September Redux: Indie · Jan 6, 05:24 PM by Don
Today’s batch of September re-posts are presented under the admittedly vague label, “Indie.” First up are two Erase Errata songs, “Cruising” and “Giant Hans.” If there was one band Chaka and I agreed on in 2006, it was Erase Errata. Here are my thoughts on the band’s performance at the Intonation music festival:
Erase Errata, second on the bill at 1:30, was a powerhouse, rocking hard despite the thin crowd. Ellie Erickson’s bass throbbed and snapped with epileptic fury. Bianca Sparta held it down on the drum kit, all while holding a drumstick and a maraca in her right hand. Singer Jenny Hoyston sprayed splatterpunk guitar mess into the air, along with lyrical fireballs. A quick label for this band might be “art punk.” Though another way I can try to describe to you the band’s fractured, frantic music is to say they’re logical heirs to the Minutemen’s throne. This is more true than ever now that the band is a trio (second guitarist Sara Jaffe quit sometime after the release of At Crystal Palace).
Chaka and I saw E.E. several weeks later at the Metro in Chicago. Chaka had this to say after the show:
And then there’s the post-T&G Kill Rock Stars tour stop at the Metro on Saturday night. I haven’t heard a better record this year than Erase Errata’s Nightlife, an album packed with loud, rockin’, short songs with red-hot sound. I missed them at Intonation this year (though I’ve seen them before, opening for Le Tigre several years ago) for no good reason at all and I’m Stokedly Carmichael to see the San Franciscan otusophiles now that they’ve recovered from the exit of key member Sara Jaffe and put out their best record. Enik anointed them the stylistic and spiritural successors to the Minutemen, and I think that’s about as apt of a description of them as I can think of.
mp3: Erase Errata – Cruising
mp3: Erase Errata – Giant Hans
A highlight of the Touch & Go party in September was seeing The New Year live for the first time. Here is an excerpt from a review Josh Modell wrote for the All Music Guide:
The New Year’s debut album, Newness Ends, comes after the band had played only a handful of shows, and while it has obvious similarities to Bedhead, the reason for the name change is also apparent. The most blatant difference is the tempos on Newness Ends. Whereas Bedhead records rarely made it past a crawl, these new songs take a similar songwriting approach and hit the gas a bit. The first track, “Half a Day,” announces the difference with a bouncing rhythm, something heretofore not seen by the Kadanes.
mp3: The New Year – Gasoline [from Newness Ends]
Another Touch & Go highlight, was seeing Seam again after the band’s long hiatus. Here is what I wrote in September:
Seam, to my ears, was plagued by a poor sound mix. The vocals were difficult to hear. This was the fourth time I’d seen them and three of those four times featured less-than-stellar sound. The sublety of the band’s melancholy anthems deserved better.
mp3: Seam – Two is Enough
mp3: Seam – Rainy Season
Later in September, I saw Sufjan Stevens at the Pabst in Milwaukee where I live. Here is part of my review:
Though there was a fair share of Illinois tunes, there were (as stated before) no UI cheerleader outfits. Band and leader, introduced by Stevens as, “Majesty Songbird and the Chinese Butterfly Brigade,” were instead outfitted with multicolored wings. This element of whimsy, which I enjoy, was apparently too much to take for two couples near me. A man in his 20’s or 30’s showed up with an older man and woman, presumably his parents. The couple didn’t last four songs. Two songs later a couple in their early 20’s seated in my row left. Stevens is not for everyone. Though he smoothly blends pop and folk sensibilities with experimental and orchestral music, the key words for the people I saw leave are probably “experimental” and “orchestral.” “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!” is a prime example. It begins as a touching acoustic reminiscence but ends with 22 seconds of cacophony. Live, Stevens and his extremely well-rehearsed Brigade extended that 22 seconds into what felt like several minutes of goosebump-inducing white noise. Going from Bread to My Bloody Valentine: not an easy feat.
mp3: Sufjan Stevens – The Dress Looks Nice on You [live in Toronto 2004]
All photos taken by Enik.
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September Redux: The Masters September Redux: Interpretations