As it has each year since 2005, Pygmalion Music Festival put a stranglehold on the Champaign-Urbana music scene with its four-night, three-day celebration of local, regional and (inter)national indie musicians.
One of the qualities that contributes to making the event so unique is its commitment to providing C-U bands the opportunity to shine alongside acts that have already broken through on the national radar. In fact, about half of this year’s 80 scheduled performers hail from the twin cities.
For actual proof of this geographical diversity, concertgoers had to search no further than the five-band bill that kicked off the festival at Canopy Club Wednesday night.
As the opening act, local duo Common Loon jumpstarted the show with a hard-hitting indie rock tune that was more assertive than the majority of its other offerings. Unfortunately, the teasing promise held in this (and one other) uptempo song probably clouded my appreciation for what I’ll label as the group’s more “beautiful” arrangements – those marked by a jangling, melancholy sound and mellow vocal harmonies.
Throughout the set, drummer Matt Campbell and guitarist Robert Hirschfeld contributed equally (both musically and vocally) toward constructing their sun-soaked psychedelia-infused pop songs. All in all, Common Loon did an admirable job of warming up the crowd, but was soon lost in the shuffle of the tremendous acts that followed.
A cancellation by the Minneapolis-based Mute Era bumped Coco Coca up to the second slot. To gain a much needed reprieve from the heat (Canopy’s AC was broken), I went to stand outside during the set – which was just as well, because judging from the thumping beats, things were only heating up in the Void Room.
A move to Seattle has transformed the once-local noise rocker into something more resembling a dancehall DJ. Although electronics always figured heavily into his act, this set seemed more aimed at getting the body’s lower half dancing than assaulting the upper part’s ears and eyes (remember the huge inflatable spider at the 2007 LMAs?).
Without a doubt, the hometown heroes in Elsinore drew the largest crowd on opening night. For the first time, curtains sealed off the small stage from the rest of the room and Ryan Groff was dead on to remark that it felt like the band was playing inside of a TV set. (One that, I’ll add, everyone in the crowd had tuned to their favorite channel.)
The set list was predictable, yet pleasing – as before you knew it, the group had breezed through “Wooden Houses,” “The General,” “Chemicals” and its outstanding cover of The Postal Service’s “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight.” In a finish that would have shattered the glass screen had there been one, the closing moments of “Landlocked” dissolved into a frenzy of noise, through which a final burst of melody briefly emerged before it was consumed by more chaos and sound.
In its direct supporting role, Milwaukee’s Decibully turned in what post-show chatter indicated was the evening’s most surprising performance. From the overheard comments of those oozing praise afterwards, it seems that an ear-piercing squeal during soundcheck was about the only false note the band hit.
Squeezing seven people into the tiny stage area, the folk-tinged indie rock collective showed off its agility (a few members still found room to rock out with abundant energy in the crowded confines) and versatility (as evidenced by the multiple instruments played by some in the group). Seamlessly meshing a few guitars, a couple of keyboards and even two drummers at one point, the band produced a smooth, unified sound that was never as cluttered as the on-stage setup would lead one to expect.
While some bands (such as the one just discussed) are adept at playing soaring, atmospheric music that would translate just as well in an outdoor setting as inside a club, Times New Viking is not one such act. Instead, the Ohio-based trio plays songs that are loud and grimy – music that is meant for dingy basements and late night listening. It was just as well then that equipment difficulties added to the show’s already late beginning and pushed back the headliner’s start time well into the seedy early morning hours.
Although I wasn’t too impressed with Times New Viking’s recent Pitchfork performance, in this smaller setting its songs resonated much better – the indistinct vocals mixing with lo-fi guitar lines to bounce off the walls and back and forth between by ears. Throwing in a lyrically repetitive new offering and longer cuts from its previous albums, TNV ended Pygmalion’s opening night on a clamorous, if not always intelligible, note.
Chris Hassen: I goes to shows.
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Chris Hassen
I goes to shows.
Elle (Elle) says:
(Posted September 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm)
i really wanted times new viking to be cooler because they have a great name.