Audio Visuals

Local post-punk quartet Shoplifting showed once again that not only are they an excellent-sounding band (minimal, bass heavy, with Rapture-like dance rhythms hitting at times), they also continue working hard to make their live performances memorable. Although I missed their Monday show at Dirty Feet, I'm told the band blindfolded audience members when they played, an experiment they claim didn't turn out quite like they hoped when a couple kids got rowdy. Tuesday at the Crocodile, though, the crowd kept its sight intact as Shoplifting accented their music with a slide show that varied between displaying lyrics ("My manifesto calls for the destruction of people like me") and photos of the band members in industrial areas. Shoplifting don't separate the personal from the political, and they intersperse songs about things like wanting to get fucked by Jean Genet with highly charged calls to stop sexual assault. Overall, they put on a great show and definitely seem to be becoming a deservedly buzzed-about band around town.

Wednesday, the Postal Service also gave a great performance, backed with cool visuals that included videos of microwaves and unicorns. The band--which features local boy Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie on drums/guitar/vocals, Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel on the electro-pop beat, and Jenny Lewis (who I heard once had a role on Punky Brewster) sharing vocals and instrumental duties--played for a sold-out, all-ages, enraptured audience that sang along and danced enthusiastically to every song. The energy definitely ran high, and Gibbard's and Lewis' voices complemented each other even better live than on record--especially when they closed with a humorous cover of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds."

Speaking of sold-out shows, though, I think the only time I've seen crowds at Zak's come close to full capacity was for the Fallout Records celebrations there, but Saturday night the A-Frames packed every last inch of the bar with their fans, some of whom were also there to see Sacramento's band of the moment, FM Knives. Although I liked the Knives' poppy punk, A-Frames really made the show, their songs about surveillance cameras, electronic currents, and electric eyes all putting unusual subject matter to great music. The trio celebrated the release of their second vinyl full-length, the highly recommended 2.

Local rockers the Earaches also have a new record out, Fist Fights, Hot Nights, and although I missed their show on Friday night, I like the disc a lot. With their slightly distorted vocals, greasy garage rock, and badass delivery, the band is a talented member of the local rock 'n' roll community, with sounds slightly akin to both the Gloryholes and Midnight Thunder Express (who have a new drummer again, I heard, and have a Comet show coming up on May 17th with Stagger Lee).

Faux German techno sluts Zeigenbock Kopf rocked Pho Bang at Re-bar last week to a packed house in an awesome display of pornographic kitsch (lyrically, at least). Armed with tight black underwear, blown-out bass, and a couple overwhelming strobe lights, the San Francisco foursome gyrated from the speaker cabinets and wound up on the floor. Afterward, frontman Hans Bunschlapen said the band probably wouldn't play the same city twice, so all in attendance that night got their one performance for their lifetime. The show--which included Portland one-man indie darling Panther--ended with the usual dance party mahem afterward, and was so much fun, it made me happy that drag divas Jackie Hell and Ursula Android work so hard to put on such an oddball night every month. I don't know any other city that has something as uniquely crazy (or crass) as Pho Bang to call its own, and we're really lucky that their good work has come together to cultivate such a dynamic freak show.

And what better way to close out an eventful week of shows than lying flat on your back listening to classic rock at a volume that neighbors would never allow. I'm talking about Laser Zeppelin at the Pacific Science Center, the perfect Sunday-night comedown, complete with fog machines and laser beams, dots, stars, squiggles, and a couple sexual innuendos, thanks to our laser artist of the evening, Xena. The kids with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pillows had it right--if you're going to be lying down in the Adobe Laser Dome under the spell of Zeppelin hits for an hour, a little comfort goes a long way.

jennifer@thestranger.com