Friday, January 06, 2006

Drive Like July at the Abbey; Celebration at Great Scott

DRIVE LIKE JULY's hyperactive-lunatic frontman, Silas Copathic, began his musical career as a mild-mannered trombonist in the Duxbury High School marching band. But as he came out of his shell and became more psy-chopathic (get it?) over the years, he started writing minor-key-melody-driven punk-metal tunes, perfected his scream, and put a band together. Tonight DLJ open for KERMIT'S FINGER, ZEUS CRONION, and SUZUKI SMITH at the Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville 617.441.9631.

LISTEN: Drive Like July, "The Catch" (mp3)
LISTEN: Drive Like July, "Ski Trip" (mp3)

TV on the Radio multi-instrumentalist/mad scientist David Sitek takes reciprocity to new heights - you scratch his back, he'll give you a full-body massage. Katrina Ford added vocals to a few TVOTR songs; in return, Sitek produced her band CELEBRATION's homonymous debut, enlisted his mates Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone to sing on a couple tracks, and introduced the Baltimore-based trio to 4AD, which put out the album in October. Sitek's sonic fingerprints are all over Celebration, a creepy, jittery, atmospheric blast of vintage organ sounds, inventive percussion, and primal wailing - if the hi-hat/bass rhythm on "Stars" sounds familiar, that's because you heard it on TVOTR's "Staring at the Sun." But Celebration's songs and instrumentation are all their own, and Ford's husky howl is enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. Brooklyn's the Double open Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston 617.734.4502.

LISTEN: Celebration, "China" (mp3, via Said the Gramophone)