Soo Suh

Jens Lekman produces enough witticisms and oddball humor in his new EP An Argument with Myself to convince someone that he’s actually a sarcastic English-lit major moonlighting as a Swedish indie-pop musician. Indeed, while listening to his songs, I felt distracted – in a good way – by his lyrics from the actual music, which is a shame because I thought the music was quite interesting itself. Archaic string samples and percussion beats with a more international flare are heavily dispersed throughout Lekman’s guitar-based pop. Definitely interesting, but sometimes a bit out of place – this time, not in a good way. Read More »

Black Lips have always been on my radar, but I never really got into them before seriously sitting down and listening to their new album beginning to end a few days ago. I guess I thought that they sounded too similar to the other garage punk bands I already liked. But I’m glad that I forced myself to listen to their new album Arabia Mountain because my patience paid off.

Arabia Mountain is a surprisingly polished album coming from a band known more for their grittier, lo-fi sounds. It’s cleaner and more accessible, yet at the same time presents a plethora of different musical styles all woven together by their quirky psychedelic poppy theme. Read More »

Last Thursday, Painted Face opened for New York’s geek-chic pop stars Darwin Deez at the Black Cat’s main stage. The show was initially set to be held at the smaller backstage, but was moved to the main stage last minute.

This was a good move. The main stage was packed with energetic teenagers as soon as Darwin Deez started playing. The crowd for the opening band, however, was smaller, but supportive.  Their glam electro-pop synth-heavy songs were as delightful and dreamy as I remember they were in January, but the crowd didn’t seem too familiar with them. Their last concert at the Velvet Lounge was a veritable dance floor, but most people seemed to be saving their energy for Darwin Deez at the Black Cat. Read More »

When I typed typed “Esben and the Witch” into the Google search engine, I found results informing me that it was not only the name of a British gothic art rock band, but also a intriguingly dark Danish folktale. My first instinct was to read the tale because I have a soft spot for disturbing fairy tales, but I decided to listen to the band’s first full-length album Violet Cries before dedicating my time to read the (rather long) story. I didn’t want to say I was inspired by a mediocre band to read a folktale it named itself after.

Needless to say, I read the story. And I have no qualms about telling people that Esben and the Witch’s new album Violet Cries inspired me to do so. Read More »

It’s a long weekend. Filled with lots of great concert options! Take a break from midterms and have some well-deserved fun! Read More »

Lots of local bands playing this weekend. Head out and show your support.

Thursday

Georgetown’s very own Mercies plays at the Black Cat! It’s their third ever gig, but they’re cool enough to land gigs at DC’s finest venues such as the Velvet Lounge and Red Palace before heading over to the Black Cat for tonight’s concert. The band is made up of three members from three Georgetown bands (City Folk, Little Bigheart & the Wilderbeast, and Stout Cortez). Haven’t heard of them? Well, check out tonight’s concert for some edgy Wire-esque rock and a great time. Read More »

This Saturday, come to Bulldog Alley at 8PM for WGTB’s infamous iPod Battle Royale! Georgetown’s very best DJs compete in a knock-out style tournament by crafting playlists of only their best tunes. WGTB is all about mob rule, so winners are decided by crowd reaction. Get ready for a crazy night of uninhibited dancing, cheering, and screaming. Read More »