507projex is pleased to announce our first featured columnist, gonzo music critic, Hijo de la Tierra, who will be covering music that fancies his ear, whenever the fancy to write about it overwhelms him to do so…And now from the man himself:
A venue without a known address has, in my experience, always been a sign of new sounds heading my way. Known only as the loft across from Pizza Luce in Downtown Minneapolis, this hipster haven was packed early for performances by the recently formed Rupert Angeleyes (forgettable) and a new project by scene veteran and producer Neil, of ZibraZibra/The Supercollider, whose highly engaging, over-the-top antics made songs like “Baby Goo Goo” and “Pizza Time” more than memorable, especially when paired with a variety of synth-beats and vocoder effects, all the common armaments of the one-man-band but used with a degree of skill uncommonly found.
Followed up by strong sets from the bossanova-inspired Buffalo Moon and the faux-British psychadelica of the Leisure Birds, the stage was set for some straight-up American ass-kicking, and the Chelsea Boys did not disappoint. Still arising from their infancy after their first tour to the east coast last fall, every show is a proving ground for new material, a war within themselves to see just how much snarling and gyration can be crammed into a 2:42 song.
The Boys’ cool demeanor was quickly thrown to the dogs (along with their shirts) as frontmen Hunter Morley and Josh Atwood did their sweaty best to keep up with the lightning-fast hi-hat-work of drummer Jacques Clark. The beastial, sloppy stage presence put out by Worley and Atwood never made the music suffer; the trio was honed in for the whole of their set, one I wish had been longer.
What else sets these guys apart from other dance-punk acts is the fourth man in the fire: their electronic element. Their effects were highly innovative, clean, often simplistic in place of the all-too-common arpeggio with a tonal twist, shaken, not stirred. I was reminded of Minnesota’s own The Histronic, not to mention a sea of dance-punk acts akin to The Rapture, bands I could dig for a song or two, but the Chelsea Boys succeeded for me where others left me wanting more: their vocals were understandable and clear, the guitar was endlessly more than just a wah to a beat, it was vibrant, plucky and fast, but never overdone, and the percussion, simply put, was flawless.
While I regret not sticking around for Moonstone’s set, I felt grateful to be able to see a group like The Chelsea Boys in this phase of “bandhood.” Their first release, a split-CD with equally promising, The Guystorm, is due out on Valentine’s Day. Head to the Kitty Kat Klub in Dinkytown for their record release party–I’ll see you there.
Got words? Contact Hijo de la Tierra via Twitter.
