Concert Thu Nov 12 2009

Double Gnarly/Quadruple Suicide

Tomorrow night, turn your brain's positioning system in the direction of Enemy (1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue) for four fearsome and poisonous examples of instruments-as-DDT.

Chord is a collective of drone practitioners with varying ensemble sizes from performance to performance. As the name implies, Chord attempts to find that BIG CHORD through sound -- the harmony of the spheres, as they say. Conversely, Locrian lives to cast the spheres into vengeful darkness with a heady combination of guitar/synth/vocals. Their latest release, the Rain of Ashes CD (Basses Frequencies) is a highpoint to date. Though I have not heard this on the digital/remastered format, I was happy to hear the original release (when it was a tape on Fan Death Records), and was happy to be thrown for a loop, with a newly-explored sense of tentative melody, incorporating seemingly non-Locrian elements like Post-punk synth sequencers and some non-shrieked vocals. And guess what? It sounds good backwards, too! (a palindrome recording, if you like) Ratatosk, a new-ish duo of Ben Billington (ex-Druids of Huge) and Jason Soliday (Magic Missile, Gunshop, Coeurl, ex-Animal Law, Mora, &c. as well as co-founder of the Enemy space) works a Krautrock-ish vein, with motorik (sometimes free jazz-ish) drums locking in against waves of electronic forcefields. Finally, the three-piece grindcore/showtunes/wha-huuuh? group known as Harpoon might sound like the strangest thing you've ever cowered in fear of, until you check the lineup and realize it was founded by, among others, the former bandleader of 7000 Dying Rats. Always a pleasure.

$5 at the door, posted says 8 p.m., so don't be late!

— Chris Sienko