“Oddly Delightful”

The amount of Les Pauls that are thrown about today is depressing—a guitar that beautiful and playable should be reserved for the few that can play them well, such as Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page. But nowadays, anyone and everyone plays one, including guitarists for pop-punk bands such as the new German phenomenon Tokio Hotel.

Kelefa Sanneh, in Wednesday’s New York Times, reviews the band’s American debut at the Fillmore last Monday. Much like A.O. Scott’s review of “Rambo”, she wants to crush the band on any number of it’s absurd and ridiculous aspects, but in the end concedes that the concert was good—describing it as “oddly delightful.”

Most of this “odd delight”, according to Sanneh, comes from the antics of the “gender-bending” frontman and the “surprisingly restrained” songs. Goofy as the band may sound, it seems that the concert was rather a success.

In the day when “teen-pop… …goth-punk boy bands” play Les Pauls, anything is possible.