DAM! Revisited: Bellflur, Oranges Band, Soft Complex, and Cold War Kids
Bellflur
Thursday’s opening band for the DAM! Festival show at DC9 was Gaithersburg’s Bellflur. Initial impressions that they were (very) heavily indebted to OK Computer-era Radiohead proved true, with the band either attacking most songs with a “Paranoid Android”-like aggression, or plodding through “You and Whose Army?” style ballads. There were nice touches though – a full arsenal of effects pedals and some spooky vocal lines – and the band has a knack for making things cold and detached sound somewhat pretty. Sure, the only lyric we could understand was the ad nauseam repeat of “all this medication” from lackluster closer “Shooting an Elephant,” and yes, their ambition outstrips their abilities at this point, but it’s still nice to see a band tastefully taking some hints from prog and going for something bigger than a 3 minute pop song.
The Oranges Band
A little background: In a serious role reversal, my little sister – who not so long ago, it seemed, was listening only to Shania Twain and LFO – sent me a copy of The Oranges Band’s latest album, The World and Everything In it, well before the band ever crossed my radar. Suffice it to say, though still in high school, little sis’ taste is excellent. Last night, The Oranges Band set out to rock, harmonize, and smile. There are a number of prior touchstones for this band – the driving quarter note snares of Motown, the ringing guitars and melodic leads of power pop – and all of them come together quite nicely in a live setting.
The band opened with a new song, “Jenny, I’m Sneaking Out” (from a possible upcoming Spring 2007 release) that sort of lulled and never really found its hook. “Ride the Nuclear Wave,” however, was a blast, earning the exhortation from lead singer Roman Kuebler, “Ah, I see you’re a rock and roll crowd.” Similarly, “Believe,” with it’s blatant Big Star-baiting intro riff, was urgent and tight and gleeful. “Open Air” – my favorite tune of theirs to date – wasn’t its usual urgent self, but the rest of the set was everything a fan of guitar pop could hope for. Thanks Sis.
Soft Complex
Dance-rock, disco-rock, or alternative dance, may be one of the more maligned subgenres in indie-rock. For the most part, it seems folks either get it or they don't, and relative newbies may have trouble differentiating between the Killers, and, say, The Bravery. Where a lot of these groups are big on bombast, Soft Complex had a comfortable, almost studied take on the genre. They may rely heavily on the frantic shuffling rhythms that both made Arcade Fire a dorm-room staple and the aforementioned groups an easy target for critics, but their overall feel was more polish and refinement than frenzy. The guitars were fuzzy but crisp, the cello was a nice melodic touch, and the band was awfully tight. But if there were a few heads bobbing but no one actually dancing, it's because Soft Complex still lack that one hook to really pull the audience in. On the whole, a decent and sometimes impressively tight set, but when the band's liveliest player is a laptop, there's certainly room for improvement.
Cold War Kids
Despite a scathing Pitchfork send up, Cold War Kids put on a hell of a live show (as we've noted in the past). Their energy onstage is unrivaled, as the band jumps about, moving all over the place and almost knocking into one another. When watching them perform, we can't help but think we're seeing something unique. CWK played a mix of songs off of their previously released EPs that are now on their new full length album (their first with label backing), as well as some new songs. "Hang Me Up To Dry," which resonates with blues and soul, was performed excellently; lead singer Nathan Willett's urgency gave the song a new depth that we hadn't heard before. Like any good blues musician, you're only as good as the emotions you can evoke in the listener. And evoke he did. With CWK's spare instrumentation (as well as few pedals, a complete lack of loops and no keyboard), each band member really is showcased, but Willett’s pleading and passionate vocals are what grabs each person in the audience. He is chill-inducing. The crowd was especially receptive to the band, and despite a piano that could probably use some tuning, the show was grade A. (CWK review by Elizabeth Eckert)
Cold War Kids photo by Craig Robert Smith and Martin Williams