June 2007 Archives

And the stirring conclusion to reliving my misspent youth and reconnecting with that elusive spirit that exists in all things independent and powerful...

Electrelane, The Shondes, Tender Forever -- The Black Cat, Washington, DC -- 10 June 2007

Tender Forever -- I only caught a couple songs, as I needed to satisfy my pinball cravings (another part of reliving that misspent youth, thinking of hot Hoboken saturdays spent at "Mr. Big's" deli waiting for the doors to open at Maxwell's).  One woman singing over her own pre-recorded beats and blurps, what even she called karaoke.  The long personal story about the joys of getting drunk on tour did nothing for me, and the whole package was fairly pedestrian.  I do give her credit for getting on stage (something I've never done in a musical capacity), but sadly that's about it.

The Shondes -- The last show I remember that featured a violin was the Dirty Three many years ago... but the Shondes veer far closer to Aussie precursors Venom P. Stinger.  The first sonic reference I made was Antietam, and the second was the Avengers -- both VERY good things.  I can't identify with or speak for their politics (queercore, pro-palestinian jews), but their music has the right mix of off-kilter tunings and arrangements to keep a set going strongly.  Here's hoping that these kids pull it together in a studio soon -- there's kinetic energy to burn and a style worth pursuing further.

Electrelane -- oh my goodness.  Absolutely stellar, before the encore of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire."  Mixing and matching songs from across their catalog without hesitation, this show was pretty darn close to a spiritual experience in the rhythmic propulsions.  Sonic repetitions that deftly avoided the Glass/Reich traps of minimalist expression -- the krautrock motorik experience that can get lost in listening to a CD.  The closest I'd ever come to this type of full mind-body experience was being pinned to the back wall at a Stereolab show in late 1994 before they veered off into the glitchtastic spaces of 90's electronica.

Odd (but appropriate) coincidence: When I headed out on Sunday, my wife was trying out a Kundalini yoga DVD.  The instructor noted that chanting mantras in one's native language doesn't really work because there's too much baggage -- connotations and meanings in words.  Mantras set in an unfamiliar language ideally allow you to feel the meaning without the baggage and to move into a proper deep meditative state... and on this night, Electrelane's music was that mantra-like experience bringing an inner peace (for a little while, anyway).   

Second of three ... growing toward the crescendo ...

Long Blondes, Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Five Four -- Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC -- 7 June 2007

Five Four -- Five pleasant kids just starting out and mining a "dark Gogos" vein (i.e. 80s synth pop with minor key excursions).  The vocals could use more oomph, and the "shimmer/sparkle" keyboard effect could use a rest. There's some real promise here, but the sound needs to mature a little.  Perhaps they need an introduction to The Melvins -- Five Four has a low end to their music but need to learn how to develop bass rumblings that liquefy the bones and harden the blood vessels (because exoskeletons are the best survival strategy -- just ask the cockroaches):

• The Melvins, Night Goat (Amphetamine Reptile 7", 1992)

(My rip somehow got corrupted in the MP3 conversion, but Lamestain, a fine cornucopia of the PacNW scene, comes to the rescue.)

Nicole Atkins & The Sea -- soon to receive a premium placement at a Starbucks near you, if there's any justice left in this world (and assuming Sir Paul hasn't contracted for all the cash register real estate for too long).  The best reference point is late 70s album rock (think Linda Rondstadt before she went all "Nelson Riddle Orchestra," or "It's A Heartache"-era Bonnie Tyler), updated for today's standards with funky flourishes like a xylophone solo in one song.  Enjoyable, edgy, and clearly poised to knock out over-produced country divas in the "adult alternative" marketplace.

The Long Blondes -- Kate was all smiles tonight and the band let it rip throughout the set.  It's hard to remember how depressing the lyrics get (all forms of relationship damage) when they're welded to that post-punk dance groove.  I recognized one new song ("Guilt"?) but otherwise the set stuck to the LP (just released stateside on Beggars), much like last summer's show in Philadelphia.  From watching the reactions of Reenie (the bass player), I got the feeling that the band is really close to busting out a ton of new songs ... and yet they still started with "Lust In The Movies"  and hit "Separated By Motorways" in the encore. Overall, though, the show was definitely worth a trip into one of the seedier neighborhoods I've hit in a while (i.e. scarier than the old 9:30 Club a decade ago, and nowhere near a Metro station).

I've got three live show reviews, attended in a span of 10 days ... so I'm breaking up the package into multiple posts (for my own sanity as well as your reading comfort and ease).

The Pipettes, Smoosh, Monster Bobby -- Black Cat, Washington, DC -- 2 June 07

Monster Bobby -- Founding member of the Pipettes goes solo and comes off somewhat like The Postal Service, plus classic english black/wacky humor and (importantly) without Gibbard's self-righteous whine. "Let's Meet In A Hospital and Die Together" started the set and really was the standout.  Despite the sequencer troubles, a nice warm-up to the evening.

Smoosh -- with a new band name, these Seattle teens could take over the world.  Amazing drumming, great depth in the vocals (you'd never know she was 15), decent hooks in the songs.  Keyboard and drums for the most part, with the littlest sister on bass for half the set and a couple tunes trading guitar for keyboards.  Due to the "sisters from Seattle" angle, I kept thinking of Heart, but only if it were possible to strip back three layers of studio trickery off their songs.  I haven't yet heard their recorded output, but this is definitely a group to watch.

The Pipettes -- as advertised, non-stop 60s girl-group fun.  Strong harmonies, lyrics from the darker side of the love-lust-lost songbook, and high energy throughout.  On this particular night, Becki was the weakest of the three ladies, in that the dancing just didn't come naturally to her and her lead vocals were the thinnest of the three.  Due perhaps to the heat, the Cassette skipped the monogrammed "tank tops" (or "sweater vests" for Americans), instead opting for the mesh over-shirts worn by substitutes on an English football team (or by one side in an intra-squad scrimmage in any sport).