Rockness Recommends
Insound presents: Pelican, Shout Out Out Out Out, Walter Meego, The Black Lips and Apes & Androids
March 7, 2007
Insound always throws killer parties. And this one is no exception. Apes and Androids, The Black Lips, Walter Meego, Shout Out Out Out Out and Pelican represent the finest line-up in the land. You can dance. You can rock. You can dance-rock. This is going to be one helluva show!
Pelican rules! Instrumental, forceful and somehow melodic, think of these Chicagoans as an angrier Mogwai, or Explosions in the Sky on Andro. Pelican play repetitious, almost trance-like, guitar riffs that steadily build into a euphoric atmosphere of hardcore noise with the most subtle trace of pretty guitar lines floating over the top. With driving, precise rhythms that tread the fine line between melody and dissonance, they ward off the instrumental band curse of monotony. And the best thing about Pelican; they're interesting.
Now this is what a live band should be: two drummers, four bass players, two samplers and five synthesizers. Toronto's Shout Out Out Out Out were one of my fav-fav-favorite bands at last year's CMJ festival. It was amazing to watch the passive crowd perk up and congregate around the stage once these guys began to play. Before I knew it, the whole place was a sweaty mess. These six dudes rock exciting and energetic electro pop. Shout Out Out Out Out relies exclusively on vocoder vocals, which reaffirms that before anyone did anything, Cher and the Transformers did everything. They have a hard-to-find record out called Not Saying, Just Saying which is nice and bouncy, but not nearly as nice and bouncy as seeing them straight from the stage.
Remember when we were talking about DataRock and Hot Chip and how they were two of the few bands that can pull off making happy electro rock? Well, silly us. We totally forgot to mention Walter Meego! We love Walter Meego! This under-the-radar Chicago duo (and sometimes trio or quartet, I guess... who knows) kicks out the seriously cheerful synth jams. There doesn't seem to be a pretentious note played in their musical repertoire (which is not easily said of an indie-dance band), and that's mighty refreshing. It seems like Walter Meego's mission is just to help you party by plugging in and going off.
Behold the grimy garage guys who call themselves The Black Lips! Straight from the swamps of Atlanta, Georgia! Vice Records' latest signing (transferred over from In the Red Records) are a raucous young band that puts on notoriously insane live shows, which often include spitting, peeing, fistfights, beer bottle smashing and setting instruments ablaze. In other words, this is just good old fashioned rock 'n' roll. They are an intensely energetic band, and it's apparent they revel in playing the part of mischievous punks. The Black Lips are for fans of The Ponys, alcohol, and New York City circa 1977.
Think David Bowie meets "Bohemian Rhapsody" meets Godspell meets Tron, and you're left with Apes and Androids. We caught these guys recently and thought we stepped straight into a rock opera. This young fearsome fivesome peppers their electro-inspired songs with four-part harmonies/chants (that's where the "Bohemian Rhapsody" comes into play) that surely sounds light-years ahead of 2007. This must be the new shit, because I've never heard anything like it before. They are a band designed to dance to, and sure enough, most people were. But they aren't all antics. Make no mistake, Apes and Androids are tight. They all rocked as one unit, led by the powerful Bowie-esque pipes of their sassy singer.
Pelican, Shout Out Out Out Out, Walter Meego, The Black Lips and Apes & Androids play Club DeVille, on Friday, March 16th.
Pelican rules! Instrumental, forceful and somehow melodic, think of these Chicagoans as an angrier Mogwai, or Explosions in the Sky on Andro. Pelican play repetitious, almost trance-like, guitar riffs that steadily build into a euphoric atmosphere of hardcore noise with the most subtle trace of pretty guitar lines floating over the top. With driving, precise rhythms that tread the fine line between melody and dissonance, they ward off the instrumental band curse of monotony. And the best thing about Pelican; they're interesting.
Now this is what a live band should be: two drummers, four bass players, two samplers and five synthesizers. Toronto's Shout Out Out Out Out were one of my fav-fav-favorite bands at last year's CMJ festival. It was amazing to watch the passive crowd perk up and congregate around the stage once these guys began to play. Before I knew it, the whole place was a sweaty mess. These six dudes rock exciting and energetic electro pop. Shout Out Out Out Out relies exclusively on vocoder vocals, which reaffirms that before anyone did anything, Cher and the Transformers did everything. They have a hard-to-find record out called Not Saying, Just Saying which is nice and bouncy, but not nearly as nice and bouncy as seeing them straight from the stage.
Remember when we were talking about DataRock and Hot Chip and how they were two of the few bands that can pull off making happy electro rock? Well, silly us. We totally forgot to mention Walter Meego! We love Walter Meego! This under-the-radar Chicago duo (and sometimes trio or quartet, I guess... who knows) kicks out the seriously cheerful synth jams. There doesn't seem to be a pretentious note played in their musical repertoire (which is not easily said of an indie-dance band), and that's mighty refreshing. It seems like Walter Meego's mission is just to help you party by plugging in and going off.
Behold the grimy garage guys who call themselves The Black Lips! Straight from the swamps of Atlanta, Georgia! Vice Records' latest signing (transferred over from In the Red Records) are a raucous young band that puts on notoriously insane live shows, which often include spitting, peeing, fistfights, beer bottle smashing and setting instruments ablaze. In other words, this is just good old fashioned rock 'n' roll. They are an intensely energetic band, and it's apparent they revel in playing the part of mischievous punks. The Black Lips are for fans of The Ponys, alcohol, and New York City circa 1977.
Think David Bowie meets "Bohemian Rhapsody" meets Godspell meets Tron, and you're left with Apes and Androids. We caught these guys recently and thought we stepped straight into a rock opera. This young fearsome fivesome peppers their electro-inspired songs with four-part harmonies/chants (that's where the "Bohemian Rhapsody" comes into play) that surely sounds light-years ahead of 2007. This must be the new shit, because I've never heard anything like it before. They are a band designed to dance to, and sure enough, most people were. But they aren't all antics. Make no mistake, Apes and Androids are tight. They all rocked as one unit, led by the powerful Bowie-esque pipes of their sassy singer.
Pelican, Shout Out Out Out Out, Walter Meego, The Black Lips and Apes & Androids play Club DeVille, on Friday, March 16th.
