Sebastien Grainger @ Zulu Records, 4/5/09

No matter what he does, Sebastein Grainger‘s name will always be affixed with the qualifier “formerly of Death from Above 1979.” But it’s a shame that he’s doomed to be compared to his prior work, since his solo debut album, last year’s Sebastein Grainger & the Mountains, is worthy of being judged on its own merits. His music can still be roughly described as dance-punk, but compared to DFA 1979’s brutal minimalism, Grainger’s solo work is slicker and more easily-palatable. With soaring choruses and arena-sized guitar chords, there’s even a hint of classic rock traditionalism to compliment the ever-present new wave influence.

Grainger is playing a show tonight at Richard’s on Richards, which I am unfortunately unable to attend, due to it being on the same night as Women (more on that tomorrow). Still, I was able to catch him this afternoon at a free in-store appearance at Zulu Records.

Crouched on a small stool in the folk/country section, Grainger played an electric guitar with a tiny amplifier that was barely able to fill even the small record store. He began with a cover of the blues traditional “Nobody’s Fault but Mine,” singing so far back from the microphone that it hardly picked up his voice at all. This quiet opener segued into a slow-downed take on the album-standout “(Are There) Ways to Come Home.” Played back-to-back, the two songs were surprisingly similar, making Grainger sound almost like a blues revivalist.

It was a haunting and intimate beginning, but the set lost track during the pauses between songs, when Grainger made awkward banter with the crowd who had gathered in a semi-circle around him. Confessing that he was hungover and sick, Grainger went through the motions for two more songs before announcing he was finished and cracking opening a beer.

Unfortunately, however, the show didn’t end there; although he didn’t play any more songs, the crowd remained gathered around Grainger as he continued to make awkward banter for 15 excruciating minutes, rambling on about the economy, the Bible, the Junos, and seemingly anything else that came to his mind. Unable to take anymore, I left as Grainger requested than the house music be turned back on, hoping to disperse the crowd still gathered around him.

Be sure to listen to Grainger’s solo debut (out now via Outside Music), but perhaps give any local in-store performances a miss.