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01. MP3: Indian Jewelry – Temporary Famine Ship from Free Gold! (2008)
02. MP3: Indian Jewelry – Swans from Free Gold! (2008)
03. MP3: Indian Jewelry – Lapis Lazuli from untitled 2010 release (World Premiere!)

Indian Jewelry are students of drone and psychedelia.  Formed by Erika Thrasher and Tex Kerschen in 2002, the logistics of this ever-evolving collective are baffling, seeming to expand and contract as frequently as the air we breathe.  With a rotating cast of members that is kinda like a revolving door, it’s a wonder they ever get anything done.  They have remarkably churned out two full-lengths (2006′s Invasive Exotics and 2008′s Free Gold!) along with refining a noted live spectacle.  Happily, they have a third album on the way and we are premiering the track “Lapis Lazuli” above.

The result is one of the catchier distillations of mind-warping visions you are likely to see. Uniquely, they manage to wrangle a balance of psych and drone that is rarely seen; more often than not, you encounter one predominating and the other playing the role of hook or kitsch.  IJ are relentlessly toeing lines: they teeter on the precipice of shoegaze with the clashing of distorted guitars, deploy drones that take them to the pearly gates of noise, paint often enough in textures to recall post-rock.  All done while keeping aligned with the fundamental vision of psych: providing a musical framework for melding and moulding of consciousness.

“Temporary Famine Ship” displays these qualities perfectly, a simple psych guitar riff twirls amidst a cacophonic din of reverberating vocals and droning synths that might be considered neon if not so sinister, driven by a stomping set of tribalist drum beats; a paradox that is catchy and unsettling at the same time.  ”Swans” feels appropriately ascendant in its guitar melody, leading to a gradual and righteous coalescence of the various droning components that feels not unlike basking in the sun after a sojourn through the dark woods.  Slow-burning grower “Pentecostal” has a pipe-organ-like drone that recalls a sermon or ritual of titular origin, primitive power, and low-range vocals that could easily be mistaken for tongues.  The excellently titled “Lapis Lazuli” shimmers with textures of guitars and synths in perhaps their most polished track to date; the track also brings them even closer to the sounds of post-rock, the proceedings having an ominous cloud above them.

With a sonic palette such as this, they’re well paired to open for Celebration along with Videohippos (premiering as a quartet featuring Jared Paolini and Adventure aka Benny Boeldt) at the LOF/T this Thursday Oct 15th, as part of the “Earth” installment of Celebration’s Baltimore Elemental series.

Check out the music video for “Lapis Lazuli” after the jump.

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Walking into the MICA North Ave. parking lot was like stepping into an alternate universe to me. Accustomed to the outstandingly complete normalcy of Carroll County living, everything involved at Saturday’s Whartscape was akin to alien scenery in my eyes. If anyone attending knew who I was or what I looked like–and you probably didn’t, you crazy ass MICA kids, I apologize for probably having stared just a tad too much.

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MP3: Videohippos – Narwhals

Photo credit: Josh Sisk (Whartscape 2007)

It’s surprising to me how few people know of Videohippos. I mean, they’ve been around the block more than a few times; they’ve been doing the Wham City thing since anyone can remember, not to mention their thumbs up from Pitchfork. And from Stereogum. And Oh My Rockness. Even so, if you ask your typical college-age trendy-type who’s hip to what’s indie, they probably haven’t a clue about the Hippos. Which is a big shame. Want to benefit your community for once? Tell your favorite music fan about Videohippos.

1. Do you have any particularly fond memories of Whartscape past?

- 2006: having to cancel the videohippos performance because it was so hot in the copycat bldg that my projector (mounted on the ceiling) was starting to melt. the first time jeremy and I performed Ultimate Reality- it was kind of a train wreck, but everyone was still freaking out, particularly Rjyan kidwell on top of the giant subwoofer that guy werner had let us borrow. somehow i thought i could handle playing with blood baby during a psilocybin experience. pete cut his finger in the industrial fan and it freaked me out real bad. getting to see the coughs and matt and kim play in my living room.

- 2007: videohippos set had a symetrical three screen video installation at Floristree- the videos we normally use were flanked by two mirrored screens of amazing footage that jim shot from the car window in Idaho. a temporarily crippled lizz king playing her set with a cane in the alley behind load of fun. impromptu butt stomach set on borrowed instruments when one of the bands didnt show up on time.

- 2008: funny clown crowd surfing. sewn leather starting his set by announcing “I gotta shart”, michael petruzzo performing topless, lizz dancing behind the creepers wearing only a life-size white tiger head.

2. Chances of Videohippos reforming as a bubblegum pop band?
– Not on my watch.

3. Any predictions for this year’s festival?

- Lots of personal space being invaded in the best way possible.

4. You guys have done your fair share of collaborating with other Wham City artists. Anything due to be released soon?

- We have a 10″ record coming out soon on vicious pop records that has three new songs. Each one is a collaboration with different friends: “firefoot” features Ed Schrader on vocals, Kate and Andrew of Teeth Mountain added percussion and strings to “bottles,” and DJ dog dick put the icing on “High Dive” with thoughtful lyrics and his trademark layered electronic sonics.

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MP3: The Art Department – Censor

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MP3: The Art Department – Second Nature

The Art Department has graciously provided us with 2 previously unreleased, unmixed tracks from their forthcoming and as-of-yet untitled album that looks to feature more of their signature quirky sound, replete with high-pitch quaver-vox and delicately picked lines.  While conceptually forged from random bits of Ehrens’ aural fixation on high-neck capos, the Art Department’s sound often bears eerie similarity to work from DC’s Q and Not U.  Jon Ehrens also took time out to answer our questions!

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

At last years Whartscape, when Oxes took the stage, they began their set with a tense guitar build-up. They hadn’t played in years and it was the first time that I – or anyone there – had seen them in several years. As the guitars chugged, drumless, and the anticipation built up, a police helicopter flew overhead, shining it’s spotlight on the band, and then the audience. The place went crazy, the band kicked-in and the set ruled harder than I could have ever imagined.

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

JANITOR!

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

Lunacy – I’ve recently come to realize that Baltimore is making me insane, and I either have to indulge this and resign myself to lunacy, or move away and become a normal productive member of society. Of course I’ll choose the former, and participating in a festival in which over 130 bands play in 3 days for 20 minutes a piece will only encourage me do descend into madness.

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

Why would I say no?

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MP3: Sick Weapons – Orgy on the China Train Live @ the Talking Head, taped by the Baltimore Taper

Photo Credit: Shawn Breen

Sick Weapons rock.  Flat out, no question.  Just listen to “Orgy On the China Train.”  Lead vocalist Ellie Beziat takes time to humor our line of questioning:

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

I ate a handful of mushrooms during Wzt Hearts last year. I remember drinking a strawberry daiquiri out of a pineapple. It is our first year playing Whartscape. We are super excited. Bring pineapples. Or mushrooms.

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

Vincent Black Shadow are playing at 4:20 and that’ll be cool. We are using their equipment so we are stoked that they are playing!

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

Nerds. Look around man.

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

One of our guitar players is Wham City. But I don’t know if ‘they’ came calling or if Peter O’Connell got drunk and put Dan Deacon’s head in a toilet.

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).

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