The Swan
Basement is strikingly relaxed and groovy, with pool tables, a lounge area and
soft blue lighting. I’m sitting on one
of the blue couches and enjoying the vibe of the place when Breadbox Mafia
begins to play.
Their
five-piece indie rock style calls forth images of The Smiths and R.E.M. while
the singer laments in an Ian Curtis-style baritone. Okay, while he may not win
the award for the best Ian Curtis impression, but it works well with the sound
that Breadbox Mafia have going. Instrumentally, the arrangements sound good,
though I might suggest that the lead guitarist work more melody into their
songs. The distorted lead sounds somewhat disjointed from the vocalist,
occasionally finding unison and then drifting into chaos again. It’s not
altogether unpleasant, but I find that pentatonic scales are the go when it
comes to indie rock.
Following
Breadbox Mafia is more indie rock from the four-piece band Children. Though
Children are coming from a similar place as the former, their music is more
reminiscent of The Shins. The acoustic guitar and gentle strumming feature
strongly. Children make interesting use of harmony, with the lead guitarist
singing only low notes to compliment the front man’s higher register. Though
the result could sound nice, there were parts (especially towards the end)
where some of the harmonies sounded somewhat lazy, a problem perhaps arising
from neither register having enough power behind it during big moments. Perhaps
the baritone should push those higher notes during the chorus. Then who knows
what they could become, the next San Cisco even?
When the
third band, The Golden Slums, begins to play, their sound transports me out of
my seat and into the desert of New Mexico. It’s a cinematic, brooding sort of
ambience and very bluesy. And the harmonica’s a nice touch. The drummer counts
in and the song suddenly transforms into a groovy blues rock song. It’s very
simple music, if I were to liken it to other bands; I would say INXS or the
Black Keys. The singer/bass player makes use of the harmonica and a fun vocal
effect that cuts out low frequencies, making for a more low-fi sound like it’s
passing through a radio. He almost looks like Thor on stage, bass guitar in
hand like his mighty hammer. I’m just going to throw all caution to the wind
and say what’s on my mind right now: I think The Golden Slums should be (more
appropriately redubbed) “Thor”. A little something for the band to consider.
Low and behold, they even cover a Black Keys song towards the end of their set.
When they do blues rock, the Golden Slums do it well, however I feel like the
guitarist shies away from soloing somewhat. This is blues rock I’m afraid, and
if I’m seeing a blues rock band one screaming badass mother of a guitar solo is
not optional. All in all, the Golden Slums are highly listenable and fit the
vibe of the venue- a highlight of the evening for sure.
Miranda and
Gordo strip back to the three-piece band and split singing duties 50-50 between
the guitarist and the bassist. I actually find this vocal style more agreeable;
the bassist has a softer and more low-key sort of voice, so if he sings the
first two lines of a verse then the guitarist’s voice is relatively more
passionate and aggressive. It’s an interesting formula, and they certainly do
use it to their advantage. I’m intrigued by their fast-paced drum beats,
considering the vocals and (presumably, it’s hard to tell) lyrics are of darker
subject matter and a similarly mellow tone.
To conclude
my review, it was altogether an enjoyable evening. The Swan Basement makes the
most of the emerging music scene, and I paid compliment to the sound man for
his work – it did sound exceptionally tidy, he seemed to have everything at the
right levels.
MIRANDA AND GORDO - https://www.facebook.com/
THE GOLDEN SLUMS - https://www.facebook.com/
CHILDREN - https://www.facebook.com/
BREADBOX MAFIA - https://www.facebook.com/
By: Yann Vissac
MIRANDA AND GORDO - https://www.facebook.com/
THE GOLDEN SLUMS - https://www.facebook.com/
CHILDREN - https://www.facebook.com/
BREADBOX MAFIA - https://www.facebook.com/
By: Yann Vissac
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