ANDY WARHOL
MUSEUM
Friday, July 4
Brooklyn seems once again to be the center of the musical
universe, or at least the breeding ground for flashy, fleeting pop trends
and hip, young things. And if the Williamsburg club and fashion circuit is
any sign, the 1980s revival isn't going anywhere just yet. Currently it's
all neon and spandex and big-haired razzle-dazzle. Larry Tee, famous New
York nightclub patriarch and electronic music expert, coined the term
"electroclash" a few years ago to describe the handful of acts that played
new kinds of electro music and that he took under his wing. Chicks on
Speed, Ladytron, Adult. and Felix Da Housecat were among them. W.I.T. was
also part of it. Three glamour girls took on the name, which stands for
"Whatever It Takes," to poke fun at the lengths some girl groups will go
to find stardom. Their snobby, silly brand of pop was an immediate hit at
Tee's Electroclash™ 2001 festival with their flashy rendition of the Cars'
"Just What I Needed." Their performances are a spectacle of red lipstick
and lip-synching, and the trio intentionally resembles a modern Charlie's
Angels -- if you discount Cameron, Drew and Lucy -- with pouty looks, wild
attitudes and Farrah hair. Anything Tee touches turns to glitter and glam,
and his mixes are huge sells on his own label, Mogul Electro Records.
After tonight's show, a quick walk down the street will find a prime spot
to catch the Point's giant fireworks display, which might seem fitting
after the high-speed decadence of the music.
-- CINDY YOGMAS
With Larry Tee, W.I.T., Freezepop. 7 p.m. $5. North
Side. 412.237.8300
XIU XIU
QUIET STORM
Tuesday,
July 8
Xiu Xiu -- pronounced "shoe shoe" -- are known for
relentless touring. This year they will complete three tours. They've
graced various local venues and this time around perform at the Quiet
Storm -- an aptly named outlet to showcase their style. Xiu Xiu's sound
rises and falls in fits of gentle whispers and tempestuous screams,
tinkling chimes and screeching percussion. Bells, synthesizers,
accordions, drum machines and various horns and stringed instruments
contribute to their unique brand of new wave music. Their latest effort,
A Promise, was released on the Kill Rock Stars sub-label, 5RC, in
February. In the tradition of their last release, Knife Play, the
new album's lyrics tackle suicide, insecurity and painful relationships
from a female perspective. But there's a twist: Lead vocalist Jamie
Stewart is a man. The opening track, "Sad Pony Guerilla Girl," parallels
the 'Til Tuesday classic, "Voices Carry" in its first-person narrative of
an abused woman. Stewart sings, "You say that I am your secret love/ You
say to be quiet, don't wanna tell the whole world." He repeats the chorus
like a woman trying to convince herself: "I like my neighborhood/ I like
my gun/ Drive in my little car/ I am your girl and I will protect you."
The theme of feminine introspection continues in a haunting cover of Tracy
Chapman's "Fast Car." Stewart's inflection -- at times akin to sobbing --
underscores the sadness in Chapman's lyrics. Xiu Xiu's recorded material,
though heartbreakingly beautiful, barely does their live performance
justice. Their elaborate instrumentation demands an intimate, live setting
to be fully appreciated.
-- EMILY LAMISON
With Devendra Banhart. 8 p.m. Friendship.
412.661.9355
BARDO POND
REX THEATRE
Tuesday,
July 8
My first exposure to Bardo Pond, Philadelphia's
redoubtable drone-and-sludge quintet, was over opium tea on a Kasbah
terrace in Morocco with an American friend and a cheap boombox. I'd been
in the country for nine months and soaked up the bass-heavy trance music
of the Gnawa brotherhood, Berber banjo players and recordings I made of
blind beggars repeating praises to Allah while motor scooters provided the
sonic backdrop. The connection between all this repetition and clamor --
the tempos often coming at hymn-speed -- and Bardo Pond was obvious. The
band begins with riffs and builds slowly, enveloping the tempo in layers
of harmony. Vocals creep in under the squawl and join the tempest. What
"tunes" they might play or what singer Isobel Sollenberger could be saying
isn't important. The process is. They may take five minutes or 30 to get
to the core of a piece, but moving boulders takes work, patience and time.
On a good night they drench audiences and liquefy time, stoning with pure
sound, piercing a few ears in the process. Unlike traditional North
African street music, they rely on potent doses of volume and drum-kit
thud. However, Bardo Pond induces a similar nirvana, something their
latest album, On the Ellipse, makes lucid.
-- BRUCE MILLER
With 1929, Aydin. South Side. 412.381.6811
BARRY ANDREWS
REX
THEATRE
Wednesday, July 9
Barry Andrews first appeared in the late 1970s as
keyboardist for XTC. After an EP and a single album with them, he joined
ex-King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp's League of Gentlemen, appearing on
the Exposure album. Neither band could hold him, so in 1982 he
formed his own: Shriekback. Aided by ex-Gang Of Four bassist David Allen,
they released five albums and almost twice as many EPs throughout the
1980s. Whereas the lyrics of XTC's Andy Partridge could be whimsical,
Andrews bordered on the weird. Musically they were all over the map. Every
album was a combination of electronica-inspired dance tracks and mellow,
introspective ballads. Andrews' voice, a deep mix of the sinister and the
spiritual, was perfect for either. In 1985 they had a dance club hit with
the song "Nemesis," which may be the only song in history to make good use
of the word "parthenogenesis" in its lyrics. Andrews took a sabbatical
from music in the 1990s, but has recently returned to the recording studio
to record his newest CD, Haunted Box of Switches. The extremes of
his music still exist, but they are more rigidly separated than before.
The album strips down to the bare essentials: Andrews' voice, accompanied
only by piano. Filled with new songs and versions of a few Shriekback
tunes, it sounds haunting and beautiful. His vocals are understated, but
carry the power of conviction found in his early work. Andrews hasn't
abandoned electronica, just separated it. His visit to Pittsburgh comes a
few months after an injury postponed a previously scheduled show. He will
also be performing as Stic-Basin. Less dancey than Shriekback, Stic-Basin
revels in the theatre of sound, exploring mood and music through digital
technology.
-- WAYNE WISE
With Herman Düne. 7 p.m. South Side.
412.381.6811
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