Gringo Star at Glasslands Gallery

If you paid close attention while looking at these photos you might get the impression that they are out of order. Rarely is anyone playing the same instrument in two consecutive shots. Honestly they might be a bit out of order, but the guys in Gringo Star really did switch instruments between just about every song. The bassist on one song played guitar on the next, one guitarist played keyboards for a few songs, and everyone sang. Only the drummer stayed put. Maybe he had a nice seat and didn't want to move?

Gringo Star have the jangly guitars and raw vocals of a garage rock band. They also have a sort of smoothness which takes some of the edge off. I suppose this could be called a pop sensibility but more likely comes from a 60s Mod influence. At times they remind me of The Kinks. They are also a 60's throwback is that they expect the audience to dance. In Brooklyn no less (how quixotic!) They're not crazy, though. Most of their songs are in fact danceable and even at this show a handful of people got into it. Right music, wrong audience I guess.

Posted: 1/19/2013 at 1:25pm     Tags: Glasslands Gallery  Gringo Star 

DIIV at Brooklyn Bowl

DIIV lead singer Zachary Smith seems to be quite popular with the ladies.  When he came out on stage all I kept hearing behind me was "Oh my God he's so cute!" and the like. Then DIIV started playing and before too long those lovestruck young ladies were displaced by moshing young men. As I heard the pitter-patter of their shoulders bouncing off my spine I thought to myself: "Dammit, I liked the girls better."

Mr. Smith looks a little like Kurt Cobain, and sure enough he has claimed in interviews to be influenced by Nirvana. His look might be, but musically I just don't hear it. The defining feature of DIIV's music seems to be a high-pitched guitar part, the opposite of Nirvana's deeper, metal-influenced sound. DIIV doesn't do the quiet-loud thing either. Their songs are pretty constant, and for that matter somewhat repetitive. There are subtle changes over the course of their songs but none of that aggressive stuff. Then there are the airy, indistinct vocals. Okay, maybe they have one thing in common with Nirvana but they remind me far more of a New Wave band, specifically British bands such as Joy Division, Flock of Seagulls (yes, really) and perhaps even The Cure.

Strange then that people were moshing to their music. There was a certain positive energy in the room, something those other bands I've mentioned were not really known for. Perhaps it is that high-pitched guitar part, floating over the room, soft and light, effusing us with a message "Not to worry, it's all right." Or maybe it was the fact that the band itself seemed to be having fun on stage. They certainly didn't spend all their time moping or staring at the floor. Whatever it is there is something about these guys which seemed to put everyone in a good mood, except of course for those of us who were busy receiving an amateur deep tissue massage.

Posted: 1/14/2013 at 11:00pm     Tags: Brooklyn Bowl  DIIV 

Ice Balloons at The Gutter

If you don't know anything about Williamsburg this might be a good place to start. See, there are a lot of art school kids around here making art and music and what have you so they have to try really hard to stand out. In theory that is what makes Williamsburg (and Greenpoint and Bushwick) such a great place for artists. Folks can't get away with lazily copying the latest trends or each other. They have to be distinctive. Whether or not this actually happens most of the time is a matter of opinion but the pressure to be original is strong. You absolutely, positively have to be different.

So anyway, Ice Balloons are a band with a giant fly for a lead singer.

If Ice Balloons were aiming to create a spectacle then they definitely succeeded. That's B. A. Miale way over on stage left controlling the projections. Add to that two vaguely gothick dancers (one dancing on a trampoline), strobe lights, a smoke machine and various costumes and you've got quite a vitual treat. Yet surely the most noteworthy thing I saw this evening was somewhat famous person Kyp Malone (from somewhat more famous band TV on the Radio) on the ground towards the back of the stage doing... something musical? With electronics? It seems they're making their most famous band member hide in a corner. Or perhaps I just didn't notice his Wizard of Oz costume?

Ice Balloons' music is super-fuzzy. I assume the vocals sound that way because the singer is wearing a mask with no obvious holes! The band's whole sonic aesthetic seems to follow his lead. Note for example that they have a bassist but no guitarist, growls but no screams. They have a heavy, consuming sound punctuated by bleeps and scribbles from the electronic keyboard which add tension to them music. It is neither high-energy indie rock nor mellow stoner rock but rather more like an unstable mixture of the two. Some songs drew me in, others not so much. It is an interesting musical fusion but not one which works every single time.

But these guys are certainly distinctive. Nooooo doubt about that!

Posted: 1/12/2013 at 1:05pm     Tags: B. A. Miale  Ice Balloons  The Gutter 

Wojcik at Bowery Electric

If I recall correctly the last time I saw Wojcik they were a two piece and the drummer was a fellow. That is to say that a different, male person was the drummer last time. The core of the band is lead singer and guitarist Hailey Wojcik who seems to be backed by a revolving crew.

Now the problem with having a revolving crew is that any given lineup hasn't practiced together so much. The first show with a particular lineup is a little like the first show by a new band. This was the first Wojcik show with this new lineup. While songs like Spidersilk and Wise Blood were solid enough to show what the band is capable of, a couple of other songs were awfully messy. They just didn't sound like a band which had been around for a couple of years. Because of course they haven't been.

Wojcik have plenty of heavy songs which sound like 70s hard rock, or perhaps like Kyuss and its descendents. Other songs are more atmospheric or even experimental. It is kind of hard to believe that the same band recorded "The Magician" (a typical Wojcik song) and "Phantom of the Lake". The latter sounds is the sort of minimalist number which a darkwave artist (The Black Heart Procession?) might put at the end of an album. They have incorporated field recordings into some of their songs, in the intros if nothing else, which is not exactly common among hard rock bands. Perhaps the band is still trying out new musical identities? That might explain the lineup changes too. At the very least they aren't "just" a hard rock band even if Hailey Wojcik does thrash away on her guitar every now and then.

Posted: 1/11/2013 at 9:40pm     Tags: Bowery Electric  Wojcik 

Mindtroll at Bowery Electric

Mindtroll are a strange, strange band. They remind me a lot of the B-52s or perhaps Quintron and Miss Pussycat (also strange, strange bands) but Mindtroll are somehow even more silly than those other bands. Wow, that takes effort.

Based on the outfits and banter between songs I'd say that Mindtroll are aiming for silly. The hard part is making good music. I have to say thaty for the most part they succeeded. Some of their songs are just ridiculously catchy. It is one day after the show and I still have some of the most absurd nonsense stuck in my head like "I'm a fancy boy, I shop at Williams-Sonoma!"

I had to Google Williams-Sonoma after hearing that song. Apparently they really do sell cookware. I honestly never knew that, or cared... until now.

Posted: 1/10/2013 at 10:09pm     Tags: Bowery Electric  Mindtroll