Aloha

aloha @ northstarbar in philadelphia
Originally uploaded by marcymakesaparty.

at The Black Cat (backstage), 8/27/2006

(note: this photo is from a show in philly, not the show I'm writing about in DC)

The sound on the backstage at Black Cat is really bad. It's a room that doesn't deal well with loudness. Sad, since most shows in there are pretty damn loud. This worked against Aloha - which is a real shame since they're an excellent band, and their new record sounds fabulous.

Their music is intricately crafted and meticulously executed - but without sounding cold and calculated. They're just a group of damn fine players. Drummer is really excellent (comparisons to Alan White might be deserved?), bass player is totally solid (Stupid Pitchfork compares him to Chris Squire... seriously). Guitarist / keyboardist / singer is good at all three. His voice sounds kind of like David Gray, although music is completely different - I just mean timbre of his voice, and I mean that as a complement. And then there's TJ Lipple playing marimba and keyboard. That's right, marimba. They're a rock band with a marimba. Chew on that for a minute.

So, you may have noticed two mentions comparing them to Yes in the previous paragraph. I think we need to coin a new term: Indie-prock, meaning indie rock infused with the good aspects of prog rock, and eschewing the genre's overblown theatricality and posturing as well as the abundance of lyrics about mythological creatures. I think Aloha would make a shining example of "indie prock." Plenty of odd meters, nifty interlocking patterns, surprsingly complex harmonic and melodic ideas - somehow merged into the framework of totally approachable indie rock (and no lyrics about mythological creatures).

One song borrowed heavily from Phillip Glass, with several interlocking ostinati - and they even switched instruments mid-stream on that one. Several songs were played without a break between them, giving the feel of some kind of large-scale epic (in the grand prog-rock tradition, but with no pretense). Between other songs, some free-from improv filled the gap while singer switched from keyboard to guitar.

This was the last show of their tour - which followed fairly soon on the heels of a longer tour earlier in the summer, and they looked pretty tired. Seemed like a square meal and a good night's sleep would do them all some good, but even though they looked road-weary they put on a great show.

I picked up "Some Echoes" on vinyl at the show. Sounds nice.

Photo by Flickr user marcymakesaparty