.  However minor the album’s shortcomings, they’re redeemed by pensive lyrics & catchy melodies.