future islands; death by audio

Future Islands, a baltimore band off Thrilljockey records, played Death by Audio last night. I was there to see them but walked in on one of the openers, Double Daggers. I checked out both bands yesterday on myspace trying to figure out what show to see and Future Islands sounded good, Double Daggers didn't.

But I'll check out any band on Thrilljockey records, the label out of Chicago that ya'll know with Tortoise, Brokeback, Isotope 217, and both bands are on that label.

Got a few beers from the spartan bar in the back and all of sudden Double Daggers started playing and it got crazy. I was not expecting stage-diving at this show and the whole place blew up into a mosh pit. Some guy had a giant Chinese peasant hat on and was constantly jumping off the stage on to the surging crowd, upside down people everywhere. The lead singer is a bald provocateur; it's essentially straight punk they play but he finished one song with shouting "IF YOUR BAND SOUNDS LIKE ANY OTHER BAND THEN BREAK UP!"Someone shouted that they sounded like Fugazi and he got all pissed off and starting yelling "you see two guitars up here?!", but okay, they sounded like Fugazi without the two guitars, but with the bassist on a distortion pedal instead. It was intense and I mostly hated it, but I'm sorta glad I saw it?

Future Islands was cool. Trio, from Baltimore, all electronic drums, same guy plays keyboards, bassist, lead singer. The lead singer is a cross between Danzig and Morrisey and he looks like Jack Black. They remind me a little bit of Wild Beasts, dramatic singers, electronic-rock. I found their new album "In Evening Air" pretty easily through the increasingly policed blogosphere, worth checking out.

I'm also into the Morning Benders, but I think I played that shit out sitting on the beach in Jamaica a few weeks ago. The new MGMT is just okay, they sound like Air a lot, but the title track of their album is great. Growing is great, and so is the new Flying Lotus, "Cosmogramma". Oh, and I bought a Guild today, 1960 T-100, and I'm pretty happy about that.

"hide brightness, nourish obscurity"