I walked into a fairly impressively packed Sunday night at the Ottobar. The last time I saw it this packed was for cult-legend Daniel Johnston a few weeks back. But the crowd was an altogether different variety. The sea of X’s made me a little wary of the band taking forever to sound-check on stage. Spring break was over, and it looks like this was the show that you had to be at to be in the know for homeroom tomorrow.
Photo of HEALTH, right|Flickr user HateMyWay
Missing the first openers Diagonal Buildings, Thrust Lab were hemming and hawing over the mics and such as I entered the room. I thought to myself: “Man these guys are picky. And they only get 30 minutes. This better be spectacular.” Unfortunately, no length of sound-check can make up for the derivative feel of their set. Largely, I blame the lead singer. His antics and personality grated on me. And based off those things and the prominence of his vocals in the mix, I felt like I was watching an extended session of Morrissey/Smiths karaoke. The bassist was largely uninteresting both musically and in terms of stage presence. I gathered that the drummer had some chops, but was being restricted by the songs. There’s potential there, but they need to focus away from the dance-party fodder they create based on weak stage presence and songs that sound almost exactly alike. For example, when given a good template they can create a fabulous dance remix (HEALTH’s unreleased track "The Problem Is").
Crystal Castles - "The Problem Is" (Thrust Lab Remix)
Noise-rockers HEALTH have received a healthy amount of praise in recent weeks. I could easily see why. These kids employ instrumental abuse to wring out some really engaging experimental noise. The first “Wow” moment for me was midway through the first song when everyone except the drummer ditched their instruments and proceeded to recreate a heavy metal song with their voices. The growls and squeals from the lightning fast guitars create an ominous and tension-filled racket, at times recalling Dillinger Escape Plan. Combining with tribal freak-out drums and desperate primitive vocals formed from guttural chants, growls and screams, the effect was transportive. At times, I felt like I was in the filled-to-capacity cabin of a depressurized airplane with blown-out ear drums falling through a thunderhead. And really, what more can you ask of a psyched-out noise band?
The room darkened to pitch-black in preparation for Crystal Castles. The band came on-stage swiftly, still shrouded in darkness. They launched into their first song and the strobes and lighting set up behind the band began punctuating the beats of the music. Everything entered into a state of stop-motion flicker that somehow managed to perfectly accent the performance while not becoming obtrusive or annoying for the audience. Photo of Alice Glass, above | Flickr user Robbie Fearless
Since the Justice show at Sonar is proximal in my mind’s eye, I was measuring this entire show by that metric. And in many ways it was superior.
The crowd was absolutely fanatical; they were on a mission to dance, versus the Justice show which had more of a concert vibe to it. Both were packed with a large number of X-handed under-21ers. But this crowd had a distinctly more uninhibited and unhinged feel than the one at Justice, less trying to be Euro-disco and more just being Baltimore. When all cylinders were firing, Crystal Castles put on a performance often on par with that of the Faint. Though most of their songs are almost stubbornly 4/4 accented, it never wore thin. The delivery and packaging was simply irresistible...from front-woman Alice Glass' captivating performance on vocals to the minimal and excellent lighting effects and their trademark 8-bit inspired blip-melodies and accents, the product was delightful, EDM-inspired dance-party confection. Photo of Alice Glass, above | Flickr user HateMyWay
And a part of me almost wished that I could join the other half of the crowd in homeroom or lecture on Monday when they talk til blue in the face about the how crazy the freak-dancing got.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Review - Crystal Castles, HEALTH, Thrust Lab @ the Ottobar
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Crystal Castles @ Ottobar
Crystal Castles are another electronified duo out to take over the world. Justice: you are officially on notice.
I kinda think of them as the Faint and Justice mixing an 8-bit video game soundtrack. Their show tonight at the Ottobar should be quite the sick affair. Openers HEALTH, Space Mountain, and Thrust Lab. $10, 8PM doors.
Whet your aural whistle with some tracks from their self-titled debut LP which dropped earlier this month.
Crystal Castles - "Crimewave (vs HEALTH)"
Crystal Castles - "1991"
Crystal Castles - "Black Panther"
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
Review - Georgie James, Gary B & the Notions @ the Ottobar, Baltimore MD
While Stars were busy delivering their highly dramatized indie pop in downtown to a packed house at Sonar, the Ottobar crowd was relatively light for DC-based Georgie James' alternate approach to the genre.
But given the quality of Georgie James' performance and music, there should have been a more equal split between the two.
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Missing the Courtesy Line, I walked in for second openers Gary B & the Notions' hook-laden, retro-brand of pop rock. Very much sounding like Elvis Costello and even at times the Beach Boys, the songs are short and sweet and the Notions are tight as a sailor's knot. Well-rehearsed and veteran performers, they make some really catchy music. The bassist (ferocious, love the technique) and guitarist seemed to really have some chops, able to veer songs easily into the realm of punk. The only downside was that songs tended to be a little too similar. But I have a feeling that isn't for lack of diverse material in Gary's huge back-catalog, but rather a targeting of the set list to make the perfect opening set for Georgie James.
Georgie James is one of three gems formed after the amicable dissolution of DC's post-punk standard bearers (and personal faves) Q And Not U. Drummer John Davis took up vocals and guitar along with established singer/songwriter Laura Burhenn doing vocals and keys. The project, like the other 2, are logical extensions from Q And Not U. Georgie James explores the poppier side of things, sugar-coating the angular, twitchy guitar riffs from Q And Not U with copious amounts of harmonized male-female vocals and pop sensibility. Their sound is essentially an updated take on the ultra-sweet pop of the 50s-60s.
And resulting nougat of indie-pop goodness is nearly irresistible.
The guys were really on point last night, hot on the heels of some glowing SXSW press. Davis rained some laser-precision riffs down on the eager crowd, showcasing musical themes from his old band in both his guitar work and song structure/bridging.
Burhenn's vocals were lush and lovely. They add a highly textured, multi-layered facet to the sound (especially when harmonizing with Davis'). Set highlights included "Need Your Needs," "Places" and covers of Otis Redding and the Zombies' "This Will Be Our Year." Drummer James Canty (ex-Nation of Ulysses & Ted Leo/Pharmacist) did not disappoint with his stylish and tight work. Bassist Michael Cotterman is competent but bass lines aren't really the focus of GJ's repertoire so nothing really exciting happening there.
The only major critique for the airtight performance was the low-level of the vocals and keys in the mix. A predictably great show from one of DC's premiere artists; I don't need to tell you to keep your eye on them.
Photo credit Melissa Lawson, WashDC May 2007
Here are a few tracks from GJ and Gary B to whet your appetite. I whole-heartedly recommend you pick up GJ's debut album from last year, Places. It doesn't disappoint.
Georgie James - "Need Your Needs"
Georgie James - "Cheap Champagne"
Georgie James - "More Lights"
Gary B & the Notions - "Lori"
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Brother Ali @ The Ottobar
Writing about Brother Ali presents a problem. On the one hand I feel dwelling on his background undercuts his music; he even feared this, being so reluctant early on to discuss his race that some mistakenly reported him as African-American.
But on the other hand, an MC isn’t exactly a detached writer striving for Negative Capability. And as his career has progressed, Ali has been increasingly vocal about his Midwestern roots and what the region's artists have to offer compared to coastal hip-hop, as well as his race and background.
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So, quickly here are the Brother Ali factoids. He is a white Mid Westerner that raps, and by white I mean very white. In fact, Brother Ali is an albino, and legally blind as albinos tend to be. He is also a Muslim. I could speculate all day long how these factors may contribute to knowledge of outsider status and thus lyrics that are deeply introspective at times, but also full of braggadocio and ego.
Instead, let's look at his music. Ali's penchant for the "golden age" of hip-hop flavors his music with sound similar to oft-cited influence KRS-One and now-defunct and heavily old-school influenced Jurassic 5. He has a distinct, timeless-quality to his flow, a strong voice and great sense of lyrical timing.
His politically charged track "Uncle Sam Goddamn" has generated a flurry of press, including being featured as the August 2007 "Hip-Hop Quotable." The song has been opposed and criticized by many including the recording industry and most notably a cell-phone company that withdrew sponsorship, shortening part of Ali's tour.
The single "Take me home" has been received with less controversy, resulting in a music video in rotation at MTV. But how do I truly resolve the issue of Brother Ali’s music versus his press sheet bio? In the end, I’ll take the cop-out, and decide after his March 25 show at the Ottobar.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Born Ruffians + Cadence Weapon
This Wednesday at the Ottobar: Canadians Born Ruffians and Cadence Weapon as well as one of Bmore's sweetest, most keyboard-heavy indie-poppers Karmella's Game.
To get you excited for the show, here are a couple tracks off each artist's upcoming album (both to be released tomorrow). Check them out after the jump.
Poster from Monozine.
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from Red Yellow Blue
In search of the Youth Crew - Cadence Weapon
from Afterparty Babies
