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Video: Double Dagger – “No Allies”

DOUBLE DAGGER – “No Allies” from Matt Porterfield on Vimeo.

Today is the last day to leave a comment on our Masks review as part of the Double Dagger Does Europe contest.

The guys hopped across the pond yesterday, premiering the above video for “No Allies” on the site for influential British music illuminati, NME. The video was directed by local film luminary Matt Porterfield (Metal Gods, Putty Hill, Hamilton) and was shot in the venerable, now-retired first home of Charm City Art Space. CCAS moved up to bigger digs earlier this year in the form of the garage next door.

Contest: Double Dagger Does Europe

So I feel bad for leaving the site dormant for a bit while I get my act together. Therefore, I’ve arranged a little well-timed contest.

The local punk mavens in Double Dagger are kicking off a European tour next week. Also, our most frequently heard voice of Thrill Jockey, Paco Barba, is leaving the esteemed label. As a parting shot, he sent over 5 copies of the limited, hand-screenprinted 18″ x 25″ poster for Masks (pictured to the right) for us to give away.

Entry is simple: head over to my review of Masks, and leave a comment with your email. Preferably something interesting about the release, masks you wear, encouraging send-offs to DD for their tour, other DD-related anecdotes or miscellany. I’ll randomly pick 5 winners on May 12, when DD starts off their tour in Nottingham.

The only restriction is that the winner must be able to pick up the poster from downtown Baltimore. I’m too lazy/busy to ship.

If you are in Europe, be sure to check out one of the dates listed below:

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Album Review: Double Dagger – Masks EP (Thrill Jockey)

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MP3: Double Dagger – Pillow Talk

Double Dagger continues to strain my objectivity. My experiences, both live and recorded, are steadily forming a mountain of good will that probably abolishes what little critical credibility I have in the first place, leaving only awe-struck fawning. Still, I can’t resist saying a few words about their latest (highly enjoyable) EP.

Three of Masks‘ five tracks were recorded along with the rest of 2009′s More at the Current Gallery in early 2009, and it certainly feels like More v2.0 in some ways. They’ve clearly taken their sound by the reins by springboarding off their maturation with More, and seem to be settling into their ideal balance of acerbic and soothing elements. However, they’ve taken a step back to more spartan, lo-fi production and song structures here. The result is an EP that hits less like a masterful and adventurous recording (More) and more like their off-the-rails live show, which isn’t a bad thing.

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Photos / Live Review: Double Dagger, HEALTH, Pictureplane, Shams @ Sonar (2009.09.26)

_MG_7494 _MG_7492 _MG_7497 _MG_7508 Pictureplane @ Sonar Pictureplane @ Sonar Pictureplane @ Sonar Bruce Willen of Double Dagger @ Sonar Denny Bowen of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen of Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar Double Dagger @ Sonar Nolen Strals of Double Dagger @ Sonar

All photos: Greg Szeto

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01. MP3: HEALTH – Die Slow (Tobacco Remix)
02. MP3: HEALTH – We Are Water

An odd night to say the least.  Two solo openers that relied heavily on iPod-beats to move bodies versus two bands using traditional instruments with ear-shattering consequences.  These evolutions of the spastic electronified rock that characterized many Wham City acts has morphed into a more “adult” realm of music with booty-shaking club influence weighing heavy on the proceedings.  The contrast is marked: the wide-eyed innocence and playfulness of Dan Deacon’s tunes meets the bump-and-grind, down and dirty.

Shams peddles his tonic well, selling his heavily distorted vocals through twin mics and iPod-backing tracks with a somewhat ritualistic spectacle of a live show, complete with amulet, and various charms.  Overtones of amateur voodoo shaman-ism, more for fear factor than any sort of true belief, echo in his vacant, ironic and subtle-as-a-freight-train lyrics: “I want to cut your face / while I’m fucking you.”  Yet something was strangely compelling about the sensationalized violence and misogyny that made it all work.  Maybe it is just the charm of depravity with a wink and a smile.

I found Pictureplane’s music was a harder sell (but clearly I was in the minority amidst the sweaty and dancing crowd).  Much heavier club and dub sounds filled this set, heavy beats that were easy to move to.  The fact that the house lights were cut, leaving on flashes and LED strips to light the way, didn’t hurt with the immersion either.  I think living in Baltimore has us spoiled though, as I kept thinking I was listening to a sub-par Bmore Club DJ you would find on any given weeknight.  While he no doubt dropped some smoking-hot cuts, these moments of dance-floor bliss were too few amidst a sea of shallow replicas.

HEALTH provided no small racket, their primal rhythms and screeching vocals hitting hard and fast.  But they seemed a pale shadow of themselves from their Ottobar performance a little over a year ago, and their luster was dulled.  I think they would be well served by some time off the road, to recharge their electricity.  The exaggerated swings of their guitars and flailing spasms seemed little more than half-hearted artifice.  Still, underneath such a din HEALTH didn’t seem so out of place with the previous two openers, most of their songs possessing strong tribal dance circle rhythms that can sway bodies.

Double Dagger however, was the odd man out.  Funnily enough, they possessed far and away the best bass lines of the night, yet they are the furthest removed from dance fare.  But with Nolen as front-man, I don’t think there will ever be a lackluster DD show.  Bruce’s frenzied bass and Denny’s frantic drumming only add fuel to the fire.  As Bruce’s bass cut out mid-song, Nolen finished the verse before apologizing and positing the hypothetical: “maybe we should’ve played with iPods like everyone else.”  Considering what came before,  I think it was clear that the answer to this is a resounding “no.”  I walked away from the night a little disoriented by the shifting styles, and not quite sure what to make of the line-up.  I was only sure that I had had my fill of iPod-backed acts, but could listen and watch Double Dagger another ten times before drifting to sleep.

Live Review / Photos: Half Japanese, Double Dagger @ the Ottobar (2009.07.24)

Bruce Willen of Double Dagger I was busy being behind the lens for this show, so I called in a favor from guest celeb-writer Benn Ray of Atomic Books and the Mobtown Shank to weigh in on this show.

All photos: Greg Szeto

Full live audio by the Baltimore Taper can be found at Bmore Musically Informed. Here are the best/choicest cuts:

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MP3: Half Japanese – You’re Gonna Miss Me (frikkin sweet 13th Floor Elevators cover!!!!!!!)

MP3: Double Dagger – The Lie / The Truth from More (2009)

Double Dagger’s set brought forth their army of teen fans – slam-dancing and moshing and enjoying the punk rock like anyone with youth on their side should. Confused aging hipsters who were obviously there to see Half Japanese curiously formed a perimeter. It was easy to see they were not familiar with Double Dagger and their fans, but these guys all had a glimmer in their eyes – they remembered punk shows of the ’80s and early ’90s.

You could see them slowly winding themselves up to jump into the fray…and eventually they did.

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Live Review: Whartscape 2009 Day 3 (2009.07.12)

Dan Deacon Day 3 Whartscape
Photo credit: Flickr user Dorret

Hunting for safety from the sun’s rays made me feel something like an animal Sunday. I was leaning against the old rusted fence in the MICA parking lot, watching Santa Dads do their own thing–and it is totally theirs to keep, when I became aware of all the Wham City members working their butts off in the draining heat. I remember running into (who I believe was) Stefani Levin of Wham City at the Load of Fun on Saturday night. She was clearly fatigued, and (not knowing who she was) I asked “hell of a show, right?” She exhaled loudly and replied, “I’m working.” You might imagine what hell organizing and executing this monstrous Whartscape must have been. For those of us who attended, I think it’s time to give a quick thanks to the people that put this rad fest on.

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Countdown to Whartscape 2009: T-0 DD/MM/YYYY | Double Dagger (Nolen Strals, Denny Bowen) | What Cheer! Brigade (Lyndon Cordero) | The New Flesh (Rick Weaver)

ddmmyyyy

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MP3: DD/MM/YYYY – They

Anyone who showed up to last year’s Whartscape knows that DD/MM/YYYY kill onstage, same goes for those who saw them on tour with Videohippos in May. This bunch of experimental-rocking Canadians dropped their fourth release, Black Square, but only a few months ago. I thought it was pretty great. My email account caught up with theirs for a few questions fairly recently, here’s how it went down:

1. You guys were at Whartscape last year; care to describe the experience as a band?

-Whartscape last year was amazing. We got to see the killer whales, bird names, mae shi, and thank you.

2. What’s the biggest reason why everyone should go to Whartscape?

-so they can get freaky deaky to all the good bands playing.

3. What sort of reputation does Baltimore hold in Toronto, is it accurate?

-There are a lot of fans of all things baltimore in my group of friends. Personally, I think of it as a city without a large culture industry which allows creative people living there to not think about what is cool or contemporary and just do what they do which then makes it cool and contemporary. All the referentiality of extant culture without too much self consciousness that a larger city might breed. You will have to tell me if it is accurate.

4. If Baltimore were a comic in the New Yorker, what might be the caption?

-”I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

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Nolen Strals of Double Dagger

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MP3: Double Dagger – Vivre Sans Temps Mort from More Record Release Show, Live @ Floristree

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Nolen: Last year when loads of teenagers and local hipsters in often
intentionally-ridiculous outfits looked at me funny coz I had on white
pants and a polo.

Denny: When I stupidly threw that drum into the crowd last year. Good
thing there’s a rule about that this year. But I felt like total shit
after it happened. Also the first Whartscape where Kevin (from
Videohippos/Blood Baby) was rolling around on this really tall ladder
hooking stuff up admist the swarming drunk crowd.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Nolen: The Dan Deacon Ensemble, coz even though Denny plays in it, I
still haven’t seen it live. They’re one of the only bands I’ll have
time to see as well because this is our last day of tour so we’re
getting to town after most of it’s already happened. As always I’m
stoked for Future Islands, too.

Denny: My bed, because I’ve been on tour for a long time and psyched
to nap it up in my own linens. Honestly, I can’t choose one thing,
there are a lot friends of mine that I’m excited to see play. Big Bear
should be sick, I haven’t seen them play since 2005, which also was
the first show that I saw Dan Deacon. It was a tense situation, but
that’s another story… I’m also excited to see if Narwhalz will
actually play beyond 2 minutes this time. I’m bummed I will miss the
New Flesh though.

3. Choose one word to describe Whartscape, and what it means to you.

Nolen: Sweaty. Sweaty shows are good shows.

Denny: Festivus. Because it’s for the rest of us.

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

Nolen: Because they’ve asked us every other year and it’s always been
one of the most fun shows of the year.

Denny: You mean when they myspaced us? Yeah, it’s definitely a great
homecoming show. If we we said no, we would be total chumps.

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what cheer

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MP3: What Cheer? Brigade – Saiyan re Saiyan

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MP3: What Cheer? Brigade – Malaguena

Let my bias be known: I am a recovering marching band addict.  Tuba (not sousaphone mind you, those are for wusses) for three years, trombone for one.  It’s hard for me to watch groups like What Cheer! Brigade or Mucca Pazza and not get so amped that I want to run home and get my tuba.  They’ll likely be candidates for an exuberance award for this weekend.

Trumpeter Cordey checked in with us:

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

This will be our first Whartscape! All 18 of us! We are a big, fat 18-piece brass and percussion band from Providence, Rhode Island. Our music is a mix of Bollywood pop, traditional Balkan brass, New Orleans wango-chango, noise and metal, crabcore, etc. Although we are listed as a “marching band,” I hesitate to say we are one – we’re more like a mobile, party unit.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

I don’t know where the rest of my bandmates stand on this one, and it’s kinda hard to check in with all one-million of them. We’ll only be around on Saturday, so I’m gonna say I’m most excited to see Ponytail, C Spencer Yeh, and Ed Schrader. Haven’t had the chance to see them before. I’m also excited to see my friends EAR PWR again. HOLLA!!!!

3. Choose one word to describe Whartscape, and what it means to you.

Friends!  Whartscape, like life, is about playing music with your friends and for your friends. And this year it seems that everyone involved is a friend or a friend of a friend. Although it may seem that Whartscape carries connotations of cronyism, that’s okay – nothing is at risk here (except for potentially bad music).

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

The lineup is killer; it shall be a blast. Everyone involved gets to play for new audiences, and everyone involved has the chance to be that new audience for everyone else involved. It’s kinda like that vicious cycle that goes: “I eat because I’m sad; I’m sad because I’m fat; I’m fat because I eat,” but instead of gaining weight, we’re all gaining, uh… fun!—

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the new flesh

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MP3: The New Flesh – No Expectations

Baltimore punks The New Flesh will tear your ears off and spit in them if given the chance.  And I highly recommend letting them.

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Seeing sunglasses and consuming energy drinks.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Microkingdom, Pleasant Livers, Zomes

3. Choose one word to describe Whartscape, and what it means to you.

Sounds

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

An offer I could not refuse

Video: Height With Friends – “Mike Stone” | Double Dagger – “Vivre Sans Temps Mort”

For the public interest, I thought I should take note of two fantastic videos (one brand new, one relatively new) from two Baltimore mainstays and Whartscape participants.

Height aka Dan Keach drops a video for “Mike Stone” off the recent Baltimore Highlands vinyl.  The video is a great loveletter to Charm City (and to a lesser extent, mix-and-match lettering).

Height With Friends “Mike Stone” from Team G on Vimeo.

In addition, Double Dagger read my mind and issued a video a few weeks back for one of my favorite songs in their entire catalog: sublime new joint “Vivre Sans Temps Mort” off More.

Double Dagger – Vivre Sans Temps Mort from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Live Audio: Double Dagger @ Floristree (2009.05.22)

_MG_4180

Double Dagger
Floristree
Baltimore, MD
May 22, 2009

Band:
Nolen Strals-vocals
Bruce Willen-bass, vocals
Denny Bowen-drums

Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3
Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC
Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)

Photo credit: Greg Szeto

Air Waves’ set here

Video Hippos’ set here

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC (Available after 11:45PM EST 5/23)

Stream and download individual MP3s after the jump.

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Live Review / Photos: Double Dagger, Videohippos @ Floristree (2009.05.22)

What a great vibe and great show this past Saturday Friday (thanks for noticing that, Jeff) at Floristree.  I walked in to a fully-ramped Videohippos set that had more than motivated the healthy-sized audience with some stellar, dance-ready hooks and decently complementary neon-colored projections.  The most noticeable thing was how few familiar faces I noticed scanning the throbbing throngs and bobbing heads.  The first show that felt like a summer show for me, and there were all kinds of fresh, young faces complete with the energy that accompanies such a blissful clean slate.

Double Dagger furthered their legend, delivering as intense and tight a set as I think I’ve seen from them, at least in recent memory.  The biggest change was probably how happy and refreshed they seemed to be,   It was also one of their most well-paced and constructed sets, opening with the building tumult of “Neon Gray” revving the anticipiation from the crowd like a finely tuned racecar, then ripping through a set list culled almost entirely (and appropriately) from the release in celebration, More.  ”No Allies” is as ferocious as ever, and is easily coming to rival long-time favorite “Luxury Condos for the Poor” for the most vigorous fan reaction.  The juxtaposition of the sublime intro in the follow-up song (“Vivre Sans Temp Mort”) worked, resonating remarkably well as a showcase of new emotions that Double Dagger can effectively pluck live.  More highlights included the obvious encore of “Luxury Condos” and a spectacular performance of More’s addictive lead single “The Lie / The Truth,” complete with high-energy cameo and backup vox from Sam Herring of Future Islands.  Despite a plethora of technical speedbumps, notably the loss of Bruce’s backup vocal mic, the set lost almost no momentum and raged right on til morning.

Check out the live audio here, and Double Dagger photos after the jump (Nolen-heavy given my poor vantage point, no slight intended Bruce & Denny).

_MG_4187
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