popwreckoning

Time to call up your old hang-man partner or your Wheel of Fortune loving friend. Lollapalooza is set to officially reveal the 2010 line-up on April 6, but in the meantime, the festival organizers are teasing fans with a fill-in-the-blank line-up board viewable here.

The only letter given so far: ‘O’.

So how far can that single letter get you? Pretty far actually. From counting blanks and using the clued in O’s, it looks like rumors of  Soundgarden, Green Day and Lady Gaga are correct for the headliners. That fourth blank? Arcade Fire fits perfectly.

Previously confirmed The Strokes fill in the fifth blank.

Advanced pre-sale VIP tickets went on sale Tuesday for the festival.

What other guesses do you have? Comment and let us know.

Northern Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club have released a new promo for their third single out May 3 in the UK, “Something Good Can Work,” off their debut album Tourist History (released earlier this month in the UK). The video has a summery feel – check it out.

Even though I’m not terribly religious, I’m kind of a geek when it comes to houses of worship because I respect the traditions and what the buildings represent to its people. And for me, it’s even better when the house of worship in question hosts concerts because music means so much to me. Philly has its First Unitarian Church and D.C. has 6th and I Synagogue. The synagogue’s interior is a beautiful mauve, with blue and purple stained glass windows. I’d say without a doubt that it’s the prettiest place I’ve ever been to for the expressed purpose of a gig. For the xx‘s headlining gig Sunday night, I thought to myself that it was almost a shame that the altar was obscured by a huge black sheet with an X in the middle of it. I say “almost” because as you will read, we were in for a big surprise at the end.

Los Angeles electronic producer Nosaj Thing (real name Jason Chung) was the first of two opening acts for the evening. Media outlets have compared Chung’s sound to fellow Californian Flying Lotus because both incorporate hip hop into experimental, electronic sound and also utilize glitch-hop, a genre I’m not familiar with at all. I thought he was an interesting choice to open for the xx, since they brought London electronica artist Jon Hopkins with them last time they toured North America. Augmented by serious hip hop beats and what sounded like birds scuttling from a Macbook, Chung punched keys, twisted dials, and generally looked like a man possessed by the music. Overall, he was an enjoyable opening act.

Next, was the mysterious Swedish duo jj. Inbetween the sets, I talked to a friend of mine and he said jj was so mysterious, no one knew much about them because they don’t tour very much at all. I only knew one of jj’s songs, the ethereal “Let Go,” a song from their second album jj nº 3 released in early March. So seeing singer Elin Kastlander, with her curly blonde hair falling past her shoulders and dressed up like a hippie and standing on stage by herself, I had no idea what to expect. Then she opened her mouth and this gorgeous voice came out, fully complementing the Balearic beats emanating from a laptop next to her. Judging from audience’s enthusiastic clapping and catcalls, there were many jj fans in attendance that night.

As much as the audience was feeling the music, I felt bad for Kastlander though: she barely made eye contact with the audience and looked very uncomfortable standing there by herself as a light projector changed colors that reflected off her face and on the synagogue’s walls. What made things even weirder was her jj partner Joakim Benon, getting up several different times from his seated position on the stage and giving Kastlander hugs, as if for a job well done. I guess Benon does all the programming and such and maybe didn’t need to perform for performance’s sake, although at one point he did stand up and strap on an acoustic guitar to play a couple chords, to the crowd’s applause but yes, to say the least, the setup was strange.

The xx played two shows at Sixth and I on Sunday because the evening show had sold out so quickly, a matinee earlier in the day was quickly scheduled to meet ticket demand. It’s not often that any band will have a big enough demand to fill two shows in one day in Washington, so you know this band is something special. Their star just keeps on rising, with their songs appearing in an AT&T commercial during the Olympics and on “Gossip Girl” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” They haven’t really taken a break from touring, except in February when they canceled some European dates when guitarist Romy Madley-Croft‘s father passed away.

Having seen this London band several times already, I know why I keep coming back: vocals and guitar by Madley-Croft, vocals and bass from Oliver Sim and programming and percussion from Jamie Smith come together just right to make music that nearly brings tears to my eyes every time I hear their songs. “Heart Skipped a Beat,” with Madley-Croft singing, “It’s been a while / and you’ve found someone better / but I’ve been waiting too long to give this up / the more I see I understand / but sometimes I still need you,” should make your heartache. I know that’s the effect their music has on me. I noticed Madley-Croft has a new guitar, but her playing is still the same – spot-on and still incredible, sounding great against Sim’s bass lines and the percussion taps of Smith’s.

They’re a soft-spoken band to begin with, so it was nice to see bassist Sim loosen up after gauging the audience’s enthusiasm for their band and chat a bit with the audience between numbers. Before starting to play “VCR,” Sim smiled at us and said, “So nice to be back here on our first U.S. headlining tour!” (I guess the one they did here last November was a trial run?) He made everyone laugh when he continued with “[I'm] starting to feel that chili dog I had earlier…” Of course someone in the audience yelled out, “Ben’s?” Sim replied, “Yes, Ben’s Chili Bowl!” The place erupted in cheers. Before an absolutely gorgeous rendition of “Nighttime,” he commented with a grin, “This venue’s incredible! I feel like a religious figure!”

When the band returned for an encore, the backdrop with the X emblazoned on it became a sea of stars, perfectly suited to end the show with the wonderfully sensual “Stars.” While they might not be religious figures in the conventional sense, the xx always deliver a mind-blowing show, and this is one devotee who will keep coming back for more.

The xx Set List
Intro
Crystalised
Islands
Heart Skipped a Beat
Fantasy
Shelter
VCR
Do You Mind (Kyla cover)
Basic Space
Nighttime
Infinity
//
Stars

Tour Dates
Mar 31 – Webster Hall / New York City
Apr 02 – Paradise / Boston (2 shows)
Apr 03 – Metropolis / Montreal
Apr 04 – Phoenix / Toronto
Apr 05 – Wexner Center / Columbus
Apr 06 – Buskirk Chumley Theater / Bloomington, IN
Apr 08 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago (two shows)
Apr 09 – Varsity Theatre / Minneapolis
Apr 12 – Showbox SoDo / Seattle, WA
Apr 13 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver
Apr 14 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland
Apr 15 – Fox Theatre / Oakland%
Apr 17 – Coachella Music Festival / Indio, CA
Apr 19 – Riviera Theatre / Chicago%
Apr 20 – Koolhaus / Toronto%
Apr 22 – Terminal 5 / New York City%
Apr 23 – Sonar / Baltimore
Apr 24 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC%
% supporting Hot Chip

The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9 | @ Paradise | @ Newbury Comics, Boston
Nosaj Thing: website | myspace
jj: myspace

Taking Back Sunday is undergoing yet another line-up change, but this time, it looks like that change is taking them back to earlier roots.

Both bassist Matt Rubano and guitarist Matt Fazzi posted farewell notes on the Taking Back Sunday Web site stating that they were no longer members in the band.

Also uploaded to the Taking Back Sunday site was a photo that would make it appear that former guitarist John Nolan and former bassist Shaun Cooper (both of the Tell All Your Friends era and band mates from Straylight Run) have returned.

To add to the speculation, Nolan recently tumbl’d, “Look Out,” while Cooper tweeted, “I have a feeling things are about to get extremely weird.”

Weird is one way to describe this…

Wakefield, England rock band the Cribs have announced plans to re-release their self-titled debut album later this year. The original 2004 release was not released on vinyl, but this re-release will be available on wax; and for the keen Cribs fanatic, it will also include unreleased demos.

Coming soon is a 7″ split single that joins the Cribs with Portland punk band the Thermals. The Cribs will be contributing a new track called “So Hot Now” (previously only available as a B-side to their “Cheat on Me” single) and the Thermals will provide a tune named “Separate.” The 7″ will be released on Record Store Day, April 17, 2010, and is limited to a run of 2000 copies.

The band are set to appear Spain’s Benicassim and England’s Reading/Leeds festivals this summer.

Photo: Mary Chang

The Cribs: website | myspace | Interview with: The Cribs – North Star Bar, Philadelphia | The Cribs Announce New Album Details | The Cribs Rush Release of “Cheat on Me” Single | The Cribs Announce January 2010 North American Tour | @ 9:30 Club

How did I end up at the posh Four Seasons hotel, sitting across from Bill Murray, Snoop and the rest of the A-listers getting trashed at the bar, as I anxiously waited for An Horse to meet me for a drink? I have to admit that parts of day three and four of SXSW are a bit, shall we say, blurry. Too many shows, too much Tecate and not enough sleep are most likely to blame. I’ll try to recount the event through the fog of it all. The second half of my trip was even more spontaneous than the first. A few more friends joined our expanding South-by crew, which made crashing at the penthouse even more ridiculously fun, I discovered a new favorite band, saw them twice, and closed out the weekend by sweet talking may way around the longest line yet, into a coveted showcase on Saturday to see some killer shows.

Friday was all about Spin Magazine’s VIP party. How I wrangled three “All Access” passes to the hottest day party at South-by isn’t important. Just know that my nickname over the weekend became, to those around me, “The Godfather.” No kidding. Big head nod to you know who. At the Spin bash we saw a second set by the fab Miike Snow, (my lust for all things Miike is well documented in the first installment of my SXSW trilogy) a DJ set by Das Racist, an electric performance by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and of course, the festival headliner: the return of Hole. Love opened her set with a cover of “Sympathy for the Devil,” which seemed fitting for her big comeback. All eyes were on her to act psycho and make a mess, but I’m sorry to report that just the opposite occurred. Backed by a fully loaded, shiny new band, I think Love surprised everyone there by pulling off a respectably rockin’ set. Despite a little mention of flapping genitals and having been inspired by Perez Hilton, Love had a tight grip on the music. The scratchiness of her weathered voice enhanced the music’s rage rather than show the sign of time. She did a few classics such as crowd favorite, “Miss World” and “Violet,” which was maybe my first real “time machine” music moment. I imagine it was similar to what it must have been like for my mom to see CSN a few years back. Déjà vu? Some of the new material that Love debuted was hard to get into and I honestly would have preferred a greatest hits performance, but I’m not complaining. I was happy to be there even if I had to climb up the Stubb’s BBQ sign pole to catch a glimpse of Love.

After a short respite, I hit the Wave Rooftop for a set by Papier Tigre, a raucous post-hardcore punk trio from Nantes, France. While it wasn’t quite my style and perhaps the music needs a bit more time to mature, I have to give the boys props for producing such an intense and driving sound minus a bass. Their energy and enthusiasm more than filled in the gap.

Later that night, I hit The Galaxy Room Back Yard for Local Natives and An Horse. Local Natives absolutely blew me away. I realize that I’m probably late to the game here but I didn’t know anything about this Silverlake-based, mustachioed quintet when I showed up to the tent at the suggestion of a good friend and now they’ve changed the game as far as I’m concerned. They played a total of nine shows at SXSW and I saw two of them. Couldn’t help myself, they’re just that good. You could throw them in the same class as Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend if you needed a comparison, but really let the music speak for itself. It’s a unique sound, all it’s own, that grabs you from the first listen. It will be hard to resist the hooky, tender harmonies, nostalgic musings, and afro-pop beats coming from these So Cal sweethearts.

An Horse always turn out a solid rock show with plenty of grit and heavy guitar riffs. This time I even noticed some classic metal guitar moves from front woman Kate Cooper. Yes I said it, metal. This oft-described “indie-pop” outfit from Brisbane is actually a lot heavier than people give them credit for. I had the chance to catch up with the band the next day where we discussed this discrepancy over lattes at The Four Seasons. Ballin’. Stay tuned for their thoughts on new music, what it’s like to tour for eighteen months straight, their love of Fugazi, and how things have changed for them since we first met last year at SXSW.

On Saturday, I had to use my womanly charm to slither into the packed Brooklyn Vegan Party where Andrew W. K., Plants and Animals and Local natives were playing (again). While I was expecting W. K. to blow the top off the backyard tent, his stripped down classic keyboard crazed-concerto was actually kind of amazing. Truth is, W.K. has skills that rock beyond the party. Later that night I stopped by the Cedar Street Courtyard for a chilly outdoor set by recent favorite, Memory Tapes. I had been kind of keeping Dayve Hawk’s dreamy synth-pop all to myself for months and I was excited to see it come to life. Unfortunately, things got a little lost in translation. The beats were spot on but his voice didn’t hold up in the flesh. I figure I’ll just stick with the digital version. It’s my favorite album to daydream to and I’m not willing to give that up. I could tell you that the night ended there, but that would be a lie. Rumor had it that Tigercity was playing a late night set at Habana Calle 6 and well, we just couldn’t resist putting Southby to rest without a last ditch booty-bumpin dance party. Yes Gillim, WE ARE SENSATION.

This year’s SXSW far exceeded my expectations. Like I had hoped, it was all the magic of last year with a much better view. I discovered more than a few new favorites, revisited some standbys and happily added some new members to my festival family. While most like to think that SXSW is just about discovering the next best thing, that’s really only part of the story. The true beauty of Southby is the memories that you make and the traditions that are born out of the music.

I know that I have said it time and again, but Seattle has some seriously amazing local music, probably some of the best in the country. One of the newest and most prolific groups, Moneta, has been rocking the local scene since 2007 and has been both raising the bar and challenging most musical stereotypes since day one. With the release of their first album, The Hope EP in 2007, followed by their sophomore album Heroes in 2009, fans have been waiting for the newest installment of epic post-punk from the quintet. Villains was release Saturday and has five full tracks and two instrumental pieces to make the newest EP even better than before. I got to take an early listen to the album, and somehow, I think they just managed to raise the bar even higher than before.

Villains starts out with the hit single “The Last Transmission,” which the band has been playing at local shows for the past few months, as well as releasing for free download through their Myspace to promote the CD release. Featuring a Seattle neighbor, vocalist Matt MacDonald of The Classic Crime, the single harkens back to their older harder sound with an edge of their newer more mellow, yet still punk sound than before. Combined with lead singer Jerry Kansky’s addictively edgy vocals, MacDonald’s voice adds just a little extra touch that completes the sound perfectly and I would almost venture to bet that it would almost sound unfinished without.

The second track on the album is “Hey California,” also the second single off the album, and sets the stage for the band’s new sound after their recent change in members. They are definitely a little bit more pop sounding, but have managed to keep that edge of old school rock in both their lyrics and playing style. Reminding me of driving down the highway in California with the windows down in the summer, it definitely has the upbeat summer vibe to it. The song has all the makings of another good single, with more addictive lyrics, rousing guitar riffs and some seriously incredible drumming.

This trend of fantastic music continues into the slightly darker “Now and Forever” with a seriously harder sound. This is definitely one to mosh out to when you are having a bad day or just need to sing something at the top of your lungs to let off a little bit of steam. “I Wish I Had a Voice” has the same rock tones and continues to be harder than even a lot of their older material, showing not only the versatility of the band, but a possible peek into their new sound and how it may flesh out over time. The final lyrical track harnesses a little bit of their older sound with additional synth and even holds more of a Heroes vibe to it, although it is titled “Villains (Masterplan)” and would be my next candidate for a single. “And I will be the last alive, to stand beneath a ruined sky. And finally I’ll understand, that I want them back,” graces the bridge of the song, and personally is one of my favorite quotes from the album, and will possibly make this song a fan favorite at many shows to come.

The two instrumental tracks are by far some of the best I have come across in awhile. Once again, the band outdoes themselves with “The Sound of Your Own Breathing” and “Big Lights, Big City,” bringing around a great dose of all out musical talent to the table in these hair-raising segue ways. Clocking in at about a minute and a half each, both tracks are chock full of talented guitar work, masterful drums, and raw powerful emotion, capturing the very essence of the album itself. Some may see these tracks as a drawback, wanting more lyrical tracks and less instrumental, but they fit into the album and enhance the other tracks, bringing out the brilliant instrumentals in the other tracks as well. I vote to keep them in the mix, with possibly adding a little bit of length to them.

On gut instinct, I have a feeling that this album is flat out going to be one of the best albums to come out of Seattle-based musicians all year. Chances are that we will see them playing a US tour here shortly, maybe even in the next year or so. Even though their fanbase is still growing rapidly, the band is still trying to maintain that small town feel and really connecting with their fans, even going out of their way to deliver tickets to their fans home or work.

They even were nice enough to squeeze in time for a quick exclusive interview for us!

PopWreckoning, Anastasia: How is Villains different then your previous albums?
Moneta: It’s a bit darker and edgier, while still maintaining the pop sensibility that is at the core of Moneta. We wanted it to sound a little less polished than Heroes. It’s the most organic record we’ve done to date.

PW: How did the band member shakeup affect the new album and your sound as a whole?
Moneta: It didn’t really affect the record so much because a lot of it was written with the previous members, but in a way, we kind of feel like it helped the record take shape. At some points, the rawness of the songs almost captured some of the emotion that we were all dealing with when we were at each others’ throats. I think people can not only appreciate that honesty, but relate it to feeling that way in situations in their own lives. We’ve been pretty lucky to always have had multiple people that can write great songs in the mix and now is definitely no different. It’s funny because one of the previous members always used to say “Moneta is bigger than the individual.” Well, it turns out he was right about that.

PW: Where did the inspiration for Villains come from?
Moneta: Before we ever laid down a single note for Heroes, we knew we wanted to do a 2-part set of EP’s. The heart of the message is that we all as humans walk a thin line between being good and evil beings. If you really think about it, it’s a pretty heavy concept to swallow. We just wanted to try and capture a bit of that fragility that keeps us from going bat sh*t crazy.

PW: How did being from Seattle influence the album, if at all?
Moneta: Seattle is one of the best music cities in the world and we’re very proud to be from here. If anything, it makes us want to try harder to put out great songs because people here see great bands all the time.

PW: What are you guys the most proud of for Villains?
Moneta: More than anything, that people want to hear it and are excited about it. We had a few snags along the way of getting it finished, but it’s such a relief to know that it’s done and will be out soon.

PW: How has the album influenced you guys personally?
Moneta: It’s weird because the record was such a gnarly beast that it drove out some members that just didn’t want to be there anymore, but really brought together five people that all want to achieve the same goals.

PW: What can we look for from Moneta in the future?
Moneta: We’re shooting a video for “Hey California,” with Ryan Kam (Aiden, All That Remains, Me Vs. Myself) in April and then we’ll probably do some regional touring on Villains. We’ve actually been busy writing this whole time and are hoping to get another record out by the end of the year. We definitely want to give Villains its fair share of face time, but it also signals the close of a chapter in Moneta. We’re all ready to open the next one.

…

With that said, I don’t think that this is the end for Moneta, but merely the end of another chapter. Definitely the beginning of a new, and quite possibly better, chapter in which they keep rocking not only the Seattle area, but the entire US as well, we wish them well. Be sure to check out the new album, available on March 27th.

Track Listing:
1. Last Transmission (feat. Matt MacDonald of The Classic Crime)
2. Hey California
3. Now And Forever
4. The Sound Of Your Own Breathing
5. I Wish I Had A Voice
6. Villains (Masterplan)
7. Bright Lights, Big City

Many thanks to Chris Holbrook for coordinating efforts!

Written by Annastasia Gallaher

Wednesday 10:00 a.m.
The alarm screams frantically for me to crawl out of the comfort of my studio hotel bed and drive downtown to collect the remainder of the PopWreckoning team working South by Southwest. I instead hit snooze nine times and let them fend for themselves.

Wednesday 12:47 p.m.
As I make my way down the halls of the Austin Convention Center with the immediate goal of collecting my staff, I become distracted by a small entourage near the pack of the level one expocentre. Of course, I do my best Nancy Drew impression, sneaking around tables and chairs to get to the bottom of the cluster. To my surprise, my detective work yielded not only my first, but also my second celebrity spotting of SXSW 2010. To my delight, both Erik Estrada and Verne Troyer, a.k.a. Mini-me, were gathered with their management, planning their campaign for the Starkey Hearing Foundation. I add their pair of earplugs to the fifty in my photography bag and move on.

Wednesday 12:35 p.m.
I sneak up the northern most staircase in the convention center, making my way to the third floor. This lobby, unlike the one on the first and second floors is empty. Its electrical plugs are unused and its lounge chairs are vacant. I grab and fill three just because I can.

Wednesday 4:17 p.m.
I make my way south to the PureVolume House forty-five minutes early in hopes of snagging free Taco Bell tacos. Instead, I receive a chance meeting with co-host of our ATN showcase and Big Picture Media president, Dayna Ghiraldi, who also was doing press for the PureVolume House. She walked me past the line waiting outside the venue where I was greeted by a fairly unimpressive forty minute set from Los Angeles, California-based Warpaint. I was kind of surprised to find myself apathetic to their music due to the fact that they possess several elements of music that I’m drawn to. I generally prefer female vocalists, Rough Trade Records and a good chunk of what Paste Magazine tells me to enjoy. However, I instead found Warpaint drab. The PureVolume House crowd, however, which consisted mostly of 14 and 16 year olds, seemed to disagree with me, eating up the group’s set like all the tacos they eliminated before I could get there. Following Warpaint, PureVolume hosted the wonderfully catchy Miniature Tigers. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the group brought with them the mood friendly east coast movement mixed with a witty, undeniable charm. The crowd seemed into it and this time I agreed.

Wednesday 5:30 p.m.
While exiting the PureVolume House, a concert goer young enough to be my daughter rushes through the venue door with the speed of an Olympic sprinter, arms flopping and her head spun backwards, focused on her friends outside. Her body, still in motion and facing forward slams into my camera at NASCAR speeds. Rather than stopping or apologizing, she mumbles “oh my god” and runs to the stage. I, however, spend the afternoon searching for a Wolf’s Camera.

Wednesday 6:40 p.m.
In tonight’s performance, the role of tacos will be played by buffalo wings. They however will not be free.

Wednesday 8:00 p.m.
I make my way to the Central Church across town to catch the epic cello player Zoe Keating. Her work with loop pedals allows her to build an orchestra by herself, using different pitches and levels to create depth, while clicking the bow against the cello body to design percussion. The natural construction of the church made the venues acoustics perfect for this sort of a performance, though the lighting left a little to be desired. While her performance was great, I bailed from my pew to catch the Brooklyn Vegan party across the street, where Dawes was halfway through their set.

Wednesday 9:15 p.m.
It’s not difficult to realize how out of shape you are at SXSW. I come to this conclusion on my 1.5 mile walk to the Belmont for a rooftop meet and greet surrounding our showcase. While I understood the need to be there, I could not be more bored. Realistically, I have no one to meet or great. I do my 45 minutes and head for someplace more entertaining.

11:00 p.m.
For the second time in two hours I walk a little over a mile to catch an event. However, this time my final destination lands me two rows back from Jenny Owen Youngs, the spunky female artist who also happens to be one of my favorite musicians. Seeing her in the 18th floor lobby of the Hilton continental hotel was interesting. While her performance was spot on her normal range of entertainment and sarcasm, her sound levels were rocky, thanks in part to a shady combo of an iffy sound man and playing in a hotel lobby. But, regardless of technical difficulties, her set still was the crowning moment of my Wednesday. I headed back to my hotel content to crank out reviews.

PopWreckoning.com is pleased to present an exclusive premiere of folk musician Nick Jaina‘s new video for “Days in My Room” off his new record A Bird in the Opera House.

The Portland artist is having a CD release show this week and then heading out on tour. Check Nick Jaina’s MySpace for full dates.

by Jason Quigley

I don’t know what my expectations were for seeing Vivian Girls last Sunday, March 13, at The Jackpot in Lawrence, KS. Like a lot of other bands that are floating around right now, the sound is lo-fi and skuzzy, and a little bit shouty, but the ladies have the charming novelty of being real girls and playing actual instruments. They’re a legit group with a growing catalog and a growing fan base. While on stage, they can request a beer from their fellow touring mates, Male Bonding, and get one literally within seconds (granted I think there were a few sips taken out of it, and it might have been a minute or two old, but still)! Maybe I’m just easily impressed, or easily fooled. I don’t really know. I had seen Vimeo videos of them doing their own laundry and comfortably chatting with an awkward interviewer, and it seemed they were normal girls throwing around some chords with a penchant for singing off key. I was interested to see how they came off live and wondered if I would catch the vibe they were throwing out.

Guitarist and lead singer, Cassie Ramone, (who to me, bears a slight resemblance to a certain Scarlett Johansson) dons the stage with a pair of baggy eyes and a pair of sweet pursed lips. Her right arm, minute in circumference, is tattooed with a cheeseburger and a cassette tape. She begins with monotone vocals and comfortably strums her guitar, which cranks out a sound that is both sharp and fuzzy. Ali Koehler, looking smart and sassy in her glasses, chimes in on drums,while Kickball Katy kicks back with bass, long legs, leather jacket and all.

The girls sound like haunting out of tune angels or ghosts singing in a haze and sun-drenched garage that still manages to possess a lot of dark corners. The songs are not musically complex and there are a lot of “la la las,” but there is a type of sweetness in the simplicity and dissonance of the whole performance. For the first few songs, everyone, including the Vivian Girls played it cool. But soon after, the girls offer a few words to the crowd: “You guys should dance.” And dance they did to “I Can’t Get Over You” from their sophomore release, Everything Goes Wrong. The drunk and/or excited girl, who offered her couch to Cassie Ramone earlier in the night, is on her hands and knees thrashing her head back and forth. The sturdy youth in front of me, who smells like basement, is dancing/rocking back and forth steadily and enthusiastically (but then again he has been all night).

I find myself leaving before the set is over. I have seen what Vivan Girls have to offer, and my curiosity as well as my eardrums is satisfied. Tomorrow, the girls will go on to another highway, another club and another fan’s couch. Just like I will get into my car, hit another club and another show, but not before the fuzzy vocals and “la la las” that haunt my head have left.

Written by Crystal Clem