New band crush: Dreamers of the Ghetto

Ever since moving to Bloomington, I have been somewhat anxious to explore the local music scene, but catching up financially from the move has combined with a prohibitive work schedule to squash many of my endeavors on this front. Happily, circumstances worked out just right this past Wednesday, and I was able to make my first foray out to Russian Recording in order to see an unusually intimate set by local legends Murder By Death, in a show organized as part of local community radio station WFHB's Local Live series. Opening the show was another local band called Dreamers of the Ghetto. DotG had been openers for White Hinterland at the Bishop, but I had gotten to that show late, missing not only the entirety of DotG's set but also the first few songs of White Hinterland's set.


But I digress. Before the White Hinterland set, one of my colleagues had been talking up Dreamers of the Ghetto as one of her favorite local bands. The way she described them actually made them sound less like a band and more like a performance art project, and the little bit of grainy monochromatic video footage I had seen online, which seemed to present the band almost as a Greek chorus, did little to dispel this notion. As I arrived at Russian Recording for the show, I was approaching DotG's opening set with more or less equal parts anticipation and trepidation. When all was said and done, however, the year-old ended up stealing the show for me, giving the ten-year music business veterans in Murder by Death a run for their money in terms of presenting a dynamic, engaging, and exciting live performance.


The first thing you notice about DotG, of course, is their physical appearance. Their hair and makeup is reminiscent of Ziggy-era Bowie, but more human and somehow even more theatrical - think somewhere along the lines of Natalie Portman's makeup in the one-sheet posters for last year's Black Swan, but with more of a kabuki-inspired stylization. They simultaneously look mythical and is if they just stepped out of a time machine from the future, with a confidence that only accentuates their almost statuesque, classically beautiful yet vaguely unsettling presence.


Then they begin playing. Musically, their sound shares elements of my favorite new band from 2009, the xx, while their loops and keyboard washes bring to mind the carefully-crafted textures of TV on the Radio. Atop this bed the band layer some uplifting melodies, and the whole thing is performed in a kind of fuzzy, imprecise haze that brings to mind the atmospherics of Cocteau Twins, Ride, Slowdive, and early Lush. To be honest, it took me a couple of songs before I really noticed the guitarist, and once I did notice I realized what a testament that was to his playing style - rather than functioning as a rhythmic or lead instrument, the guitar's purpose in DotG's music is to provide texture, and within that context it works best when relegated unobtrusively to the background. While the most prominent instrumental elements of the band's music are the drums, percussion loops, and synth figures, the true lead instrument in this group, its raison d'etre, is the combination of voices. The music seems rather like a vehicle of delivery for the intertwining vocal melodies - though not necessarily for the lyrics, which on first blush seem to be somewhat impenetrable. In fact, it seems as though the band are employing a compositional strategy of combining impressionistic musical elements with obliquely expressionistic lyrical content, with references to spaceships, stars, doors, and dreams abound. Above all, it sounds like joy - four people creating danceable, engaging, and uplifting music for themselves, and to share with others. In spite of the associations shoegazy/dreampop music often have, there is nothing sad or depressing about this band's music.


Fortunately for those not in the Bloomington area, the majesty of their live performance has translated well to recorded media, and the band kicked off the new year by dropping their just-completed debut album online via bandcamp. The self-titled record, recorded in the same room in which I just saw them play, sounds wonderful and manages to sound ornately produced and arranged while still preserving the sound of their live performance. The reverb on the guitar still provides the perfect amount of texture, and the curiously Peter Gabriel-esque qualities of Luke Jones's voice only strengthens the previously-noted sonic similarities to TVOTR.


It is very easy to picture this band partnering with a local indie-label powerhouse like Dead Oceans or Jagjaguwar and becoming more of a national phenom, but for now, I feel privileged to consider them a secret I have been let in on. I hope they have the same effect on you. I encourage everyone to go check out this band live if you have the chance, and at the very least to go to their bandcamp via the album cover below to sample or purchase their album.

• Dreamers of the Ghetto on tumblr.
• Dreamers of the Ghetto on bandcamp
• Dreamers of the Ghetto on Facebook

You've gotta look it in the eyes and say that I don't believe.

It began innocently and curiously enough last night when I read a twitter post from Sarah Lipstate, the "sound artist" behind the Noveller project (about whom I really ought to write one of these days):

RIP Gowns. Listening to their final track release: http://somedarkholler.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/gowns_stand.mp3

I had heard of Gowns in passing before, but had never explored their music. Curiosity piqued, I clicked through and listened. What happened next is perhaps somewhat predictable. Within the hour, I had a digital copy of their debut (and apparently only) album, Red State.

I should back up here and talk briefly about the band. At its core, Gowns was a three-piece band, a collaboration between singer/guitarist Erika Anderson (formerly of Amps for Christ), singer/programmer/viola player Ezra Buchla (formerly of west coast noise-rock institution the Mae Shi), and drummer Corey Fogel, with additional member occasionally joining for live performances. On the album, this core trio was also assisted by Carla Bozulich, formerly of the Geraldine Fibbers and currently of Evangelista. Obviously, with this pedigree and this lineup of instruments, Gowns were a special and unique creature.

Their reputation lies mostly in their prowess and ferocity as a live act, a spectacle of catharsis that was apparently difficult to match, let alone top. While I unfortunately missed out on that experience, you can hear the intensity that would lend itself to so singular a performance style. From the looks of things, it was that intensity that, unfortunately, led to their premature demise.

Musically, their debut album presents a juxtaposition of American folk music structure with dark electronic atmospherics that at times resemble some of the more experimental moments from Radiohead's Kid A/Amnesiac period, John Cale viola drones, and Xiu Xiu-esque whisper-to-a-scream vocal dynamics that leaves the listener feeling uncomfortable and even a tad voyeuristic. Admittedly, this is not feel-good music by any stretch, but there is an eerie feeling of intimacy embedded with the catharsis that, while not for everyone, is rewarding for listeners that are able to appreciate it.

According to a post on Erika's blog, as of January 3, the band were busy mixing the second album, a time-consuming, work-intensive, tedious, and exacting process that the band went through collectively, without outsourcing:

We typically mix everything ourselves, and that’s like hand stitching. You know how you can listen to Red State over and over again? That took a long time. I want to make things that wear well, and a lot of that is really obsessive, tasteful mixing…

Within 4 weeks, apparently, Gowns were an entity that existed firmly in the past. In its wake, the band left one last missive, a 17-minute behemoth of a track called "Stand and Encounter" that dials down the folk and dials up the post-rock, sounding at times like Mogwai, Sonic Youth, and the Velvet Underground jamming with the Swans. Again, it's not for everyone, but it's free to try, both in a streaming clip and as a free download of its full 17-minute glory. It now stands as the only artifact of a sophomore album what will presumably never be realized, and the finality of Erika's words on the matter are both gratifying and heartbreaking:

We were tapping into some very raw emotions, and I’m ultimately proud of the risks we took. In spite of anything else, I feel like we were honest, and I feel like we were brave.

I’m also proud of the sounds we created, as though the combination of our talents created something that was rare and unique.

-Before this we were just finishing work on a piece for our next record, and I think in many ways it’s one of the best things we’ve done. At 17 minutes long, it’s a good representation of everyone doing the best of what they do best: it’s got Corey’s frenetic yet graceful drum patterns, Ezra’s swelling viola drones, a rhythmic and powerful guitar line, and a vocal and lyrical style that is at once direct and oblique.

-I’m posting it here as a free download, because I know people were anxious to hear something new from us, and I know we had kept them waiting far too long. I’d like to think of this as our final release.

I’m sorry we couldn’t keep it together.

Although it is sad that the band burnt out so quickly, the cliché is true: they also burned brightly. This is intensely moving music for those that can appreciate it, and ultimately if they had not been the kind of band to burn itself out so quickly, the recorded legacy they left behind would not be as special as it is. I feel lucky to have found out about them, however late, and I hope you check them out to. In addition to Red State and this final track, Gowns leaves behind a self-distributed EP, recently reissued on vinyl, and a limited edition live session on LP called Broken Bones. Both are available in limited quantities directly from Erika, and Red State can be purchased in CD or MP3 format from Amazon.com. Erika also has a new, more traditionally folk-inflected project, Some Dark Holler, in the works. You can listen to two songs from the project at her website.

MP3: Gowns - "Stand and Encounter"
Erika Anderson/Gowns website