Pop Montreal: Dirty Beaches + Frankie Rose + Mavo + Hammond Ri @ Il Motore

The crowd was still thin when Hammond Ri started to play their very minimal set; it was something similar to an early Klutter/Neu! sound. The two members played lightly and simply with weird, minimalistic overhead projections accompanying their performance. As the drummer, Riley, was playing his basic snare, high-hat and kick drum percussion, he would occasionally sing really strange lyrics which were either too low or way too high for his range. Everything was intentional; it's just that there wasn't much depth or any dynamics to the performance. The keyboardist, Nick, was playing essentially the same note while adjusting the modulator and pitch shifter on his Roland synthesizer. Sometimes it was interesting, maybe even a bit thought provoking, but it basically sounded like bad sex.

Mavo brightened the overall mood of the audience and drew in more of a crowd with their blissful rock and roll. It felt good to hear a classic, head banging power trio. The lead singer/guitarist delivered his lyrics with ease and conviction, and impressed me with his use of delay. A drum machine added a nice touch and  revealed how tight this band really is. I really believe these guys could go far with their music. You can download their EP on their bandcamp here.

Frankie Rose has a really well rehearsed act, and she was definitely a great pleasure to see. The band had a tasteful, developed sound with really great female harmonies. As good as the band was together, the sound wasn't at all as clear as I wished it would be, but this is a common issue with large bands at Il Motore. Frankie Rose seems to carry certain elements from her past projects (Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts), and she represented the Brooklyn music scene very well. Her beautiful voice accompanied by her band set the audience into a more introspective vibe and raised the bar high for Dirty Beaches.

Dirty Beaches is one of my favourite up and coming artists from 2011. Every time I see him he always seems to bring something new to the stage for the audience to enjoy. This time he had a full band with a multi-instrumentalist, bass player and drummer adding more texture to his music. He's a tall, dark and handsome figure that stands out whether or not he's performing. His voice alone commands the audience to pay attention whether you embrace or deprecate his theatrics. He pulled off his music well with the band, although I still enjoy his solo act with his 50s style loops for what they are. Even though he was playing with a band, most of my attention was fixed on him. He has that Vincent Gallo thing going on.

-Michael Cota