Growing

Formed back in 2001 in Washington, their relocation to New York City did Growing a lot of good — adding a new texture and technique to their drone-noise/ambient sound. The original members of Kevin Doria (bass), Joe Denardo (guitar) and Zack Carlson (drums) fell apart shortly after the recording of their first album, leaving Doria and Denardo alone until 2009 when Growing grew again to include Sadie Laska (samplers/microphone) and spun the band into a new direction — which landed it stints with labels including Kranky, Animal Disguise, Archive, Megablad/Troubleman, and The Social Registry. Vice Records in the U.S. & Europe and Daymare Records in Japan plan to release their 2010 EP, which features Laska on drums, after the completion of their 2010 tour. Doria also has a successful side project called Total Life, with their second release coming up on Brown Sounds Records. (Appearing with Tirra Lirra and Jewsus at Bottom Lounge on April 15) –text: Jyn Radakovits

Gang Gang Dance, Growing, O’Death, Pool of Frogs

GANG GANG DANCE
Any band that titles its first LP Revival of the Shittest is probably asking for a pun-laden takedown, but New York’s Gang Gang Dance silence all but the most stubborn contrarians with their heavily percussive, synth-driven psychedelia. Through incremental amounts the quartet has incorporated more conventional song structure into its sonic vocabulary, with their latest release, Saint Dympha, promising to be the breakthrough at which previously-released EPs have hinted. Past tracks like “God’s Money” have relied on an Afrobeat-style hypnotic repetition and dark, minimalist keys. New songs like “Princes” and “Nicoman”, both from the new record, take those same artistic reference points but recontextualize them as straight-ahead pop. Like fellow buzz band High Places or local group Brilliant Pebbles, Gang Gang Dance incorporates bits of world music, creepy synth ambience and an idiosyncratic sense of songcraft to create music that flips pop on its head. (Appearing with Marnie Stern and Growing at Empty Bottle on Nov. 3) –text: Jon Graef–photo: Josh Wildman

GROWING
Despite Growing’s prolific catalog — 13 albums in five years — everything about the fuzzy electronic duo reeks of minimalism. Whether it’s Kevin Doria and Joe Denardo losing the band’s third member before relocating to Brooklyn from Olympia, Washington or their tendency for cassette-only releases, the pair’s sludgy instrumentals are rife with DIY aesthetic. Given the vast nature of their music, including this year’s Lateral EP and subsequent full-length All The Way, such a proclivity towards self-recording seems strange. But even during Growing’s spaciest tunes, like the ones that let their distorted blips breathe for a moment on top of swooning digital bleeps, there remains a sparse undercurrent. It seems almost inappropriate that the band has made its home in both the Pacific Northwest and now New York City when their music so perfectly embodies the Midwest: big but barren. This month Growing makes their second Chicago appearance in less than six weeks. (Appearing with Gang Gang Dance and Marnie Stern at Empty Bottle on Nov. 3) –text: Derek Wright

O’DEATH
The “rednecks bang on things loudly and yell” genre has a lot more legs to it than many expected and while it seems conspicuously ripe for the Spinal Tap treatment 10 years down the line, at the moment no one does it better than Brooklyn’s O’Death. Their debut record Head Home has been slowly winning over converts with its raucous gothic Americana, a process hastened by their deservedly storied live shows. On stage the band is a whirlwind of fiddles, homemade percussion, banjos and stomping drums…a stationary marching band that never fails to compel. There are moments when the music seems to be trying too hard for the sort of hyper-authenticity that most often manifests itself in vapid irony, but they often pull back just before the point of parody. These Brooklynites are about as Southern as The Olive Garden is Italian, but they manage to purvey its gruff, Appalachian feel well enough to keep most from minding. (Appearing with Drakkar Sauna and Elliott Brood at Empty Bottle on Nov. 8 and at The Hideout on Nov. 9) –text: Don Bartlett

POOL OF FROGS
Even reasonable people might wonder what to expect from a band named Pool of Frogs. While their name references a 4th century BC tragedy narrated by an omnipotent pool of frogs, they’re not quirky just for the sake of quirkiness. The Chicago band, which considers itself the chorus of our modern-day tragedy, creates cynically sweet music with some seriously sharp teeth. The foursome labels their sound as “river punk”, a gritty and harmonious marriage of lead singer/songwriter Chad Barney Fess and bassist Brenton Engle’s Southern Illinois roots with guitarist Blake Sloan and drummer Will Duncan’s urban upbringings. They don’t mince words, but they do mingle genres. Take the tongue-in-cheek “King of the Catholic Church”, a silly folk song that charges into racing rock. Then there’s “Black River”, a twang-heavy hillbilly version of an Irish punk number. Though always remarkable, Pool of Frogs’ infectious music shines brightest live. (Appearing with Bang! Bang!, Unicycle Loves You and Brilliant Pebbles at the Bottom Lounge on Nov. 8) –text: Jen Fischer