For you New Orleanians in need of a one-night break from the Mardi Gras Mambo, skip the Krewe d’Etat tonight and make a stop into Siberia. Amen Dunes, yet another New Yorker making his rounds in the south, is performing alongside atmospheric post-rock outfit, This Will Destroy You.
I sympathize with Amen Dunes, the solo project of Damon McMahon, who at one point felt so caught up in the NYC music scene he had to escape the city to find a sense of freedom in his music (see, DIA). In 2011 he released Through Donkey Jaw, marking his eventual return to New York.
Uploading it to my ipod, I see why my editor forwarded it to me. Psychedelic experimentation and meandering vocals at their best, the opening track “Baba Yaga” whets your appetite for music that is abrasive in a strangely affable way.
Perhaps I’m wrong labeling this “experimentation.” Slightly freak, partially folk, and heavy on the trippy, many of the songs that make up Through Donkey Jaw seem more like the result of a scientific method, rather than a one-off freakout.
There are some standout tracks that I’ve already found myself humming along to: “Christopher,” “Bedroom Drum,” and “Swim Up Behind Me.” In the latter tune I had to Google to confirm Phil Boyd of Modey Lemon wasn’t doing vocals, which he isn’t. Damon throws some surprises your way on this release, so aside from his creepy album artwork, I’m all in.
Amen Dunes at Siberia (2227 Saint Claude Avenue) | Friday, February 17, 9pm, $10 advance, $12 door
