September 01, 2004
Kill Rock Stars Showcase Showdown
(Photo courtesy of Xiu Xiu)
By Janna Chan for Three Imaginary Girls
Kill Rock Stars Showcase: Deerhoof, The Decemberists, Xiu Xiu and the Gossip
*Neumos, September 12, 2004
$12 advance tickets at Ticketswest
Doors 8:00pm
Show 9:00pm
Like watching a flashy, quick-paced, epilepsy-inducing anime cartoon, a live Deerhoof performance always gets the body vibrating with eyes rolled back in sheer ecstasy. Lead by bite-sized treat Satomi Matsuzaki, this San Francisco-based quartet shakes pop music like a rag doll with manic waves of electric guitar countered by Matsuzaki’s endlessly cute cheeps and chirps.
A fantastic compliment to Deerhoof for this star-studded showcase is Seattle-via-Los Angeles transplant Xiu Xiu (aka, Jamie Stewart). Completely manic and unpredictable in his own right, Stewart combines IDM-style drum machine with layers of dissonance, experimental instrumentation and bouts of heartfelt screams and indiscernible mutterings. In other words, Xiu Xiu forces you to look deep inside of yourself and not like what’s there. Rubbing salt in the wound are Portland homeboys, The Decemberists. Representing everything good about feeling horrible, singer Colin Meloy weaves intricate tales about circus freaks and sailing and, unlike many of his indie brethren, enunciates every word. Talk about one hell of a sing-a-long! Oh yeah, the Gossip will be playing too.
Posted by MissPicklez at September 1, 2004 10:37 AM