From the Nov 20 – Nov 26, 2003 issue

Music

Up & Coming

THURSDAY 11/20


T. RAUMSCHMIERE, MODULE, SAMUEL KIRKLAND, NORDIC SOUL
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 53.

SNITCHES GET STITCHES, AFTERGLOW, SOFA
(Hell's Kitchen) There's an argument going on in Snitches Get Stitches' snarling punk lyrics, and it's not about who's the rat in the bunch. It goes on within the songs, between various vocalists delivering their lines with disgust in a throaty montage of aggression. But then, just when the fight seems to be over, one singer takes center stage and lays down the crux of his contentions all over again, starting up the squall with a fisticuffs call-and-response and a backing dust cloud of noise. The band channels a Drive Like Jehu-like thirst for adrenaline through a hardcore punk delivery, creating an interesting dynamic that I imagine sounds equally terrifying and entertaining live. JENNIFER MAERZ

FRIDAY 11/21


DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, NADA SURF, THE CATCH
(Showbox) See preview, page 39.

JUNIOR SENIOR, IMA ROBOT, UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA
(Crocodile) I want to discard Ima Robot, to dismiss them for so blatantly stealing from both past and present (elements of Duran Duran, Devo, and Hot Hot Heat abound in their songs). But then a song like "Dynomite" comes on and it feels like the fuse that will bring the party its next big bang. Yeah, they're highly stylized (and, yeah, they have the boost of Beck's rhythm section), but their synth-pop comes down heavily on the pop side of things, and live their jittery-throated frontman will make you giddier than a six-pack of Sparks. The L.A. band is in great company tonight too, when local dance pranksters United State of Electronica join forces for an international ass-movement team alongside Denmark's Junior Senior. JENNIFER MAERZ See also preview, page 39.

THE HOLLOWPOINTS, RABID DOGS, AXES OF EVIL, MURDOCK
(Fun House) Even as they tour relentlessly and gear up for the January release of their Annihilation CD-EP on Dirtnap Records, the HollowPoints still have the energy and enthusiasm to pull off the kind of two-shows-in-one-night madness they'll be engaged in this Friday. Stop by their late-night, drinkin'-crowd show at the Fun House for an earful of the rawer, more menacing turn they've taken as of late, but make sure you also check out Rabid Dogs, who resuscitate the corpse of Dead Boys/Stooges proto-punk with the aggression and energy (and fashion sense) of longtime local streetcore veterans (and singer Brian Rabid's coyote swagger and mouth-full-of-broken-glass howl). It's also worth stopping by early for the full-speed-ahead, early-Bad Religion-influenced poli-punk of Axes of Evil. BILL BULLOCK

PLACEBO, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
(Graceland) Until a couple of years ago, Placebo was a dead-sexy band. Singer Brian Molko's andro-gynous looks and penchant for wearing skirts was H-O-T, making it easy to ignore the fact that his singing voice was not unlike that of Geddy Lee. Placebo's tribute to friendships with women, "Pure Morning," off 1998's Without You I'm Nothing, was a hot-pants standout single, and the spring-2003-released Sleeping with Ghosts adds a heavier energy to the band's glam sound, but now it's all just so ruined. It's impossible to forget the image of Molko in the Crocodile's ladies' room with a desperate fan. KATHLEEN WILSON

THE BRIEFS, THE STUCK-UPS, THE MINDS, SAVAGE LUCY
(Vera Project) We'll take as read that the Briefs kick ass. You should likewise already know that the Stuck-Ups bring the high-quality DEVO-locity in heavy helpings, but an added attraction in this case is that apparently their current incarnation (my personal favorite of their numerous lineups) is not long for this world, so catch it while you can. Happily, they have spawned and nurtured obvious progeny in the form of Savage Lucy, whose insouciantly exuberant piss 'n' vinegar is always a joy to behold. The real hidden gems of this lineup, however, are the Minds, a Portland band who seamlessly bridge the gap between the neon-hued, keyboard-driven now-wave of bands like the Epoxies and Stuck-Ups and the gritty, hip-shaking soul-punk of the Gloryholes with songs that positively staple themselves inside your ear and a ferociously fun live show. BILL BULLOCK

SATURDAY 11/22


DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, NADA SURF, SMOOSH
(Showbox) See preview, page 39.

THE DARKNESS, BILLY TALENT
(Studio Seven) See preview, page 41.

DOLOUR, VERTIBIRD, THE SHEETS, THE NERVOUS RETURN, LIFE IN BRAILLE
(Mars Hill) See Underage, page 55.

ANTIBALAS AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA, KID HOPS
(Chop Suey) In the '70s, the musical genius and political activist Fela Kuti (who died in 1997 from AIDS) created a big African sound that matched the funk of James Brown with the passion of Nigerian Afropop. His songs lasted 20 to 30 minutes, involving a galaxy of performers who orbited the artistic soul of the usually bare-chested Fela Kuti. Though the subject of his songs tended to be grim (the consequences of colonial rule, army brutality), the music was as bright and packed as a block party. After Kuti there is Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. With this 15-piece band, whose wonderful CD Talkatif was released early this year, Lagos meets Brooklyn. More social than personal, more outside than inside, more flesh than spirit, the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra is definitely not like Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Arkestra, which was too experimental and intellectual. AAO is dedicated to the basics of the groove, the immediate needs of the body. If you want to dance and lose yourself entirely in the blazing tropics of horns and conga drums, there is no better place to go than Antibalas. CHARLES MUDEDE

EVANGELINE, CHRISTOPHER BLUE
(Cafe Venus) Evangeline don't need to show off, though they could. Chris Cline is a fine guitarist in full control of his axe, but his licks are spare and lyrical. Jennifer Potter's crystalline pipes service the song, leaving the emblematic gymnastics to less tasteful vocalists. With their big, warm chords, small-town twang, and the gentle peal of pedal steel, the "alt-country" tag is inevitable, but Evangeline invest their songs with the sincerity and grit it takes to cut through the hokum. Love sours, dreams fail, and then the sun comes out just long enough to illuminate the empty corners. FRED BELDIN

ARAB STRAP, GUESTS
(Graceland) Bands from Scotland (most beautifully, the Delgados) have a way with making sadness into truly beautiful songs, demonstrating the difference between small, brittle acoustic-guitar sadness and big, swollen so-sad-it's-almost-kinda-funny sadness. Arab Strap's 1998 release Philophobia is one of those swollen albums, the kind that makes you feel better about your life for a song or two until one comes along--and it always does--that kicks you in the soft spot, leaving you with another purply-green bruise. KATHLEEN WILSON

SUNDAY 11/23


ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS, THE CATHETERS, MIMINOKOTO
(Graceland) See preview, page 42.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, GUESTS
(Showbox) See preview, page 39.

HOLY GHOST REVIVAL, THE PHARMACY, THE WILD HAIRS, GUESTS
(Sunset Tavern, early) See Stranger Suggests, page 29.

MONDAY 11/24


SAUL WILLIAMS, PIECE
(Graceland) As my background in poetry is very European and stuffy, the only comments I can offer in the way of a review of Saul Williams' new book, ,said the shotgun to the head. , would undoubtedly offend the spoken-word crowd--whom I have nothing against and prefer to stay on peaceful terms with. Let me just make one small point, though, which is that Saul Williams is better heard than read. For example, his performance on the title track of Krust's 1999 CD, Coded Language, is spectacular--an explosion of raw emotion with the debris of popular political fictions and Zinn-like people's histories flying in every direction. This living power could never be translated into the desiccated language of a book. To make up for the significant loss of energy, Williams, it seems, has to use a lot of crazy capitalized and bolded words to represent the moments when he is loud or orgasmic. Rather than the book, I recommend you spend your dough on the show, which, by the way, was supposed to have happened last month but was rescheduled to this date due to a personal tragedy suffered by the most famous slam poet in the world. CHARLES MUDEDE

TUESDAY 11/25


SLAYER, HATEBREED, ARCH ENEMY, five foot thick
(Moore Theatre) See Stranger Suggests, page 29.

SONDRE LERCHE, RACHAEL YAMAGATA
(Crocodile) Isn't it wonderful that chamber pop is common these days? There was a time, back in Ye Olde Days of the mid-'90s, when bright pop lovers had to mine the past or sidestep the ass-backward religious beliefs of Eric Matthews in order to get a modern fix. Norwegian man-boy Sondre Lerche hit the sweet spot with 2002's Faces Down, a swoony collection of '60s-influenced pop tunes that vary in style--at times you can hear his fondness for the Beatles. KATHLEEN WILSON

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, THE BLACK PANTIES, THE NEW MEXICANS
(Graceland) The Brian Jonestown Massacre used to be kind of a joke in their hometown of San Francisco. The band of fashion victims would fight, break up, and generally deconstruct onstage, inviting their heroin-chic stand-ins to shake tambourines in a hazy stupor, generally making a spectacle of themselves as a giant mess dedicated to subpar, stylish shoegazing rock. With their latest release, And This Is Our Music, TBJM at least add more substance to their sound. Still addicted to getting loaded in their lyrics (sample song titles: "Prozac vs. Heroin," "You Look Great When I'm Fucked Up"), they float in the surreal, psychedelic fog Spiritualized discarded, a trail of heavily orchestrated rock that leaves colorful trails behind every riff. Live, they should still be a spectacle to behold. JENNIFER MAERZ

AMY BLASCHKE, THE TREES, TOMO NAKAYAMA
(Showbox Green Room) Amy Blaschke's self-titled debut on Luckyhorse Industries is a deceptively simple-sounding cache of pretty, introspective songs. Sparsely accompanied by Minus the Bear's Erin Tate on drums and James Bertram (Red Stars Theory, 764-HERO) on bass, Blaschke's tunes shine, translated better here than in her earlier solo acoustic shows. KATHLEEN WILSON

WEDNESDAY 11/26
I might need a sedative.

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