“People assume that the meaning of a song is vested in the
lyrics. To me, that has never been the case. There are very few songs
that I can think of where I remember the words.“
—Brian
Eno
The lounge at Showbox Sodo is dark, save for a few dim lights over
the bar. The majority of patrons have risen from their seats in the
back of the room and gathered aroundthe low-standing stage toward the
front. Even though the crowd can barely see the members of Sleepy Eyes
of Death through the thick cloud of fog—growing denser by the
minute thanks to the band’s overactive smoke machines—their eyes
are fixed forward.
An amp starts buzzing; a few fuzzy hums leak from a synthesizer; a
red light fades on, illuminating drummer Keith Negley, seated at the
front of the stage. Some distorted notes bleed from the guitar as a
yellow light reveals guitarist Cassidy Gonzales. Then the speakers go
boom—sharp percussion breaks through a haze of ethereal noise,
soaring guitar teases toward a climax, shadows dance in the smoke as
Andrew Toms and Joel Harmon, bathed in blue light, blast out cinematic
riffs on synth and keyboards.
The audience is mesmerized—hypnotically bobbing their heads to
the band’s pulse. When the song ends, there’s a beat of silence before
the room bursts into giddy ovation.
Sleepy Eyes of Death don’t have a frontman, but no one seems to miss
the instant connection that comes from having a lead singer with a
strong personality. In the swirl of fog and shifting red, blue, and
yellow lights helmed by the band’s visual guru, Brandon Lanich, the
band exist as part man, part machine. Silhouettes of legs blend into
instruments, which blend back into shoulders, necks, and heads.
Sleepy Eyes of Death aren’t the only local rock band experimenting
with wordless sounds and a dazzling visual show. A growing number of
Seattle musicians are taking the frontman-free route, taking cues from
national names like Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. Here are a few
more names worthy of
your attention:
Bird Show of North America
Personnel: Ian Peters (guitar), CJ Miller (drums),
Curtis Poortinga (painting).
Bird Show of North America paint pretty, gentle landscapes with only
guitars and drums. All their songs are named after birds: “Peregrine
Falcon,” “Greater Roadrunner,” “Great Horned Owl.” Their best songs
flow casually along and then burst into sunny, fast-paced, organic jams
that feel more improvised than rehearsed. When they play live, one
member of the band, Curtis Poortinga, stands to the side of the stage
and paints pictures of birds, which can be bought following the
show.
Bronze Fawn
Personnel: Jim Acquavella (drums), Bryce Shoemaker
(guitar), Steve Becker (bass), Dan Wilk (video jockey).
Bronze Fawn’s instrumental tunes jump from relaxing and fluid to
energetic and bouncy. Sometimes their constructions are heavy and
intense; other times, they feel weightless. Like Sleepy Eyes, they also
incorporate a visual aspect to their live show, expanding their bipolar
journeys with projections of odd vintage films of chicken farms and
grade-school playgrounds. “Lyrics tell you how to feel,” says Bryce
Shoemaker, the band’s guitarist, of their instrumental approach. “And
bad singers can really ruin good bands.”
Joy Wants Eternity
Personnel: Emory Liu (drums), Michael Sterling
(guitar), Rob Thompson (guitar, Rhodes), Salvador Huerta (guitar),
Daniel Salo (Rhodes, guitar).
Joy Wants Eternity are more melancholy than the other bands here,
even when their songs, like “Above the Clouds,” fight to be optimistic.
Their music has a classic loud/quiet/loud dynamic led by heavy guitars,
and their brooding sound has earned them comparisons to visceral
shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine. They keep the lights low during
their performances, sometimes projecting large images (mostly colorful
abstract light studies) on a screen behind them, and they’re almost
always joined onstage by a mannequin with wings, a TV for a face, and
glowing nipples. Seriously.
Panther Attack
Personnel: Joshua Grapes (guitar), Andrew
Grapes (drums), Kelly Mynes (guitar, drums), Jon Wiens (bass).
Panther Attack’s strongest feature is the bright, staccato guitar
that flutters through their rhythmic structures, but the band,
featuring two brothers, also have an abrasive side. On their new EP,
Sharp Moments (coming out in May), the band race through songs
that summon badass swagger via thrashing riffs and driving
percussion.
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert
Personnel: Brandon Salter (bass, programming),
Brian Woods (guitars, loops),
Michael Clark (percussion,
piano).
One of the few local instrumental acts that eschew any visual aids,
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert have a loose, atmospheric prettiness similar
to Bird Show’s, but their new material incorporates surprisingly solid
piano and concussive bursts of guitar. They just released a split
full-length with Virginia’s Gifts from Enola, called Harmonic
Motion: Volume 1, celebrating the CD release with a showcase of
Northwest instrumental bands that included Bronze Fawn and Panther
Attack. 
