The New York Rockmarket

Micachu and the Shapes are playing some of the most innovative, interesting music right now, period.  Sometimes I think that rock music, music with guitars, is completely over.  It’s all been done and nothing will ever sound new again.  Micachu proves me wrong, and I love her for it.  A tiny, androgynous woman with a definite British street air about her, but without all the obnoxious punk rock swagger.  Constantly apologizing throughout the set for tuning between each song, my only wish for the band is that they might find a bit more confidence, a bit more of the sneer and swagger that British bands are known for.  Some of their weird, experimental songs are total rockers, and the band could come a bit more into their own in this respect.  But other than that, they’re absolutely great to watch.  Coordinated-cowbells, Stoli-bottles as percussion, thick synths, and a homemade acoustic guitar create an enormous din of organized chaos.  It’s very cool to see them play live, to learn how they produce some of the alien sounds that pervade their album, Jewellry.  For instance, the impossibly muddled chord in the beginning of “Vulture?”  It’s just a piece of paper woven through the strings, and then an open strum.  Simple, but effective.  Their music sounds alien, refreshing, and brand new, and it was so fun to watch them create it.  See them tonight at Le Poisson Rouge if you missed them yesterday.

Mon Khmer opened, and I could really take them or leave them.  They were accomplished musicians and good at what they did.  What they did was basically play slick mostly instrumental rock bursts.  Maybe a little bit like Mogwai crossed with Interpol?  I don’t know, that’s probably wrong, but it was the sort of band where I might see them again in the future and have a difficult time remembering if I’d seen them before.  Not good, not bad, just sort of blank.  They were too slick without being interesting.  Pictures and MP3s below.

Mon Khmer:

Micachu:

MP3: “Vulture” – Micachu and the Shapes