Army Navy Release Video For "Saints", Returning To Rickshaw In May

The last time we caught Army Navy was at The Rickshaw Stop was in November, and we definitely enjoyed ourselves. The band managed to break out of the manicured shell of their record, and deliver a live show that went above and beyond. As such, we were glad to hear that the band is back in the swing of things, with a video for their tune "Saints" (above), and a return to the Rickshaw Stop on May 13th. If you can make it out, we definitely recommend giving it a look.

mp3: Army Navy - Saints

Army Navy and The Shys Played The Rickshaw Stop - Review, Pics

Last night at The Rickshaw Stop, Army Navy and The Shys loaded in to co-headline a night of thoroughly solid rock and roll. The bands have vastly different sounds, but the combination of the two served to balance well. Moreover, the camaraderie and love of music between all the musicians involved was very clearly evident. These are two bands that love touring, and more importantly, love touring together.

Army Navy played first, and delivered exactly what we had been hoping for. The first half of their set played it safe, and stayed pretty close to the record. As the night went on however, the band loosened up and really hit their stride. The vocals got more emotive, the guitars more aggressive, and the whole sonic palate got wider and more enjoyable.

In spite of having driven over their guitarist's foot last week, and coming to a less-than-packed Sunday night show in San Francisco, the band really delivered. Their live set is energetic, enthusiastic, and pushes the boundries of their recorded work. Frankly, we'd like to see them put a record out there that gets their live sound down on tape, but in the meantime, seeing them live will suffice.

The Shys followed Army Navy with a set of impeccably tight, blues driven rock and roll. Given frontman Kyle Krone's somewhat Brit-influenced look, we were surprised when the band dove into a set that was more Jane's Addiction then it was The Jam. Despite our initial skepticism, the band definitely won us over, and after a great set (and two multi-band on-stage singalongs) we were definitely on board with their performance and showmanship.

The bands are continuing their West Coast tour over the next couple of days, including a date in Santa Cruz tomorrow night. If you're feeling the urge for some solid tunage, we recommend checking it out - you won't be disappointed.

Many more pictures over at the HAD Archive

Army Navy Is At The Rickshaw Stop Tonight

If you find yourself in the mood for a Sunday night show (and we know, that can be difficult at times), may we politely suggest tonight's bill at The Rickshaw Stop? The bill features Army Navy playing (we believe) their first San Francisco show. The band has gotten a fair amount of press from being heavily featured on the indieriffic soundtrack to Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist, and their self-titled debut dropped last month to positive reviews.

We've listened to the record a fair amount, and let us say this: there can be no argument that it is well written, jangly, pop music. The tunes are killer, the production is solid, and everything about the record sounds the way rock-solid pop music should. If we had to drop a sonic comparison, The La's would most certainly be the thing that comes to mind. Justin Kennedy's vocals even share a pretty strong similarity to those of Lee Mavers.

That being said, the record just hasn't quite grabbed us full-force. It lacks something in the passion department that leaves us perfectly willing to acknowledge the quality of the record, but not picking it up for spin after spin. We're hoping that the live show will do something to change that. Records like this don't just appear out of thin air, so we're sincerely hoping that the talent that went into this one will manifest its soul a bit more in the live setting.

The Shys co-headline tonight's show at The Rickshaw Stop.

mp3: Army Navy - My Thin Sides (mp3 courtesy pitchfork)