CMJ » Maria Sullivan

Q&A: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Maria Sullivan — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:02:34 +0000

Photo by Stephanie Sian Smith

You might know of Orlando Higginbottom, or Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, because of his feather-filled headdresses. Or you might be one of the million-plus viewers who has checked out his video for “Garden.” His debut album, Trouble, is due out June 12 on Casablanca, and we recently sat down with Higginbottom and talked about dance music in America, his humanitarian efforts in the Congo and, yes, wearing headdresses.

What’s with the Aztec/Native-American-inspired attire?
I’m not really trying to do a Native American or Aztec thing. I have two headdresses out of the many that I’ve got that have been photographed a lot, which is why those feathery ones come up the most. That’s just chance that people picked up on things. With the costumes, it’s always just an aesthetic, a look. I’ve had fun, and I’m not thinking about it too much. The first costume I made was with my mom.–we made a dinosaur one-piece–and then I found a friend who got involved and helped make stuff. She mainly made dance costumes. I’ve never said it needs to be like this and this is the image I wanna put forward. That that is too camp or that’s too this. If it’s fun, I’ll wear it. It’s not about being trendy or in fashion. It’s definitely not about being in fashion. I wonder how I’ll look back on it in 20 years’ time.

It’s a little Lady Gaga.
She wears mad shit. She has worn some incredible outfits. My favorite thing that I saw was on an English TV show. She was sitting playing the piano. She was wearing this massive white dress. Halfway through the show, these wings just popped up, these massive things. She looked like she was going to turn into a butterfly. It was amazing.

You have a headpiece design competition on your website right now. Why did you decide to launch that?
I had a poster competition for my first U.K. headlining tour that I just did myself and I launched on Facebook and was like, “Does anyone wanna make me a poster?” I got like 150 posters sent in, and everyone really enjoyed it and enjoyed voting. So I thought, “Why not do a headpiece thing?” And this really cool talent house came in to kind of post it, and they supplied the prizes…dreamy, dreamy shit. They’ve got like a month to go. I’ve seen a few figures, and there’s a lot of people getting involved.

Do you get as strong of a response to your music in America as you do in Europe?
It varies form city to city, venue to venue. However, electronic music is going to blow up in America. The problem is that you will see something organic that has happened, people are finding it their own way. Now big companies are getting involved, and it will be force fed, and it will turn into something else. It will turn into a huge beast. It will just be massive. I don’t know if I will have anything to do with it. I don’t really care. Dance music in America will be as big as indie was 10 years ago.

I guess you could look at the recent write up in the New York Times about Ultra as evidence of that.
Exactly. When people with money see that, they go running.

Your involvement in the DRC Music project for Oxfam gave you the opportunity to work with Damon Albarn in the Congo. How did that happen?
That came about because my publishers are the same, and they knew about the project. There was a big list of people to contribute, and a lot of people couldn’t commit or wouldn’t commit or chickened out. As soon as I heard about it I was like, “OK, I gotta do this. This is gonna blow my mind in one way or another.” And it did. It was fucked up. I’m really happy with the project. I feel like it should have gotten a bit more press and been a bit more successful. It’s been a bit under the radar. But it was cool. I’m still kind of processing it. That was my first time doing a charity thing and first time in Africa.

What were some of the things you saw in the quick seven days spent making the album?
We were out there for seven days. We basically had six to write an album. We were either at the hotel or we were at the place where we were doing the writing, which was a French culture center. We had two studios set up and this big courtyard where all these musicians were being brought to and were setting up and playing, and we were recording and picking individuals out. There were overwhelming amounts of music and beautiful things. And at the same time this just complete poverty and corruption in the city, which was basically built on what felt like a landfill site. It was pretty dangerous. We never got out of the car. It wasn’t a holiday. It wasn’t a tourist trip. It was work and really intense and difficult. Everybody had points of extreme highs and extreme lows. We also got taken out to a few gigs like rehearsals in people’s houses. It was unbelievable. I’ve got recordings on a field recorder, but it’s not my music to show anybody. It’s for me.

In an interview with BBC Radio, you said that after your experience in the Congo, coming home and listening to music felt a little empty. How has that altered your technique?
I don’t know if maybe it has just made me appreciate what really good music is. Because I work in dance music, a lot of it is fucking simple. To the point of being pretty much crap. It’s just like bass line and drums and a silly little sample from somewhere, and sometimes that can be amazing, but sometimes it’s so simple that it’s completely void of any emotion at all. So I think it has just made me want to put more humanity and more emotion into my music. When I was out there it was like dudes playing homemade guitars, and there were like five guys singing and playing sticks of metal stolen from the sides of buildings. Just hearing how organic and real that was and sort of going back to mass-produced stuff on the computers with zero soul in it just felt pretty wrong.

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Q&A: Black Nature Of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars

Maria Sullivan — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:52 +0000

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars has just released its third album, Radio Salone. Since forming in 2002, the band has toured the world, has fled from Freetown to live in West African refugee camps in Conakry and, now, have been the subject of an award winning documentary. Film-makers Zach Niles and Baker White followed the Refugee Allstars for three years as band members Reuben M. Koroma, Black Nature, Mohammed Bangura, Francis John Langba, Ashade Pearce, Jah Son Bull and Makengo Kamara moved form camp to camp, shunted by the violence and unrest that has plagued the region. Through all of this change, their goals remain the same: educate and enlighten through the unified power of music. We recently had the opportunity to chat with Black Nature about the new album, the presence of radio in Africa and the tneth anniversary of the end of the brutal 11-year Sierra Leone Civil War.

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – Mother In Law by Cumbancha

“Salone” translates to “Sierra Leone” in Krio, translating the album title literally to “Sierra Leone Radio.” As Krio is spoken by the vast majority of Sierra Leone, what is the immediate message that the album carries?
A message of hope, peace, inspiration. We called it Radio Salone because Sierra Leone is a country that has been through a civil war and the only way people were hearing about it was through radio. At that time, communication was cut off, so radio was the only means of communication and receiving information. We relied on the radio. People around the country were hearing about the conditions through radio. So the new album is a way to hear about hope and peace.

How does the record celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War?
Releasing the alum at the same time the country itself is celebrating creates a very positive vibe. The band is like an ambassador for the country. Spreading the memories—both positive and negative—and celebrating the independence.

What are your memories of radio from when you were a refugee? What role does it play in Sierra Leone?
Radio was the only way that people knew about what was going on in the world. In a refugee camp, radio was very important. At that point, we were only communicating through radios and I was curious to know what was going on. I remember the rebel leaders we were all communicating with eachother through radios. I would hear about some of the horrible things going on in another part of the country at the same time. Other times it gave me hope to know people were living peacefully, steadily moving back into their homes. Overall, in the refugee camp, radio served as a good way for people to listen to music and just chill and forget about the moment.

Why did you decide to record your new album in Brooklyn?
When we were thinking about recording our third album, there was a lot of talk between us and our management, the people behind the machine. We wanted a change of pace, so we recorded with analog for third album. It sounded very different from the second album. [It] was produced by Steve Berlin, [of] Los Lobos. The guy had a great, unique sound. We sound different now in comparison. Now we have more of an old school rootsy feel like vinyl. It is the sound of more traditional music.

How does that differ from your experience in New Orleans with Cumbancha?
Recording in Brooklyn was more uncomfortable and really challenging for several reasons. We were all wearing like six jackets at once because it was so cold outside. We were also tired, having come off the road for a stretch of several months. The conditions in New Orleans reminded us of being in Sierra Leone; the food, music, people, were all very similar. Even the environmental conditions due to the natural disaster. Walking around reminded us of our own country.

How did you end up working with Victor Axelrod? What did he contribute to the recording process?
I met him when we came to New York. He is a very talented young man. Humble. He listens, is down to earth. When working with a producer we have to be a team. He has to listen to our ideas and we have to listen to his. That made the process go quickly and became really unique. We would go to the studio very early in the morning. having been on the road for six or seven months, we just wanted to relax. He gave us a lot of motivation and courage. We all did it, Axelrod and us together. We all made this happen.

Since you’ve been touring the world and recording in the United States, do you ever fear that your music has become less connected to your homeland?
I sometimes consider myself a citizen of the world because I left my country at a very early age I have been in a refugee camp, been around the world touring. That doesn’t mean I forget where I’m from. I miss the culture, people, food and language. At the same time, I try to make that the present that I live in universal and try to represent my country. People will learn from my culture and I learn form theirs. Home is always in my mind, I think about it all the time. I always feel connected to my roots, culture and people.

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Hear Passion Pit’s “Take A Walk”

Maria Sullivan — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:55:30 +0000

Passion Pit has given a little taste of their upcoming album Gossamer today with first single “Take A Walk,” a blooming serenade about a couple’s struggle to find domestic bliss. The opening track to the 12-song LP, set to be released July 24 via Columbia, is a wordy dance track that keeps in line with the anthemic ballads on the group’s last release, Manners.

“Tonight I swear I’ll come home and we’ll make love like we’re young/And tomorrow you’ll cook dinner for the neighbors and their kids/We can rip apart those socialists and all their damn taxes,” sings Michael Angelakos. The song shows Angelakos wasn’t kidding about the new album having a greater emphasis on lyrics. Stream the cheery track, below.

Take a Walk by passionpit

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Dive Changes Name To DIIV, Shares New Song “Doused”

Maria Sullivan — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:38:51 +0000

Photo by Nika Milano

Dive, the band of former Beach Fossils member Zachary Cole Smith, has changed its name to DIIV out of respect for the original Dive, the solo project of Belgium experimental punk artist Dirk Ivens.

“We’ve not been contacted by Dirk Ivens or his lawyers, but the short of it is that I don’t really give a fuck what the band is called,” says Smith in a press release. “I originated this project in a bedroom with no internet and didn’t know if it would ever leave the bedroom. ‘DIVE’, the word, was an element of what inspired the project in its genesis, but we’ve outgrown the name and its associations. The band is the same, the music is the same, the future will always be the same. A name is nothing.”

DIIV is Smith along with Devin Ruben Perez, former Smith Westerns drummer Colby Hewitt and Smith’s longtime friend Andrew Bailey. In honor of the name change, the guys have released the new track “Doused” off of their upcoming debut release, Oshin, due out June 26 on Captured Tracks. Stream the hypnotic bass-drenched track:

DIIV “Doused” by CTRACKSBK

DIIV also announced a few tour dates, including a show with Grimes to support Oshin and a tracklist. Find it all below.

Tracklist For Oshin:
01. (Druun)
02. Past Lives
03. Human
04. Air Conditioning
05. How Long Have You Known?
06. Wait
07. Earthboy
08. (Druun Pt. ii)
09. Follow
10. Sometime
11. Oshin (Subsume)
12. Doused
13. Home

Tour Dates For DIIV:
05/01 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick *
05/02 – Toronto, ON – The Shop Under Parts And Labor *
05/03 – Albany, NY – Valentine’s *
05/05 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge *!
06/23 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands (Record release show)
08/09 – New York, NY – RiverRocks At Pier 84 ^
* with Frankie Rose
! with Spectrals
^ with Grimes and Wild Nothing

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The Blow Set To Premiere New Material At East Coast Shows

Maria Sullivan — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:07 +0000

Musician Khaela Maricich and installation and sound artist Melissa Dyne, aka CMJ 2010 band the Blow, have been hard at work producing new material for their upcoming self-titled release, and they plan to reveal some of their new songs this month during five shows around the Northeast. Having deja vu?

Maricich had this to say about the long production process in a press release: “Producing diamonds with our bare hands might have been faster.” The two rented out their Brooklyn apartment and set to work in an Atlantic City hotel, a Poconos condo styled after a 1970s treehouse, a New Hampshire lakeside cabin, a Vermont Swiss-style ski chalet and now an LES recording studio for the final polish. The mini tour will kick off in Northhampton, MA, and end in Manhattan. Watch the Blow’s minimal teaser video from last summer for “Ask Me,” a demo off the upcoming release, below.

Tour Dates For The Blow:
05/10 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
05/11 – Portland, ME – Space
05/12 – Winooski, VT – Monkey House
05/13 – Providence, RI – AS220
05/16 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge

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First Aid Kit Headlines Tour This Summer

Maria Sullivan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:21:55 +0000

The folky Swedes of First Aid Kit are taking their thunderous young voices on the North American road this fall in support of their latest release, The Lion’s Roar. The band’s headlining tour starts in Rhode Island for the Newport Music Festival and wraps in Portland, OR. First Aid Kit will release the third single from The Lion’s Roar, “Blue,” digitally on June 26, a month before the tour starts, with a video being filmed this summer.

Watch First Aid Kit’s recent performance of “Emmylou” on Conan. Tour dates below.

Tour Dates For First Aid Kit:
07/28 – Newport, RI – Newport Folk Festival
07/31 – Pittsburgh, PA – Altar
08/03 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
08/04 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
08/05 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
09/25 – Ann Arbor – MI – The Blind Pig *
09/26 – Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall *
09/28 – Boston, MA – Royale Nightclub *
09/29 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza *
09/30 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall Of Williamsburg *
10/02 – Washington, DC – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue *
10/03 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel *
10/04 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre *
10/05 – Nashville, TN – 3RD and Lindsley *
10/06 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird *
10/08 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room *
10/09 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada Theatre *
10/13 – Dallas , TX – The Kessler Foundation *
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre *
10/17 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore Auditorium *
10/19 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre *
* with Dylan LeBlanc

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Hear Metric’s “Youth Without Youth”

Maria Sullivan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:10:43 +0000

The clever Canadian quartet Metric has released the first official single, “Youth Without Youth, off its upcoming album, Synthetica.

The premiere also features commentary by band members Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw in which they discuss the origins of the “’70s sleaze” drenched track as what started as a one verse story of “the decaying social state through the eyes of a depraved child.” The 70′s sleaze in the song is, according to Haines, “Always a good way to disguise any kind of political statement.”

“Youth Without Youth” follows the teasers released earlier this month. Stream the track and commentary, below.

Youth Without Youth by Metric

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New Tour Dates For The Hives

Maria Sullivan — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:26 +0000

The suit-wearing Swedes of the Hives are back in action this June with a new album, Lex Hives, due out June 5 on their own label, Disques Hives, and a just-announced North American tour. Their Coachella performances these past two weeks were heavy on the audience participation, so watch out for that at these upcoming shows. Check out their Jimmy Kimmel Live performance from last night that featured two new tracks, “Go Right Ahead” and “Wait A Minute,” below, as well as the tour dates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE2vhDBqWTU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuMlJoz49Qk

Tour Dates For The Hives:
06/19 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
06/20 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
06/22 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
06/23 – Boston, MA – House Of Blues
06/25 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
06/26 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
06/27 – Pontiac, MI – Clutch Cargo’s
06/29 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
06/30 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre

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Artists Remember Levon Helm

Maria Sullivan — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:41:27 +0000

Artists have been paying tribute to drummer Levon Helm, both in words and songs, since his passing last Thursday after a long battle with throat cancer. Helm was 71.

Former Band member Robbie Robertson visited Helm on the Sunday before his passing and shared these words on Facebook: “I sat with Levon for a good while and thought of the incredible and beautiful times we had together. It was heartwarming to be greeted by his lovely daughter Amy, whom I have known since she was born. Amy’s mother, Libby Titus, and her husband, Donald Fagen, were so kind to help walk me through this terrible time of sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sandy.”

On his own site, Bob Dylan wrote: “He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation. This is just so sad to talk about. I still can remember the first day I met him and the last day I saw him. We go back pretty far and had been through some trials together. I’m going to miss him, as I’m sure a whole lot of others will too.”

But the tributes weren’t limited to members of Helm’s generation. At Coachella, Bon Iver performed Band classic “Ophelia,” while the Black Keys and John Fogerty partnered up on “The Weight.” Both are playing below. Drive-By Truckers and Megafaun also performed “The Weight” at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC, and Trampled By Turtles covered “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” at D.C.’s 9:30 Club. The Felice Brothers and Diamond Doves also covered “Dixie” at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA.

Bon Iver: “Ophelia”

Black Keys with John Fogerty: “The Weight”

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Releases We’re After At Record Store Day 2012

Maria Sullivan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:32:33 +0000

The fifth annual vinyl-lovers’ holiday known as Record Store Day kicks off tomorrow, April 21, with plenty of in-store performances, give-aways and, most importantly, exclusive releases. To make your shopping less hectic, we’ve got 10 suggestions for you in each of these categories: RSD exclusive releases, RSD limited run/regional focus releases and RSD first release. But we warn you, we will call down the power of the mighty RSD ambassador Iggy Pop to smite you should you stand in the way between us and a last copy.

RSD Exclusive Release:
Animal Collective: Transverse Temporal Gyrus
Beach House: Lazuli B/W Equal Mind
James Brown: There It Is/Pass The Peas
Kimbra: Settle Down EP
M83: Mirror
Shabazz Palaces: Live At KEXP
Sigur Ros: Hvarf-Heim
St. Vincent: Krokodil
White Stripes: Hand Springs Red Death At 6:14
Xiu Xiu/Dirty Beaches: Xiu Xiu/Dirty Beaches Split

RSD Limited Run/Regional Focus:
Adrian Younge Vs. Adrian Quesada: Adrian Younge Vs. Adrian Quesada
Battles: Dross Glop 4
DJ Food And The Amorphous Andrgynous: The Illectrix Hoax
Gorillaz (Featuring James Murphy and Andre 3000): Do Ya Thing
Marco Benevento: This Is How It Goes
Neon Indian: Hex Girlfriend
Nicolas Jaar And 78 Edits: Mike James Kirkland: Luv N’ Haight Edit Series Vol. 1
Now Now/The Lonely Forest: Shifting/Woe Is Me
Oberhofer: Away From U
Portugal. The Man: Got It All

RSD First Release:
David Bowie: Mick Rock Tins
Death Grips: The Money Store
Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society
Iggy And The Stooges: Raw Power
Janis Joplin: Pearl
Lou Reed: Transformer
Odd Future: The OF Tape Vol. 2
Patti Smith: Horses
Paul Simon: Graceland 25th Anniversary
Uncle Tupelo: No Depression

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Hear Major Lazer Track Feat. Dirty Projector’s Amber Coffman

Maria Sullivan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:30:03 +0000

When Major Lazer, isn’t perfecting the latest dance sensation, daggering, the pair of DJs, Diplo and Switch, is apparently also collaborating with the Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman. The resulting track, “Get Free” is available here for the mere sacrifice of your e-mail.

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Listen To Album Teasers From Metric’s Upcoming LP

Maria Sullivan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:30:10 +0000

Metric unveiled the 11-song tracklist and album art for its upcoming LP, Synthetica, due out June 12 on Mom + Pop. The heady, synth-based album has two teasers, “Synthetica Reflection #006″ and “Synthetica Reflection #041,” both of which are posted below.

Tracklist For Synthetica:
01. Artificial Nocturne
02. Youth Without Youth
03. Speed The Collapse
04. Breathing Underwater
05. Drums So Real
06. Lost Kitten
07. The Void
08. Synthetica
09. Clone
10. The Wanderlust
11. Nothing But Time

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Jack White Confirms Tour Dates

Maria Sullivan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:33:30 +0000

Jack White has announced European and American tour dates in support of his debut solo album, Blunderbuss, out April 24 on Third Man/Columbia. White’s April 27 show at New York’s Webster Hall will be live-streamed as part of the American Express Unstaged series, and you can watch the Gary Oldman-directed broadcast here when White performs.

Watch the video of White playing “Sixteen Saltines” on SNL below, and check the tour dates for your chance to see him live.

Tour Dates For Jack White:
04/22 – Paris, France – La Cigale
04/23 – London UK – HMV Forum
04/27 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
04/30 – Los Angeles, CA – Mayan Theater
05/15-16 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
05/18-20 – Gulf Shores, AL – The Hangout Music Fest
05/19 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
05/21-22 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom
05/24 – Detroit, MI – Scottish Rite Theater
05/26 – George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival
05/27 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
05/28 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center For The Performing Arts (Silva Concert Hall)
05/30-31 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
06/21 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton
06/22 – London, UK – Hammersmith Apollo
06/23 – London, UK – Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend
06/25 – Amsterdam, NL – Heineken Music Hall
06/26 – Berlin, GER – Tempodrom
06/27 – Cologne, GER – E-Werk
06/29 – Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter
07/01 – Belfort, France – Les Eurockeennes
07/02-03 – Paris, FR – L’Olympia
07/05 – Hamburg, GER – Docks
07/20-22 – Dover, Delaware – Firefly Music Festival
07/27-29 – Niigata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival
08/03-05 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza

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Yukon Blonde, Library Voices @ Pianos

Maria Sullivan — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:19:21 +0000

Canadian based power-pop bands Library Voices and Yukon Blonde brought their distinct brand of apocalyptic young adult angst to Pianos Tuesday night. “This song is about the impending end of our life. Fairy dust and all that shit,” explained Library Voices guitarist Carl Johnson before blazing into “Party Like It’s 2012″ off the group’s 2010 release, Denim On Denim.

The seven-piece chanted together, “We find happiness through happenstance.” If the world is coming to an end anytime soon, these guys are ready. After some humorous banter, the members of Library Voices wailed into their new 7″ single “Generation Handclap,” an upbeat surf rock ballad. Lots of “oh-oh-oh’s” and staccato guitar riffs stood in sharp contrast to the pessimistic lyrics: “Well, we stand for nothing, sugar, it’s just generation drunk-text/Gonna love you like a cherub, gonna leave you like a lap dance/Oh, you wanna save it, oh, you wanna save the world.”

Yukon Blonde took the stage in denim shirts and black skinny jeans. The group’s peppy music described simpler times and provided plenty of harmonies. Hippy girls in the front row danced as Jeff Innes sweetly belted out, “You spent your adolescence with pictures on your wall/You loved your idols baby, you them all.” Of course, he was singing “My Girl,” a stand-out track off the band’s latest release, Tiger Talk. Finger-snapping simplicity continued through the set as the band explored a variety of power-pop textures and sounds reminiscent of The Cars.

“This is the first time we have had more than just the sound guy at Pianos,” said Innes, taking in the crowded room and the full dance circle. The “oh-oh’s” make a cameo appearance again on the upbeat single, “Stairway.” Innes sang, “I’m wishing, I’m wishing I could be home right now.” Throaty cries form the audience for one more song were drowned out by the house music as the dance pit slowly peeled away into the dark reality of the bar.

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Horrors @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg: April 9, 2012

Maria Sullivan — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:09:15 +0000

Critics have complained that the Horrors looks too emo, doesn’t produce enough of the idealized big venue Brit-rock sound or lacks top-notch lyrics, but last night, the band showed the audience at Music Hall Of Williamsburg that it’s still serious about composing post-punk rock, god dammit. The band’s skinny jeans and bleak facial expressions screamed of a sunless U.K. upbringing, yet, unanticipated, the instrumentals screamed back just as loudly. The set’s opener, “Changing The Rain” from Skying, showcased Faris Badwan’s harrowing vocals and stage presence; one leg up, two hands on the mic and a delivery that bashed the lyrics, “Gold is colder than ice/More is more than you can take/Open your eyes.”

Psychedelic “I Can See You” had Badwan shaking the mic like a rag doll while he sang, “Some people see you/To me you’re just see-through.” Rhys Webb, engulfed in his paisley button down, sneered the bass into Tom Furse’s shrieking synth layers. Joshua Third, who thankfully ditched the sky-high absurdity he called hair, wound his guitar into spaced-out riffs that bustled in “Scarlet Fields” off of Primary Colours.

The polite Brits said thanks and, “We love playing Brooklyn,” after nearly every song, and they ended the night with a three-track encore. Joe Spurgeon ferociously drummed into “Mirror’s Image” combating Webb’s manic fingering as Third ground out his riffs. After “Three Decades,” they finished with “Moving Further Away” as Badwan and Third taunted the amp, holding the mic and guitar up to it to finish off the night with a wave of distortion.

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