Simian Mobile Disco @ Highline Ballroom w/ pics

April 23, 2009

Thursday night found Messieurs James Ford and Jas Shaw bringing their British brand of minimalist electronica to the Highline. Though their ascent, and hype, in the electronica scene has paralleled that of French duo Justice (they also like to remix each other and release albums on the same day while sounding completely different), they are decidedly geeky and focused in concert, eschewing the rock-star pranks the Parisians flaunt so effortlessly.

Instead Ford’s mass of curls sometimes bobbed along to the beat but more often scrambled over and around a giant console of knobs, wires and switches that dominated the center of the stage. Watching the duo scurry around their unit, like mad-scientists tweaking their gizmo as it pulsates with life, elicited images of Raymond Scott composing on his storage-unit sized synthesizers.

Though the Highline is innately clubby (note the mood lighting and lounge-inspired elevated seating areas) much of the crowd was listless and observant. It may have been the bland opening DJ sets by JDH and Dave P, but any excitement for SMD didn’t seem to carry over. Such a noncommittal vibe was partially excusable, though, as SMD’s set was expected, with an emphasis on the Attack Sustain Decay Release catalogue. Such predictability sucks the fun out of concerts, but so does an uninspired crowd. It was unfortunate the show lacked the type of track that is capable of lifting a performance to new heights, instilling a sonic souvenir that endures and is forever associated with the band, but the dull crowd was equally a bummer.

This anticlimax was sort of surprising as Shaw praised the live performances of Jamie Lidell in a recent musicOMH interview, citing them as a model for artists. I’ve had the privilege of seeing Lidell—at the Highline as well, coincidentally—and there is a huge distance separating the two groups in terms of performance. Lidell commands the stage, his band and audience with flair, while SMD, more or less, is all fish-bowl effect, like watching surgeons in an operating amphitheatre. Unless everybody brings their dancing shoes, it can be a disappointment.

Blinded by the Pillz

Em, you be da man! Well, if I was a delusional and desperate right-wing crony that's how I would put it at least. But seriously, the cover art is solid. It's earnest, blunt but obvious, and flows well--much the same things I love about his records. Some are crying controversial though. Really? I'm surprised Eminem can even still elicit controversy. Hasn't he exhausted it by this point? Wouldn't it take something truly outrageous, like beating a Rihanna look-alike or pirating a music industry ship on the cover, to register on anybody's radar? Regardless, the Million Little Pieces rip off is solid and (dare I say?) classy. The real question remains: is the album any good?

Recent Acquisition = Company of Thieves, Ordinary Riches

A debut album is a terrible thing to waste. Musical first impressions couldn’t be more important for today’s fickle consumers—just look at the aftereffects of SXSW. So when a musical introduction is anything less than stellar, why wait around for seconds when there’s an all you can eat buffet always beckoning?

The same goes for a first impression that’s live, in person, before your eyes and ears, right? Wrong. Or at least I was.

The thing is I stumbled across the rising Chicago band Company of Thieves at last fall’s CMJ Marathon at the Bowery Ballroom and I was impressed. Juxtaposed with the underwhelming and average sounds of so many other groups Company of Thieves had a well-balanced and mature sound. Their songs seemed refreshingly melodic in that traditional rock ‘n’ roll way—and they weren’t another Brooklyn delegation by hailing from Chicago. I remember being impressed by guitarist Marc Walloch’s playing and densely rich tone and mesmerized by singer and ringleader Genevieve Schatz’s flower-child ethos and effortless singing. Surrounded by competent players they formed a tight sound and became a relatively positive footnote in the long hazy festival.

Company of Thieves @ Bowery Ballroom...





So imagine my surprise when I listened to their debut from Wind-up records, Ordinary Riches. Familiarities of the band I saw last fall protrude in places (Walloch’s vibrant guitars and Mike Ortiz’s precise drumming) but it seems to have been almost entirely displaced by a desultory band and sound. Most notable (and detrimental) are Schatz’s precarious and trite vocals; what I thought was a centerpiece that complimented the group became its albatross.

Lets begin, at least, with the best tracks. The laid-back tone of “Even in the Dark” gives Schatz’s voice a fighting chance, enabling the song’s soothing melody to linger. The song’s defiant message (“gotta find your calling/ Even in the dark”) was all the more moving this way.

“Oscar Wilde”—the designated single with a late night performance to boot (Last Call with Carson Daly)—gets off to a running start with catchy contrapuntal guitar riffs and an up-beat rhythm. Cunning is the onomatopoeic quality of the line “We are all our own devil” during each chorus, making it the strongest line of the song.

“Pressure” stands out as the only track where Schatz takes any sort of control over a song—though, again, it really only happens during the chorus. This is the album’s recurring problem.

On “Old Letters” a brooding, promising, Fiona Apple-type intro welcomes us, but, almost instantly, Schatz’s vocals are airy and weak, pushing out more air than sound (not unlike a John Mayer ballad). Then the album’s second recurring problem makes its way: there are too many meandering melodies. Productive bands always face this dilemma but the best ones effectively pare down their music to its most fundamental, and alluring, components. This is something Company of Thieves could learn.

“In Passing” demonstrates the above two problems well. Schatz’s thin voice nearly vanishes on the “O” sound when she sings “’round”. Later an ill-timed Latin bridge sounds forced, but its reprise is better placed and more fully realized.

After a blatant Steve Miller “Swingtown” rhythm part on “Under the Umbrella”, and a five second pause after hard-strumming chords, Walloch seizes the spotlight with an extended outro lick that evolves into a chorus of “na-na-nas”. But again, the outro is sonically unrelated to anything else going on in the preceding song, or album, and just seems like a means of giving Walloch free-reign over lots of improvisational space.

Overall, the lack of great melodies or compelling vocals leads to tedium. Good harmonies and arrangements can’t carry an album on its own, even if the frame outshines the painting.

It’s a shame that only glimpses of Schatz’s total vocal potential, which is consequently tied to the band’s, are present. More often than not her voice is breathy in that way that so many female vocalists think is seductive or emotive. Instead her voice is flat and tenuous, only rising to the front of the songs when mandated by the volume of a particular chorus.

If Company of Thieves could convince Schatz to sing with a leading voice and focused its melodies it might become the band I thought I heard six months ago.



STATS
artist: Company of Thieves
album: Ordinary Riches
label: Wind-up Records
US release date: February 24, 2009
IMHO? 32/100

on repeat = Sabali

Simply put, this song is perfect. For me it’s all about balance and “Sabali” is all over that shit. Not too long, not too short; not too sentimental, not too blasé; not too heavy, not too light; not too fast, not too slow; not too old, not too new etc. etc. But it’s the way it all comes together that makes the track. You begin with this a Capella intro with some subtle string, after which you get this gorgeous intro and melody established (with just the right amount of beeping Nintendo accents). Finally, after you’ve practically resigned to the fact that this is one of those songs, one that doesn’t need a beat to make its point, the perfect beat comes in at the perfect moment taking the song to the next level. The second half just revels in the delight of all these perfectly complimentary elements coming together, then literally says “bye-bye” before your senses are fully satiated--which would be a frustrating tease if you couldn't ceaselessly play it on repeat.

The Presets, The Golden Filter @ Webster Hall w/ pics

April 3, 2009



The Presets and The Golden Filter represented opposite ends of the disco spectrum in terms of volume, tone and intensity Friday night. Disappointingly, I only caught the very tail of Golden Filter’s set, but, from what sparse recordings I have been able to get my hands on, their disco is a nod towards the era of roller-queens and hazy, hedonistic, introspection. Which isn’t to say it was too light. Their beats were sugary but prodding, propelling their songs to desirable places.

By contrast The Presets devoted themselves to a dark, grimy and almost painfully loud electronica. Its completely minor soaked chromatic melodies were macabre and aggressive (that would be the “Apocalypse” part of their recent release Apocalypso), but the crowd seemed to thrive on the redundancy of their structure. Thankfully Kim Moyes’ periodic live drumming added a captivating live dynamic whilst Julian Hamilton, in his levitating white blazer, proved a competent and consistent singer. In fact he was practically a young Rod Stewart on stage, running between his keyboards and center stage to strike theatrical profiles. Their best tracks were their first and last, proving they’re apt at closing and ending shows—it was the meaty part of the set that was lost on them. “Kicking and Screaming” was a dramatic beginning as was the segue into “My People”. Ending with “This Boy’s In Love”, their best song, they then came full circle with a massive “My People” reprise.

the Presets...