This past February I found myself smack dab in the middle of a heady set by Key of Shame where my ears & mind were essentially melted by the duo's grey-matter dirge. It is a sound embedded with the sounds of a dystopian electronic future wherein they are constantly reconfiguring the concept many have that synthesis & electronics provide the golden opening towards some unforeseen future of leisure & bliss. Totally cracked guitars, synth textures that warp in & out of the mix, & the constant squeal moaning of what sounds like the World's Fair running out of batteries.
Considering the dudes behind KoS, Pat Murano (Decimus, NNCK) + Mark Morgan (Sightings), the overall sound isn't so surprising as it follows upon some similar aesthetic elements both members other projects, bits of screeching guitars, soundtrack vibes, industrial murk as a result of urban living. What is surprising is the ease in translating the recorded sound into the live environment and vice-versa. Needless to say that fans of any project Murano & Morgan are in will find much to love here.
For those in the NYC are May 15th be sure to come catch a special collaboration between Decimus + Tom Carter at Death By Audio. The show will also feature an exclusive US performance by Charalambides and locals Pigeons as part of anotherLast Nights Presents event.
Back in early December 2011 Last Nights curated a fantastic lineup of musicians at Shea Stadium that included Decimus, Zaimph, New Monuments, & United Waters. I was unable to attend for reason out of my control. I was bummed, for various reasons.
Luckily Shea has come to my rescue & those of you who weren't, but I know desperately wanted to be there (is that stretching it?). United Waters entire set is up & ready to be streamed. A ram shackled Rock, check out Brian Sullivan's (of Mouthus) deep punk croon man. Who would have known? Some primal energy here, perfect for soundtrack for a beer.
United Water's debut album is available now via Arbitrary Signs.
In what seems to be a recurring theme on this site, brooklyn venue Shea Stadium has again offered up some recordings from Amen Dunes set at a previous Last Nights curated event. This time MV & EE, Amen Dunes, & Eleven Twenty-Nine all took the stage. It was a great night filled with truly awesome tunes. Eleven Twenty-Nine provided a twin guitar & drums assault of great technical dexterity, while MV & EE were on point in their own universe of sonic bliss. Amen Dunes had a particular scorcher of a set & his tune s Lower Mind, Baba Yaga, & Diane above really drive this point home, showing Amen Dunes at their best.
