As I’ve repeatedly mentioned throughout the summer, things have been extremely busy both with the site and with my day job, so I’m still catching up – well, with everything. But back at the end of July, the guys in House of Blondes invited me to catch them play a free show at the Cobra Club in Brooklyn – I think it was Bushwick but I never know where the neighborhoods start and end. In any case, the venue is unusual because during most days of the week, it’s a cafe and yoga studio, so because it’s not a dedicated music venue there were all kinds of sound issues – in fact, House of Blondes set was marred by sound issues that had the band, now playing as a quartet, sounding muddled and sludgy. It’s very odd because their recorded (and normal live) sound is generally clean, efficient and super modern.
The night started late, but opening was the duo of Rarefaction. Playing instrumental songs, the duo which consisted of bass and drums, played songs that were at minimalist to the point of creating an eerie, haunting beauty. The material feels much like a waking fever dream – the sort where the surreal comes slowly out of the shadows to meet you, and lingers for a while. Adding to the minimalist sensibility was the fact that there was no stage banner; not even an introduction to the band. On a certain level it was odd but somehow expected. Still, I was impressed.
For these photos and a few more, check out the Flickr set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yankee32879/sets/72157634888928919/
