Written by DCist contributor Jacques Ntonme. Read DCist’s last take on live Exit Clov.
What strikes most about Exit Clov, other than their layered rhythms and twin sister charm, is their propensity for and ease of shifting between genres. Their EPs shine with pop composition but notably avoid falling into a predictable or repetitive structure.
And most importantly, they came to the Velvet Lounge dressed for Halloween.
Donned in white makeup, as well as hockey-helmets, bandanas and a painted half-Mohawk, Exit Clov began their set with descending synthesized rhythms, heavy percussion, and the soft, distant vocals of the Hsu sisters. All to be expected. But things became interesting when the band went into a cover of the Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in honor of Halloween. Bassist Brett Niederman and drummer John Thayer established the chugging R&B of the classic single, exposing its rawness with an appreciated lack of distortion and production. “Thriller” began morphing from lounge music into early rock. They even got parts of a rock crowd to start moving. Building upon this structure with some nice guitar embellishment and the hushed singing of the sisters, they closed it with the eerie speech of the song’s narrator, personified by a donkey-headed man on stage.
Exit Clov continued in the vein of “Thriller,” entering more funk and blues territory. The bassist and drummer continued their rhythm corner, keeping the audience’s heads nodding. The musical conversation in the band shifted to the sisters, whose violin and piano took the foreground. It was a classical duet rather than a bluesy one; not “I talk then you talk,” but rather “I talk and you talk, then we sing as we stare out of our window overlooking Vienna.” A kind of suspension happened when the sisters played with each other, the passionate violin contrasting with a droning piano.
The dialogue continued in the sisters’ vocals in the next song. Susan and Emily repeated the same short phrase back right after each other, creating a reverb effect that had us thinking there was only one sister and interesting sound manipulation. The sisters’ voices unified once again and the instruments went back into balance on “MK Ultra” a song describing either acquiescence to the man or a secret resentment, or both. Chronicling the brainwashing program that took place under the title’s name, the sisters sing “I remember the days of MK Ultra” as the rhythm section goes off on zany and joyful and short guitar and bass licks. The song feels crowded, almost woefully busy, similar to the dark message underneath the song’s shiny exterior.
The Clov finished with a psych-rock song, stretching out the “MK Ultra’s” guitar and bass licks into wild riffs. It had the dark feel of the previous song, but without the energetic pop that makes their music so penetrating.
If anything, Exit Clov gains success with their experimentation and musical dialogue. Their R&B is well suited to performance and engaging the audience. It’s unlikely that they’ll do “Thriller” again, but one can always hope for “Band Seeking,” a favorite missed in their Monday night set.
