Cruel Black Dove
Cruel Black Dove descended on Glasslands in prime form, sporting their special brand of smooth edged death rock, dark charisma, and pulsing industrial beats. Using sex appeal as an element of a cohesive live aesthetic rather than a contrived stab at being provocative is something that doesn’t happen often enough. Cruel Black Dove manages to walk the right side of that line with practiced style. It probably helps that burqas would – make the band look absolutely terrifying – not be able to hide the deceptive and intricate vocal arrangements, not to mention the skill behind their performances, male members of the band included. We see you back there, guys.

Other Crimes
Beginning their set with a song that resembled what surf rock might have become if Dick Dale had spent his teen years holed up in the Chateau des Amerois, instead of uh, going surfing, Other Crimes set a pattern for what followed: darker reorderings of the rock subgenres a band normally takes for granted or discounts entirely when listing their conscious or deliberate influences. The songs’ thoughtful arrangements and carefully managed momentum evidenced the care that went into writing them and crafting them into something so affecting. Dalila Pasotti’s voice proved dynamic and expressive, with deep roaring tones shifting into softer lilting moments. As evidenced by their almost unrecognizable rework of Iggy Pop’s “Gimme Danger,” other Crimes has an unquestionable ownership of their sound.

-words by Luke Carrell
-photos by Tyler Flatt
-more photos, vids, mp3, etc can be found at http://www.pendu.org/events/past/07-13-10

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La Big Vic
When a band opens a set with a pop friendly, vocoded piece, followed by a five-minute-plus exercise in soundscape building, you know you’re in for an experience. Whether positive or negative, it’s hard to know at that point. La Big Vic’s live show definitely falls into the former. To be vague, it’s music that’s both maddeningly familiar and unexpected, either emerging from a devotion to one influence that you can’t quite place or a thousand somehow rendered unrecognizable. To be particular, it’s strongly melodic, 4/4 beat driven sections flowing seamlessly into stretches dominated by delayed violin and vocals in a graceful orbit around a core of synthesizers and effect washes. Something that’s simultaneously this diverse and cohesive is rare and what directions La Big Vic will take in the future is anyone’s guess, but for now, enjoy.

Prince Rama
With fans (mechanical) blowing full blast, Prince Rama took to the stage in a swarm of the big beats and effect unit tinged evocations that have earned them so much global love and attention. As fans (human) began to crowd the stage, it became apparent that either Prince Rama’s chanting had inadvertently summoned a heat elemental from beyond the void or that furious dancing can make you sweat. Only science can say which. Either way, the sweat lodge vibe close to the stage added a tactile element to the experience that nobody seemed to mind. After all, if there were a telescope that could find and subsequently record the wavelengths of the Planet o’ Good Vibes, it would sound suspiciously similar to Prince Rama. There was a strong sense that if the crowd could have sung along, they would have been. Instead, they settled for transfixed gazes, bouts of aforementioned dancing, and an audio induced buzz one fan described as “[feeling] good enough to stop smoking cigarettes.” Wow.

-words by Luke Carrell
-photos by Tyler Flatt
-more photos, vids, mp3, etc can be found at http://www.pendu.org/events/past/07-06-10

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Om – God Is Good (Drag City)

Although there’s a new drummer in the midst, have no fear. From the opening notes of God Is Good, it’s obvious that Om are continuing to do what they do best; ecstatic head-nodding stoner jams lead by Al Cisnero‘s repetitive bass-riffing and hypnotic mantralike vocals. This is a new era for the band, as Emil Amos of Grails replaces Chris Hakius, but this has not taken away from all that makes Om great. On this effort they also invited Robert Lowe, aka Lichens, to play tamboura (an instrument similar to the sitar) on two of the tracks including the opening 19-minute epic track “Thebes,” which is able to stand equally alongside any of their previous albums. The last two songs feel a bit like filler, and yet they are strong tracks. They almost evoke a sense of aimlessness; like a nice walk where the goal isn’t really to get anywhere. God Is Good is not necessarily treading new territory here, but that’s doesn’t appear to be the aim; Om is far more interested in exploring nuance of textures and they continue to make great and complex music out of what on the surface sometimes appears simplistic.

-Todd ‘Pendu’ Brooks

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Gary Higgins – Seconds (Drag City)

For fans of the influential 1973 Red Hash album by Gary Higgins, this brand new album is a true gem and a great story. This is yet another artist from the late-60s/early-70s era along with Simon Finn, Vashti Bunyan and others who has been saved from obscurity and given the chance to once again do what they love: write great songs for an audience that is eager to listen; something these artists barely had in their supposed prime. Thirty-six years is an amazingly long time between albums and to hear him play now, other than the clarity of newer production, one could hardly tell. Don’t get me wrong, this record is not a “rehash” of Red Hash by any stretch, and it could be said that some of the mystique has been removed. Nonetheless, it holds up on its own. Truth is, without knowing any of Higgins’ history, the album itself stands alone as a strong, introspective folk record. Opening with “Demons,” the record moves seamlessly along hitting the “The 5AM Trilogy,” a 12-minute epic near the end of the album that floats along fluidly between an intricate instrumental feel and back to Higgins’ soft voice. The album closes with “Don’t Wanna Lose,” an uptempo song that feels like an earnest statement to holding on. Let’s hope another record follows.

-Todd ‘Pendu’ Brooks

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