Crystal Antlers @ Botanique

Psychedelic rock is alive and kicking. OK, no big news. So many bands have lately confirmed that distorted guitars, twisted melodies, folk influences and long live improvisation are a mark of the 00s as well as a celebration of the 60s and 70s. Black Mountain, the Black Angels, Les Savy Fav, the Warlocks, Pink Mountaintops, to name a few. Some of them also inject the right dose of prog in the lysergic fix: ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Mars Volta. Crystal Antlers, a quintet from Long Beach, California, (not surprisingly produced by Mars Volta’s keyboardist Ikey Owen) are pushing the envelope a little bit farther, adding a dose of jazz à la Soft Machine, a zest of 60s garage and, of course, some hard-core punk energy. All these elements were perfectly showcased by their 70-minutes gig at the Botanique Rotonda, in Brussels, Wednesday 4 March. The public was surprisingly numerous considering that Crystal Antlers only published one self-titled EP (Pitchfork and MySpace can do wonders). Most of the songs on it were performed in expanded, distorted versions. Particularly convincing were the potent and guitar-driven “Until the Sun Dies (Part 2)”, and the almost 10-minute psychedelic ride of “Parting Song for the Torn Sky”, guitars and organ shouting out loud and reminding me of Mad River. “Andrew” and “Memorized” from the forthcoming new album Tentacles, presented a somewhat moodier side of the band. Among the final tracks, hints of Pink Floyd and a cover of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” actually bearing more resemblance to the 13th Floor Elevators’ psyche version than to Dylan’s original. The hype generated by the Antlers’ debut EP was demonstrated by the small group of fans gathering around the band after the concert asking for copies of the forthcoming new album. For now, it is only available for download from iTunes, CD and vinyl out in April, when Crystal Antlers will presumably be back from this first European tour.

P.S. Playlist courtesy of Crystal Antlers and my friend Gavriel:

Giant Sand @ Depot, Leuven

A couple of shots from a very good show...

Of Montreal @ Botanique

Eclectic, theatrical and fun. Of Montreal convinced the few hundreds of people squeezed in the Botanique Rotonda for their sold-out show in Brussels last night. The concert was both a good sample of the musical talents of the band from Athens, Georgia, and a personal show by Kevin Barnes, or rather his outrageous alter-ego Georgie Fruit. The songs performed were mainly from their last two albums, which privilege funky rythms, retro-disco effects, influences from glam-rock, Talking Heads and 80s electropop,..and a touch of Rocky Horror. This latest element was overemphasized by the four performing artists staging little gags and scenes wearing animal costumes, skull masks or superhero outfits as the band played--shame the Rotonda stage was probably limiting their possibilities. Barnes/Fruit predictably stole the show with his pretended-gay attitudes (the guy is allegedly straight as an arrow), little dances, costumes and strip teases. Overall, an incredible stage animal. Personal highlights of a brilliant setlist: the opener She's a Rejecter, A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger, from "Hissin Fauna" and Gallery Piece from the latest "Skeletal Lamping". But really everything showed how far the band has grown up from their thin psych-pop Elephant Six beginnings. (And just for the nostalgic old guys like me, Of Montreal saluted with impeccable covers of two punk classics: the Ramones' Judy is a Punk and the Buzzcocks' Ever Fallen in Love?)