[music]
No promises White Denim doesn’t play it safe on Corsicana
photo courtesy Mark Seliger
The first track, “At Night in Dreams,” off White Denim’s latest, Corsicana Lemonade, twists and turns, bursting with ideas, wearing influences on its sleeve. It kicks off with an intricate, stop-time guitar riff that sounds like something from a King Crimson record. The galloping drums and power chords beg for airplay on classic rock radio. Vocalist James Petralli is a verbal doppelgänger for The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. The way the song refuses to settle on any one style is representative of the entire album. The number of changes on Corsicana Lemonade—changes in style, guitar tone, tempo, time signature—is staggering, especially since the whole album clocks in at fewer than 40 minutes. That it all works testifies to the inventiveness of the writing and to the high quality musicianship, with the
highest honors going to drummer Josh Block for staying in command through every mutation. His drum parts feel just as schizoid and mercurial as the rest of the music, but they’re always recognizably his—even when the band gets souled out on album closer “A Place to Start.” Giving that title to the last song on the album serves as a sly wink to the listener. Petralli offers an invitation, saying, “If I ever start to change for the worst, show me something real.” But then, with the line, “I’ll do my best to turn it around and get back to you,” he never promises that your reality won’t get thrown into the White Denim blender. (Kevin Dupzyk) White Denim plays the Top Hat Thu., Jan. 30, at 10 PM, along with Skin Flowers. Doors at 9:30 PM. $13/$11 advance.
Ice Hockey, The Way It Is Now If punk rock is all about distilling anger and desperation and joy into a cathartic package, the subgenres that have followed it have attempted the same goal, with different end results. Hardcore broke things down even simpler and louder, while post-hardcore tried to add back in some complexity while keeping the feeling. More recently on the spectrum, screamo appeared, sounding pretty much like its name: Dissonant guitars, screamy vocals, jagged stops and starts. The trouble with pushing music to the limits of abrasiveness is knowing when to draw back. It can be hard to pin down the difference between the excellently rageful and the stuff that’s just obnoxious noise. Like what Justice Potter Stewart said about
pornography, I can’t define it, but I know it when I come across it. Iowa City band Ice Hockey plays some songs on the EP The Way It Is Now that sound like screaming for screaming’s sake. Others—particularly the final track, “Solar Myths and Autumn”— show a little more thoughtful songcraft, pleasingly chunky breakdowns and mournful melodic interludes. The Way It Is Now isn’t something to put on while kicking back in the sun, but it might suit a gray day when you need to let out some pent-up crankiness. (Kate Whittle) Ice Hockey plays the ZACC, along with The Whoopass Girls, Pancakes and Confidence Man, on Thu., Jan. 23, at 8 PM. $5. All ages, no alcohol.
Run River North Run River North’s Bandcamp page describes them as “a group of young Korean folk living in Los Angeles” who are “deeply into music and our maker.” True to that description, the band’s music inhabits the contrast between sunny California pop and somber religious themes. “Fight to Keep,” the lead single from their upcoming debut album, is propelled by a bouncy acoustic guitar motif, steady drumming and, in the lyrics, a struggle to deny base impulses, as in, “What I’ve done in darkness, I must turn away / This mended heart was meant for so much more.” The best musical comparison is probably The Lumineers, though RRN’s conspicuous violin and male-female lead vocals push them closer to an indie
pop sound. But where RRN stands out is in their lyrics, anyway. Songs like “Foxbeard” show interesting turns of phrase, always delivered with sincerity: “She’s building up her kingdom of sticks and stones / I hear the words in between they tend to never hold.” Indeed, RRN’s investment in its own lyrical message is such that the biggest missteps come when the musicians cover other artists’ work—their renditions of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and The Black Keys’ “Only One” both feel oddly detached. Here’s hoping that the debut, which drops next month, is all original material. (Kevin Dupzyk) Run River North opens for Moon Taxi at the Palace Fri., Jan. 24, at 9 PM. Doors at 8. $7.
missoulanews.com • January 23–January 30, 2014 [19]