the washington post friday, december 3, 2010 l


6 EZ


NewMusic Tinged with darkness


WARPAINT “The Fool”


Kindred spirits: The Organ, PJ Harvey Show: With Rewards and Family Band on Saturday at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. 202-388-7625. www.rockandrollhoteldc.com. $12-$14.


Althoughthe bandnameWarpaintmay


suggest a collectionof loincloth-wearing nativesplaying tribal stomps, that’snot quite the case.At all. The all-femaleLosAngeles-basedquar-


tetplays anxiety-riddenrock thatpays homage to specific alternative-rock influ- ences. “TheFool,”Warpaint’sdebut full- lengthalbum, combines thedarkness of ’80s gothwiththe catchy tensionof ’90s grunge.Drenchedinreverb andpropelled by elastic-sounding guitars reminiscent of theCure, the albumcontainshauntedpop music for the emotionally vulnerable. The girlishvocals of singer-guitaristEm- ilyKokal sounddesolate inthemix, like the


BUKE & GASS “Riposte” Kindred spirits: Dirty Projectors, Pentangle, the Ex Show: With Talk Normal and Hammer No More the Fingers on Thursday at the Rock & Roll Hotel. Show starts at 8:30 p.m. 202-388-7625. www.rockandrollhoteldc.com. $10.


Even in today’s alt-pop scene, where be-


ing offbeat is routine, Buke & Gass quali- fies as eccentric. Yet what ultimately dis- tinguishes thisNewYork duo is not its un- usual name or unique instrumentation, but the way it makes such oddities sound natural. The twosome’s debut album, “Ri- poste,’’ is much more than a musical stunt. Not that Buke &


Gass’s singular for- mat is inconspicuous; it’s right there in the group’s tag: Singer AroneDyler plays a baritone ukelele (ab- breviated “buke”) and Aron Sanchez wields a guitar-bass (or “gass”) that he built. Add electronic effects and foot-pow- ered percussion, and the duo makes a hearty noise. The album’s quieter passages are pleasantly folky, in part because of the gentler side ofDyler’s soprano. But storm- ing numbers such as “Naked Cities” evoke the jumpy energy and jazzy tempo chang- es of European post-punk. They also re- veal thatDyler has the lung power to rival a thumping bass drum. Tinkering with structure as well as homemade instruments, the two alternate complex songs with fleeting fragments. They shift rhythms assuredly and venture fluently into Afropop-style vamps on “Rev- el in Contempt.” For a group that doesn’t exactly have a drummer, Buke & Gass sure can move.


—Mark Jenkins


echo chamber of “Shadows.”Onthe song “Warpaint,”Kokal reaches intoherupper register andemergeswitha soundof brittle loneliness. “TheFool” is a truly interesting listen,


partially because it is so ladenwithrefer- ences to thepast couple ofdecades of rock. Mostnotably, the bandcalls outNirvana in anintentionally awkwardvocalmelody borrowedfrom“Polly.” Two tracksworthnoting appear toward


the endof the albumandshowanunex- pectedside of the bandthat embraces or- ganic instruments.Althoughtheydon’tpiv- ot fromtheir tense rock, thedownbeat acoustic ballad“Baby” andpiano-driven “Lissie’sHeartMurmur” standout asmore rawandearnest.On“Baby” specifically, the fragility ofKokal’s refrainof “Don’t youcall anybody else ‘baby’ ” growsmore affecting whenyoupeel off a fewlayers.


—DanMiller


THE SWORD “Warp Riders” Kindred spirits: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Metallica Show: Monday at the 9:30 Club. Doors open at 7 p.m. 202-265-0930. www.930.com. $20.


If the Sword’s first two releaseshadele-


ments of—inheavymetal terms—sludge, its thirdrelease, “WarpRiders,” ishot sauce.While those earlier albums chan- neledbandmembers’ innernewwave of Britishheavymetal, thenewone fromthe Austin-basedrockershas someTexas boo- gie. It’s JudasPriest, Southernstyle. “WarpRiders” is a


science-fictioncon- cept record, but JD Cronise’s lyrics arenot themainattraction. Althoughthe slick productionhasmoved Cronise’s vocals to the front andmade for a morepolishedsound, the focus is still the twin-axe onslaught ofCronise andKyle Shutt.Butnowthere ismoremelody inthe metal, giving it sass. To be sure, though, this is stillmetal, and


it’s one of the bestmetal releases of the year.The guitar riffs belong inthe smoky arenas of the 1980s.Besides thePriest in- fluence, there are flourishes ofMetallica andeventhe occasionalMotorheadpacing. The songs aremoreup-tempo thanwhen the bandwas categorizedas “stonermetal.” But songs suchas “LawlessLands” and“Ar- rows intheDark” are enoughto jolt even themost stolidof smokersupright into a state of ahyperalertness. “WarpRiders” isnot earbudmusic. It’s


not evenspeakermusic. It’smetal theway it oncewas: ear-splitting.But this isnot ag- gressivemetal.To be sure, the guitarswill bring youto your knees, but as yougo down, youmight be tapping your feet. —BenjaminOpipari


Bands performing here this week.


MIA KIRBY


Warpaint, with, from left, Jenny Lee Lindberg, EmilyKokal, StellaMozgawa and TheresaWayman, plays anxiety-ridden rock.


LINN BARNES AND ALLISON HAMPTON “Fantasies and Inventions” Kindred spirits: Turlough O’Carolan, Julian Bream, Rev. Gary Davis Shows: Saturday, Sunday and Dec. 12 at 4 p.m.; Dec. 11 at 4 and 8 p.m. at Dumbarton Church. 202-965-2000. www.dumbartonconcerts.org. $33.


In his liner notes to “Fantasies and In- ventions,” guitarist Linn Barnes refers to the album “as a kind of backporch reflec- tion” of Virginia’s deeply wooded country- side. That pretty much sums up the pre- vailing mood all right, and certainly many listeners who enjoy living in bucolic set- tings—or those who simply wish they did —will appreciate this collection of relaxed and evocative perfor- mances by Barnes and Celtic harpist Alli- sonHampton. Husband and wife, the couple followed


a similar path on their previous release, “Lord Ronan’s Return,” and with similar results. Because both are multi-instru- mentalists, they’re capable of creating col- orfully woven and textured music with a minimum of fuss. Some tunes that stand out on “Fantasies and Inventions” do so el- egantly, such as the shimmering “King- stag,” a royal showcase forHampton’s harp, and “DancingUnder theMoon,” nimbly arranged for harp and cittern. But the presence of Barnes’s six-string banjo also adds rustic flavoring, and a soulful quality certainly helps distinguish the bal- lad “Dark Inversion.” Barnes andHampton aren’t entirely left


to their own devices, though. RobertHill, on nylon string guitar, contributes to the album’s acoustic charms.


—Mike Joyce


BADLY DRAWN BOY “It’s What I’m Thinking, Part One: Photographing Snowflakes” Kindred spirits: Snow Patrol, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake Show: Sunday at the Birchmere. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500. www.birchmere.com. $29.50.


Brooding singer-songwriter Damon


Gough, who records under the name Bad- ly Drawn Boy, has always worn his heart on his sleeve.His straightforward pop- rock sound seems made forHollywood blockbusters; his songs were on the soundtracks for the 2002Hugh Grant mov- ie “About a Boy” as well as the 2009 British ITV movie “The Fattest Man in Britain.” But Gough has taken


a hazier approach on his most recent release, “It’s What I’mThinking, Part One: Photo- graphing Snowflakes.” Intended as the first in a trilogy of recordings, “Photo- graphing Snowflakes” sounds a lot like a snowstorm looks: blurry and serene. Al- bum opener “In SafeHands” echoes like a watercolor dream, while “The Order of Things” swells with a mellow pensiveness. Yet beneath his hazier sound, Gough’s


lyrics bear his tender trademark. Al- though he at times dips into banal territo- ry (“Well if you wanna know how I feel / all you have to do is ask,” he sighs on “A Pure Accident”), his reverb-drenched sound goes a long way toward turning his conventional love songs into an introspec- tive, peaceful dream.


—Catherine P. Lewis


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