Scouting report: A match-up featuring two East
Coast indie acts with a whole lot in common, even past their obvious
proclivities toward seizure-inducing cover art. There’s a professional
connection, as both bands’ releases were produced by TV on the Radio’s
modern mastermind David Sitek. And, they both share a bill Tuesday night at Union Pool as part of the CMJ Festival, with the Dragons at 10pm and Celebration batting clean-up at 11. Alas, this is where the comparisons end.
I agree that it’s typically really annoying when bands contrive new
words to describe their own sound, but damn if the term “Afrotek”
doesn’t fit Dragons of Zynth to a tee. Or at least it’s more fitting than any combination of actual
words. Essentially, expect a jaunty stew of tight-but-chaotic beats,
eerie choruses, scratchy samples, some heavy riffage and a generally
detached sense of stoned lunacy. Think Bad Brains meets Sun Ra meets,
well, TV on the Radio. Yeah, i prefer “Afrotek” too, slightly. They
bring their debut, Coronation Thieves, to the game.
As for Celebration, my exposure to this band thus
far has consisted solely of their shrill, unconvincing turn in the hot
sun of the Siren Festival 2006 (a milieu, admittedly, that has sent
many a buzz band crashing back to earth). Throw in the fact that they
don’t have a bass player (and i’ll be ecstatic when that awful trend
finally dies) and, as a result, i’ve basically spent the last two years
attempting to deny their existence. Plus, i was no fan of their previous band, the calculated goth act Love Life, and they at least had a bassist. The Modern Tribe is their second record, and their first i’ve endeavored to listen to.
First up: Coronation Thieves
- War Lover (2.28) | BALL, 1-0
- Breaker (3.38) | Punchy, frenetic. | HIT, one on
- Get Off (3.52) | STRIKE, 0-1
- Who Rize Above (6.36) | Like Sabbath, but think they’re too slow? Do i have a tune for you. | HIT, two on
- Take It to Ride (4.04) | Awesomely unhinged, yet still hooky as f*ck. | DOUBLE, two in, one on
- Funky Genius (2.56) | It’s poetry-slam time! | STRIKE, 0-1
- Anna Mae (4.47) | Breathtaking. | HOME RUN, 2 runs score
- Rockin Star (4.12) | Good god. I’m listening to this in headphones and i almost passed out. You “soundscape” fans can take your Radiohead records and shove ‘em up your ass. | DOUBLE, one on
- Labor Day Lung (4.42) | And the Grammy for Best Song Title goes to … | STRIKE, 0-1
- Closer (8.31) | STRIKE, inning over.
Coronation Thieves establishes the sound
early and quickly, spends the middle of the line-up throwing you a
steady diet of huge sonic curve balls, before eventually devolving into
formlessness. Yeah, so the wheels come off at the end, it was still a
hell of a ride. For Dragons of Zynth, 4 runs on 5 hits, none left on.
Next up: The Modern Tribe
- Evergreen (3.41) | This kinda reminds me of that Yeah Yeah Yeahs band all the kids are talking about. | BALL, 1-0
- Pressure (5.28) | STRIKE, 1-1
- Heartbreak (4.39) | Surprisingly pleasant thus far, but little else. | STRIKE, 1-2
- Pony (3.37) | “Pony”? For Christ sakes. On the plus side, a refreshingly annoying tune. | HIT, one on
- Fly the Fly (3.43) | The band has officially woken up. | BALL, 1-0
- Tame the Savage (4.29) | STRIKE, 1-1
- Hands Off My Gold (3.20) | Okay, who invited the horn section? | STEEEEERIKE, 1-2
- In This Land (4.02) | I think i get the point. | STRIKE 3, OUT
Gets better - or at least more alive - as it goes along, but
seriously, this is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with an organ. That description
alone is probably enough for most, so if that sounds like your bag of
tangerines, go for it; it certainly succeeds on its own terms. Me, i'm still not buying it. For Celebration, no runs on one hit, 3 left on.
Okay, so there you have it: if you are willing to shoehorn yourself
into the back room of Union Pool tonight, you will be rewarded with at
least some memorable music. Your final today, Dragons of Zynth 4, Celebration 0. Stay tuned for more Indie Rock Baseball.
MP3: Middle Distance Runner - The Sun and Earth
What a long strange week it's been. During CMJ, I saw a total of 17 bands in five days. My eardrums are shattered, my wallet is empty and my eyelids are heavy. Before I pass out, here's a recap of the bands I saw this week:
As you probably know, the 
This year, New Zealand proved to be a breeding ground for fun lovin' rockers (see: 
