Electric People @ Glasslands
The guys at Shore Alternative are at it again, and this week in addition to some local love, they’ve thrown in some talent from our well known neighbor to the north, the city of Brooklyn, NY.
If you’ve paid any attention to indie rock in the past 2 decades, you know that like the left coasts famed adolescent rock fantasy Never-Never-Land, Portland, OR, Brooklyn’s dense community of musicians and artists has produced some of the best known touring contemporary rock acts. That roster includes Grizzly Bear, OK Go, & the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. So it’s nice to see some crossover happening between BK and AP, and this musician personally hopes to see much more in that vein this coming Summer, so thank you S*ALT.
You can expect some wear-your-sunglasses-indoors-so-they-can’t-see-how-pinned-your-pupils-are-rock from Electric People. I can definitely hear some serious Jesus & Mary Chain and Velvet Underground influence in the confident swagger of this gang of seven.
Electric People | Just Wanna Be Dead
This band uses the standard guitar/drums/bass configuration as a foundation for a layering of complex, but well played and cohesive sounds including organs, piano and several vocalists. This dose of Brooklyn will make you feel like you took the best downers from your rich aunt’s medicine cabinet without the liver damage or any danger of overdosing. And if you start hallucinating that you’re hanging out with Andy Warhol, I mean, that’s not ever a bad thing, right?
After it kicks in, you’ll be right as rain for The Vampire Bats, self described Ancient Preemptive Apocalypse Rock From the Year 3067”, and although that might initially seem less than helpful, once you take a listen I think you’ll agree that it’s actually quite an accurate surmising. I do believe I’m catching some Iggy legacy (not American Idol Iggy, Stooges Iggy) in the vocal treatments here along with some artfully out-of-focus guitar work. (P.S. I’m glad to see that people are still taking psychedelics before sitting down to a songwriting session. I could name 40 top 40 bands that could benefit from making things interesting by any means necessary).
The Vampire Bats Get S-E-X-X-Y
So now that you’ve had a little taste for free, and I’ve got your serotonin receptors nice and primed, you’re gonna be thrilled to shell out just $5 for your next hit. I swear, you can stop any time you want. But like all other drugs, of which quality Rock-N-Roll is amongst the most pure, you’ll gladly come to regard your addiction as much more important than everything else in your life. Just don’t call me at like midnight on a Saturday asking about where you can find more. I’ll be up to my ears in my own sweat-soaked bender by then! (I know what Biggie said, but I do get high on my own supply.) See you Wednesday!
XOXO
Ang
