I'M BACK IN THE COUNTRY
2010-06-04 21:56:59

It was a long vacation, and an even longer re-acclimation to home. While on the road, I had the pleasure of reviewing two separate bands, and here I will document my experience with them.

The first, and most importantly, chronologically speaking, is Sound Semantics. Why? Because their album, "At the Drop of a Hat," is coming out tomorrow at Work/Sound, along with a pretty impressive tour afterward. Here's some quick specs on the band: a two piece, usually just guitar, simple percussion or other noises, and two amazingly skilled singers. The style is something that, for a lack of over-explanation: has probably been done before (I'm looking at you, Elliot Smith). That's not to say its not worth listening to, as there are some things this band does right: the vocal control of Allie Silverberg is impressive, the melodies are unique-- so unique that sometimes its even hard to see how someone would craft such things. But they do craft such things--somehow. The drawbacks to this album was that it was so sparse, there is so little happening, that if you don't entirely like one quality of it, lets say-- the lyrics, or the melodies, the guitar parts, or the tones of the singers-- well, you're probably not going to like this record. And as neutral as a statement as this is: if it clicks, well, then it clicks, and you're going to listen to the whole thing and love it. If not, try picking up Elliot Smith. If you didn't like Elliot Smith, then you probably won't want this in your CD player.

Sound Semantic Space: http://www.myspace.com/soundsemantics

 

On another plane of musicianship, I was able to hear a two song EP from Van Go Lion. This is a two piece in an entirely different realm than Sound Semantics: electropop. Their sound is energetic, deep, and amazingly produced. It sounds kind of like a top 40's song that I haven't yet heard. The energy is there, I can almost see or feel it! There are moments where this band goes into a state that would make other 90's-pop-revivalist acts ashamed, as this EP accomplishes it incredibly well. By God, I can see a parallel universe where I am sitting as an eight year old next to my mom in our minivan in 1992, and I'm singing along to Van Go Lion as a child before I hit puberty, and my mom and I are both so happy. And we are driving back from getting milkshakes together. This band is something I want to hear more from.

Van Go Lion Space: http://www.myspace.com/vangolion

 

BRAINSTORM / PARDEE SHORTS / PRESCRIPTION PILLS @ BERBATIS PAN
2010-04-19 13:08:50

Friday April the 16th @ Berbatis Pan

Wow. If you didn't make it out to this show, you really should have. I know a lot of people say that about their show reviews, so let me ponder how to explain this to you precisely... should I use a bullet-point list? A pros/cons of what else you could have been doing, and why this show was so vital? A venn diagram?

Let me just say three phrases:

1) BERBATI'S PAN,

2) FREE,

3) ALL AGES.

I just hope that the over-agers drank enough to make this kind of event profitable for the venue, because THIS is the kind of stuff I want to go to this summer. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I'm just crabby, but the house show scene has lost its glimmer, and this brought me back to why I love Portland's music scene.

 

PRESCRIPTION PILLS

First time I ever saw this guy play, he was by himself, wearing a poncho, playing entirely un-mic'ed, but with a small amp playing drum samples from his iPod. It was most easily defined as folk music, speaking, from what I could decipher, about loss and wasting time. Now-a-days, Prescription Pills has a real drummer, way better sounding iPod-ized electronic backing, and a knack for yelling a-la Spencer Moody (too bold of a comment? I don't think so). These songs are huge, and its amazing the large amount of energy and music that can be made by just this. The songs are no longer folk induced, and speak now of the city and of urban nowhereness. They broke their drum kit, the lead singer spazzed out on and off the floor. He wore a leather hooded jacket, and I was inspired by the overarching abilities of performers to pull off a number of genres at the same time. This is electronic punk at its best, and when I heard that Guidance Counselor and Fake Drugs' record label "Old Wave" had set their eyes on Prescription Pills to release their upcoming album, it made me very, very, happy.

Photo from PRSCRPTN PILLS myspace

 

 

PARDEE SHORTS

You know what? Lets talk about mixing genre's. RIGHT NOW. I've never seen a 100% live band (no samples, no iPod stuff, just keyboards and drums) make my brain think so many things in a long time. Since, maybe. . . talkdemonic? Within an instant, this band can go from lounge/classical drumming and keyboard, to precise, mathy spasms, to epic build ups with desperate screams. A number of keyboardists could pull off the same effect here-- because the music can become so fast and so spastic that it is difficult to track. But after seeing this band live for the third time, I've decided that the precision, the energy, and the pin-balling of emotions that this band puts into their songs is something highly notable. Keep an eye out for Pardee Shorts, for I believe this is their summer to shine.

Photo from Pardee Shorts Myspace

 

BRAINSTORM

Another two piece wrapped this show up nicely. With amazingly talented drumming, keyboards, tuba, and guitar (that's two instruments per band member, mind you), these guys are captivating, energetic, and formidable. Plus, the drummer has a wireless/headset mic, so that you are dealt a double-whammy by two waves of vocals. There was chanting, there was low-pitched tuba drown-outs. Magic wizard carpets riding, was all I dreamt of after seeing this band.

Photo from Brainstorm's Myspace