The Octopus Project, Dios Malos and Starlight Mints
3 bands, 2 worth seeing, 1 really affordable ticket
The Octopus Project took the stage on Thursday night (5/11) at Dantes to open for the Starlight Mints and something became clear this was going to be a night of some trippy music. The band members pulled monster-looking dresses over their amp and speaker towers, already laced with strings of Christmas lights, to create creatures with mouthfulls of balls of light. The Austin-born bands brand of electro-dance over wailing guitars and rock drums is supplemented by whacky instruments like the xylophone and Theremin. As Yvonne Lambert fussed with her beat machine and synthesizer behind a waterfall of cords, I thought This night is going to be electronic!
Lambert is a striking female beauty. Her sleek cocktail dress and page boy bob, while hovering over her work station, are a pleasantly calming visual focus while her three male counterparts freak out on their guitars and drum set. The bassist had long bangs perfect for whipping them around dramatically. While guest guitarist Brandon Durham stayed in his corner of the stage, Lambert repeatedly switched places with her brother Josh on stage seamlessly, handing each other instruments and stepping around each other like a waltz. They rocked the song Exit Counselor. A driving guitar chug was laid down and they let out a clap clap that signaled the beginning of a rock out; sprawling guitars are under a fast electro-beat while a keyboard wanders around. It was just the beginning of the night but TOP set the bar pretty high the smoky, red aura of Dantes was just filling up with people, but the ones that came early were treated to high energy, quirky electronic rock.
Dios Malos, formerly Dios, took the show in a turn for the worst as the audience was rattled by TOP and waiting for the headlining Starlight Mints. Dios Malos rock is pretty simple and earnest. Guys with guitars, dirty clothes and unkempt hair, theyre very much a rock band. But they didnt seem to have it together on Thursday night. They are an acoustic guitar, a piano/keyboard, bass and drums. They struggled, at one point, with some technical difficulties and pretty much lost the crowd at that point. They werent into it to begin with and this was a good place to check out of their set and wait for the Mints. It just landed flat. Their music feels so nondescript; like a mix of a bunch of less-than-exciting rock bands in the vein of a Third Eye Blind or a harder Matchbox 20. The one remarkable aspect of their performance was the wild and energetic drumming, but then again the drummer looked like maybe his charisma was drug-oriented. Basically the keyboardist was probably doing coke, the lead guitarist on heroine, the vocals guy was a weedhead and then the drummer was on P.C.P. Thats why Dios sucked.
However, the Starlight Mints did not disappoint. For a $5 show, I guess its not that bad to sit through Dios Malos lackluster set. The Mints, hailing from Oklahoma which inevitably draws comparisons to their home-state pals The Flaming Lips, have recently released Browaton, a veritable pop-rock circus. Browaton is a follow-up to their 2003 release, Built on Squares, a slightly simpler rock album. Browaton is rife with production and includes strings and horns that really add to their sound. Theres something highly enjoyable about rock music with strings and horns. Im thinking of Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene or Stars here, but the Mints rock a little more than those guys.
Theyre good if theyre arranged well, Mints front man Allan Vest said of their strings. They havent been able to bring out their viola, cello and violin players so they just loop their strings with technology. He said he was thinking about figuring out a way to get ghosts playing the strings parts into their visual act. But with Browaton the Mints go toward new levels of an expansive psych-pop sound that is full of rich orchestration. And while you might think that would translate to an over-the-top stage show, their set was tight, energetic and they pulled out all the stops.
Their live show is supported by a hypnotic visual display made possible by a PowerBook that sat behind the keyboardist. Their set started out by churning out some of their simpler and more rhythmic first songs from Browaton. Pumpkin and Rhino Stop come to mind. The crowd responded in step. At this point most everyone in the room had left their tables and migrated toward the standing room in front of the stage. Some serious Starlight Mints fans shouted out requests of songs or sang along each lyric. Vest and his crew paid no attention and barreled through their set of tightly controlled, well-rehearsed rock.
Pitchfork doesnt seem to like Browaton, giving it a 7.1 out of 10, but they loved Built On Squares, scoring it a 7.8 and calling it the fun and catchy work of talented pop musicians, writing terribly interesting songs without compromising pop's essential, visceral lure. They did re-visit some of their Built On Squares tunes; the good ones. Brass Digger is a great romp in country-tasting rock supported by a harmonica and brass. Goldstar is an eerie space dream punctuated by strings and surreal lyrics. In fact, The Octopus Project and Starlight Mints, if youre in the right frame of mind, might have you believing that youve been to Mars and back before you go home for the night.
There were moments in the Mints stage show when you really felt like they were in it to win it together. Theyve got a circus vibe going on, and when they all pause at the same time for a dramatic silence (in which you cant wait to hear whats going to come next) and then crash back into rock mode you get a sense of this band as professionals. Theyve come to put on a show and it is nicely prepped and tweaked. Furthermore, their infectious use of la la la las will have you singing along even if you dont know any other words of the song.
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