Concert Review: Deastro w/ School of Seven Bells, and Javelins

Anyone know what happened to 800beloved? I was really looking forward to seeing them. I was supposed to check out the show they opened for A Place To Bury Strangers at the Magic Stick last month, so I guess it’s an eye for an eye. They would have made a great addition to the Pike Room‘s electro-rock bill on Friday night.

I told the sound guy I would review his work, and it was good, save for a mysterious buzzing sound coming from the guitar amp that caused Javelins singer/drummer to joke they were the “buzz band” (is that position so rare because it’s hard, or because the drum set is a weird place for the frontman?) . Nevertheless, they delivered a solid set of dance-punk; The Strokes seems like it will be an appropriate enough cover band for them to take on when they do the Halloween party at the Crofoot later this month.

School of Seven Bells came from New York thanks to Ann Arbor’s Ghostly International label, who even brought a small film crew to capture the performance for who-knows-what. This is probably a good time for me to interject something that I’m a little slow on, but Ghostly International really have their shit together. Their roster is a good collision of Detroit’s techno and rock legacies, and if you are new to them like I am, a good starting point is their free to download Ghostly Swim compilation they released recently with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. They’ve got a showcase at this year’s CMJ festival in New York later this month, too.

School of Seven Bells are a three-piece centered around the vocals of two identical twins, and boosted by electric guitars, synth, and drum machines. The twin vocals were eerie and delicate, in contrast to the loud wall of sound created by the instruments, and it’s testament to the sound guy that they didn’t get lost in all the noise. As you can imagine they had a dreamy, entrancing effect.

There was not a lot of action onstage, except for the second guitarist occasionally crouching down to mess with pedals and feedback and stuff, and there was not much going on in the audience except for occasional swaying and head nodding, but School of Seven Bells were still a captivating act. They thanked the crowd for coming, and said they were a little spooked themselves when doors opened and the Crofoot was empty, saying it looked like a weird movie set. I hope they weren’t so spooked out that they don’t come back to Michigan soon.

Headliner was fellow Ghostly collaborator Deastro, but you already know him because he plays every weekend and gives away his music online. Did you know the proper pronunciation rhymes with “Death Row”, not “The Astro”? I’ve probably heard both versions equally.

Now a full band instead of a one-man technophile, the other members flesh out the songs and add a good live rock energy even though a good percentage of Deastro‘s live music still seems to be prerecorded on his Mac. Has anyone used the word “emo” to describe Deastro’s music? Because it’s totally there, and I’m not sure if that would betray or enhance the band’s popularity. Maybe it’s because despite the literary and bleeding-heart elements to Deastro, it’s the dance leanings that win out, and that’s something everyone can agree on.