Pretty sparse musical pickings this Tuesday evening, but at least the couple of things going on tonight are pretty decent.
Blonde Redhead and Olof Arnalds at the Granada Theater
New York
City-based alternative rock trio Blonde Redhead is truly a multicultural
experience. Singer-guitarist Kazu Makino hails from Japan while twin
brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace were born in Italy, but grew up in
Montreal. Not that you can hear any Japanese or Italian musical
influences in the dreamy, psychedelic rock of Blonde Redhead, though. Penny
Sparkle, the trio's most recent effort, is probably the softest album
the band has made, featuring as much electronics as guitar. Songs such
as "Here Sometimes" and "Love or Prison" would be almost pop if not for
Makino's otherworldly wail. She's certainly the main attraction, but the
Pace brothers do provide her with hypnotic backing. Adding further to
tonight's multicultural feel will be Icelandic multi-instrumentalist
Olof Arnalds. Arnalds' odd but intriguing folk should get this show off
on the right foot.
Attack Attack!, Emmure and Peirce the Veil at the House of Blues
Ohio's
Attack Attack is a metalcore band with a wicked sense of humor. After
all, the band's 2008 debut EP is called If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use
Swords? Attack Attack!'s self-titled sophomore full-length came out
this past summer and features a strange fusion of electronic pop and
screamo metal. The dichotomy between the almost progressive intros and
the crushing metal of the songs themselves can be rather shocking. But
the power inherent in songs such as "Sexual Man Chocolate" and
"Smokahontas" still comes pounding through. Although "clean" vocalist
and rhythm guitar player Johnny Franck recently (as in two weeks ago)
quit the band, Attack Attack! appears capable of keeping things together
while continuing to confound listeners. New York's Emmure and San
Diego's Pierce the Veil should prove to be capable support acts on this
heavy night of music.
