indiemusik

Making a 10-minute megamix look like a cakewalk is something that talented DJs pull off well. Jimini Cricket blazed through her 10 minutes with a salvo of happy hardcore, setting the bar very high for the other competitors of the evening. Rob Noble started off with some Baltimore beats before moving into some booming tech house. Miss Shelrawka cut up the floor with dark, minimal tech tracks, but the judges took note of her records falling out of sync- she handled it like a veteran, cutting out the offending deck and taking a different turn in the mix. Props go to Jimini Cricket and Miss Shelrawka for taking the (analog) vinyl approach, I very much appreciate the extra lengths taken to assemble a vinyl megamix. WD4D brought an impressive set with one turntable on Serato Scratch(and no headphones!), edging his way into the finals. The other finalist, Kadeejah Streets, stitched together rock music, Duran Duran, hip hop and the Cure, broadcasting a mastery of depth and technical skills. Both of those DJs fulfilled the criteria of ‘megamix’ to a ‘t’. Or tee. The night left me so inspired as to work on my scratching technique(it’s getting there!) so maybe I’ll make it out for Battle of the Megamixes 2011…

Chatted with a good friend about the development of Animal Collective’s career, calling them the most successful and most dishonest and fake indie rock band. I wouldn’t disagree with Animal Collective’s decision to move towards more textural and ambience- I think that they, along with Black Dice and Ariel Pink are moving indie into more sonically exciting territory- there’s something to be said about their earlier records. When the band traded in their yelping and howling and chaotic sound attacks, they lost a little bit of that immediacy, that raw, emotive angst that was so attractive and alluring to me, as a fan of noise music. Hearing Merriweather Post Pavillion, it seems like the denial of those rebellious tendencies is dishonest- maybe the band has grown up and my development was arrested, or I’m nostalgic for my own childhood, one that chillwave does not fulfill.

Black Dice though, are completely uncompromising in their assault. They continue to excite me with their creative output.

Black Dice – La Cucaracha, from “Repo”

Black Dice – Scavenger, from “Load Blown”

Black Dice – Street Dude, from “Broken Ear Record”

Download Black Dice – La Cucaracha
Download Black Dice – Scavenger
Download Black Dice – Street Dude

I made it out to the Skylark Cafe last night – at first, I thought I walked into a Sounders FC Club after party, judging by the disproportionate number of green t-shirts in attendance! About 10 minutes later, the Angry Orts took the stage, their first Seattle appearance on their 4 day tour of the Pacific Northwest. The lead singer Sara Wiltshire sang with such urgency and volume, like a rallying call to the dance floor. Her joints would lock, then swing freely in congruence with drummer Matthew Hernandez’s kicks and crashes. The live show is dynamic and unassuming, in the grand tradition of punk rock music. The Orts condense their punk rock songs into pop songs you can dance to, and the immediacy was powerful enough to bring the comatose crowd to their feet. I eagerly anticipate the release of their new record this fall.

Fancy Bandits played next, dolled up in coordinated strapless tops and dresses, like a troop of gypsy sirens. Opening song “Emily’s Girl” aspires to the theatrics of the cabaret but it rolls out more like a carnival funhouse at the state fair. The chords on the keyboard ebb and retreat, carried out in default electric piano tones and presets; the song resides in memory, unfortunately much longer than it’s welcome. The frustrating part about the performance by Emily West(drums), Gina Kontur(bass) and Veigh was that their live performance lacked any sign of life. Watching Fancy Bandits, one can’t help but cringe at the feebleness of their delivery. The music and songwriting of Fancy Bandits is the greatest albatross of them all. The fact that their songs are encumbered with multiple verses and refrains doesn’t help but reinforce how much discomfort they bring.