Melt-Banana – Saturday @ Dantes
Japan boasts many a musical act that tears asunder the strictures of rock and pop music, piecing the remaining shards back together in a colorful collage of sound, akin to Christian Marclay’s reconstructions of vinyl LPs. Melt-Banana has stood firmly in that grand tradition for nearly two decades, giving punk and noise rock a screaming scratching makeover. Their live shows, as captured on their most recent release Melt-Banana Lite Live: ver.0.0, tend to be noisy breakneck and utterly brilliant affairs tempered only by the spritely vocals of founding member Yasuko Onuki. For the drummers out there: play close attention to whomever they have behind the kit for this tour. You will get a valuable lesson in how to attack a drum set with speed and economy.
Grouper – Friday @ Aristery
As with many of her similarly minded musical brethren, Liz Harris seems never content to simply rest on one sonic idea for too long. She has already established herself as one of the best of the post-rock pack, with thick foggy dreamlike soundscapes of albums like Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill and Cover The Walls And Windows that perfectly match up experimental aims with almost pop songwriting. Tonight, she will be laying solely in the pocket of the free form with a set of material constructed entirely from tape collage. Expect the unexpected.
O Bruxo – Tuesday @ Valentines
If it hasn’t happened already, O Bruxo will likely turn into Portland’s go to party band. I can see folks dangling wads of cash in front of their faces to play corporate holiday parties and weddings. It makes sense too – they are pure, unbridled joy, ratcheting up the energy of Latin, African and Jamaican rhythms to dizzying heights. It’s impossible not to get caught up in their swirl and find yourself bouncing and shaking along side them. Valentines will barely contain this event. Don’t be surprised if it spills into the street outside, raising the temperature a few degrees. We need some heat these days, and this band brings it. See them now before you can’t afford to.
