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THE UCSD GUARDIAN | THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012 | www.Ucsdguardian.org
exit strategy THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
János Négyesy and Päivikki Nykter CONRAD PREBYS APR 10, 8 p.m. FREE
5TH ANNUAL KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL ROBINSON BUILDING COMPLEX APR 11, 5:30 p.m. free
LOL THE LOFT APR 11,7:30 P.M. Free
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
ALBUM REVIEWS
Saturday Night Dreams Disco rivivalists Chromatics dabble in the unexpected.
PRICE CENTER THEATRE APR 5, 6 p.m. & 9P.M. APR 7, 8P.M. $3
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CHE: THE ARGENTINE
INSTITUTE OF THE AMERICA APR 5, 3 A.m. Free
MFA OPEN STUDIO
AMBULATORY CARE, HILLCREST APR 10, 1 P.M. Free
druthers HIATUS PICKS THE WEEK’S BEST BETS
Youth Lagoon
Chromatics Kill For Love
Italians do it better
It feels like ages since Chromatics released their last album, 2007’s Night Drive. Night Drive, along with records by Italians Do It Better labelmates Glass Candy and Desire, was a major part of that year’s Italo disco revival, which saw indie bands flirting with slow, arpeggiated basslines and nocturnal, often mournful female vocals. Short lived as that movement
was, Kill for Love’s opening track “Into the Black” is a total surprise: A Neil Young cover, it’s driven by distorted, almost sloppy electric guitar, a sound that would have seemed completely out of place on any of Night Drive’s sleek disco tracks. This newfound diversity is employed throughout Kill for Love. Though Chromatics’ signature palm-muted guitar and ambling beats are still present, they’re just as likely to indulge in buoyant AM radio piano lines or shuffling snareheavy drums. A key aspect of Kill for Love is its scope. Its seventeen tracks last about an hour and a half, a considerable length even for a doublealbum. Chromatics’ songwriting is consistent though, and the album is generally free of filler. Songs like the standout “Lady,” or the melan-
choly “Candy” evoke the darker side of ‘70s radio rock, and are just as achingly beautiful as similar works by artists like Stevie Nicks or Steve Winwood, while tracks like “These Streets Will Never Look the Same” unfold with a cinematic sense of urgency, with patient, tense drum machines punctuating brittle synthesizers. Kill for Love is perhaps most remarkable in its ability to skillfully evoke a specific sense of atmosphere while never forgetting the importance of good songwriting. Though it likely comes as a surprise to listeners expecting more stylish night-disco, Kill for Love stands as an excellent, surprisingly consistent follow-up. — Andrew Whitworth Associate Hiatus Editor
PORTER’S PUB / APR 11, 8 P.M. / $15 Youth Lagoon is the recording project of San Diego-born twenty-two-year-old songwriter Trevor Powers. As Youth Lagoon, Powers crafts achingly melodic, sentimental synth-pop that has recently catapulted him into blog stardom. Last year’s The Year of Hibernation skillfully balanced dream pop’s sense of atmosphere with a pop-minded attitude. Particularly exciting is the opening act, glammy Italian synth-rockers Porcelain Raft. (AW)
Bible Belt Shakedown Alabama-based rockers howl at the moon.
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GEOGRAPHER
the loft/ APR 9, 8 P.M. / $5 San Francisco’s Geographer is the result of heartbreak (songwriter Michael Deni began the project after a series of deaths in his family), but you wouldn’t know it from their music: Geographer trades in bright, dancey pop music reminiscent of bands like Junior Boys and Discovery. The play is at UCSD’s The Loft this Monday; Church Hustlers and Rainbow Blanket open. (AW)
Alabama Shakes Boys & Girls Anti-Records
After experiencing steadily growing hype culminating in a rambunctious SXSW set opening for Jack White, Alabama Shakes, an Alabama-based buzz band that combines soul music with traditional Americana, has finally released their much anticipated debut album.
Boys & Girls is rife with tracks that embody soulful, back-to-basics rock ‘n’ roll. Without the frills of many modern bands and a palpable influence by their formation in America’s “Bible Belt,” Alabama Shakes’ sound is a blend of Southern rock, gospel and timeless, vintage soul. Their first single “Hold On” showcases lead singer Brittney Howard’s raw vocals, which fall somewhere between pretty and gritty. Boys & Girls displays an admirable amount of sonic diversity: “Goin’ To The Party” is a short and sweet tune that changes up the tempo, time and sound — reminiscent of an offbeat yet deliciously cool White Stripes song. The Shakes take it down a few notches on tracks like “Hang Loose,” a breezier
and more carefree number about taking it easy and knowing that “you’re gonna be alright.” “I Found You” goes for subdued soul rather than rocking ferocity, making it a more beautiful number and allowing Howard’s smooth and sweltering vocals to shine through. “Heartbreaker” unfolds in the same vein — a backdrop of drumrolls and piano keys under Howard howling about her heartache. This song, like all of Boys & Girls, showcases the personal in a loud and bittersweet way, making it impossible for the listener not to feel right there with her and believe every word she says. — Amanda Martinek Senior Staff Writer