Concert Reviews: Stripmall Architecture, The Ting Tings, Midi Matilda

In the past week, I've been to three shows. Now that I've had time to digest them and recover, it's time for some quick summaries.

Stripmall Architecture

Where: Rickshaw Stop
When: 22 March 2012
Nutshell: A talented local band with big ambitions delivers.

Celebrating the release of their new single "We Are Not Cool" on 7" clear vinyl, Stripmall Architecture performed their unique flavor of art-pop as the opening act for 2:54. This was my second time seeing them live, and if anything, they were even better the second time around.

Their music and style strike me as what might result from a collaboration between Björk, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and David Bowie, with a little bit of Zöe Keating thrown in for good measure. (What pop band wouldn't benefit from the presence of a cello? None that I know of.)

Their performances feature playful light structures (witness the light tree on Rebecca's microphone stand), screen projections, and of course beautiful music. Rebecca's voice is strong, and together with Ryan's production and Erica's haunting cello—and very cool costumes and makeup—their performances are not to be missed. This one was no exception.

Stripmall Architecture's website

The Ting Tings

Where: The Fillmore
When: 25 March 2012
Nutshell: A rousing, albeit brief, performance cements their status as stars.

The Ting Tings weren't really on my radar until their performance on Saturday Night Live in 2009. Since then, their White Stripes-and-then-some flavor of pop-rock has lodged itself firmly in my brain. Their sophomore album, Sounds From Nowheresville, demonstrates a variety of musical styles and moods, without straying too far from their We Started Nothing roots.

Their performance at the Fillmore proved their mettle and their talent, as both Katie and Jules bounded around the stage, jumping from instrument to instrument, and clearing having a blast. You had no way of knowing—until she mentioned it before performing their final song—that Katie was still recovering from an appendectomy just a few days prior.

Unfortunately, the fact that she was still recovering meant the show had to be short, so they wrapped things up with verve after just 65 minutes. That means some great songs had to be left out, notably "Soul Killing" from the new album. Happily, they did play "Hands" which is one of my favorite songs from the new album, though for some reason it's only on the deluxe edition.

Despite its brevity, the show was a lot of fun. They should probably credit the sound engineer as a third band member, because the show sounded flawless: both members' vocals were clear, and the bass was full and deep. Here's hoping they come back through with a longer set!

The Ting Tings' website

Midi Matilda

Where: Café du Nord
When: 27 March 2012
Nutshell: Local band hits the ground running with a great debut show.

After remarkable opening sets by BEAM and Peck the Town Crier, Midi Matilda overcame some initial audio problems and put on a fun, energetic performance of their debut EP.

They opened with the summery "Ottowa", and the outstanding "Day Dreams" represented the highlight of the night. Skyler Kilborn's vocals were flawless and clear, and both he and Logan Grimé (on drums and production) had infectious energy, even busting out some synchronized choreography to mark the occasion.

Judging by their confidence and ease of performance, you'd never know this was their first-ever live show. They're definitely going places, these guys. Check 'em out next time they're on the marquee!

Midi Matilda on Bandcamp

Upcoming Shows

Spring has historically been a busy concert time for me, and this year is shaping up to be no different. Lots of shows on the horizon over the next couple months! What's on the agenda?

• 25 March – The Ting Tings – The Fillmore
• 4 April – Sam Sparro – The Independent
• 5 April – K.Flay – The Rickshaw Stop
• 12 April – Miike Snow with Penguin Prison – The Fox Theatre
• 17 April – Foxy Shazam – The Rickshaw Stop

And I still haven't decided whether to catch Glass Candy this Friday night. Since I also bought a SHN subscription—worth it in order to gain entry to The Book of Mormon this fall!—the budget may not allow it. Other possibilities: Flight Facilities at the end of March, and another Oh Land show on 9 April.

This week in music

This has been an excellent week for new music! And by that, I mean new-new as well as just new-to-me. Let's start with the new-new stuff.

New Jams

In the interest of readability, I'm providing links rather than embedded players. It also seems right to link to the sources where I discovered this stuff, rather than try to claim it as my own.

First up, we have, at long last, the debut EP from sexy, heartfelt Aussie duo Garçon Garçon. I've been enjoying their song Stay In Touch for a while now, as it's got that inexplicably perfect blend of upbeat synths, sad lyrics, and earnest vocal delivery we've loved for going on thirty years now. The five-track EP expands on that sound, giving us a danceable plea for companionship (Take Me Out), a gritty ditty featuring a verse from Cazwell (Hollywood Song), and wistful—and blessedly non-gender-neutral—longing for love (Maybe Tonight). Give the EP a listen and buy it; these guys deserve the support!

Next, rising star Moxiie dropped a Valentine's Day bombshell of a song on the world. As a followup to her stunning "Jungle Pop" EP, Everything To Me is a smooth, bouncy ode to devotion. It's a free download, so go get it and get into the Moxiie groove.

Bright Light Bright Light, the source of all things disco momentous, gave us a Valentine's Day mixtape that included his delightful remix of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" which he then made available by itself. The remix takes an already brilliant song, which has seen its share of excellent remixes, and transports it back to the dance floor of 1994. And that is by every measure an excellent thing. It makes me that much more eager for Bright Light Bright Light's full-length album, which should see release in the coming months. Check out Gotye's "Making Mirrors" on Rdio.

Other stuff that made me lose my shit this week:

• An astonishingly good mashup of Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" with Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know?" – I'm still shaken up about Whitney Houston's death. The world has lost a truly excellent talent, though it could be said that talent was lost to drug addiction years ago.
• Monarchy's remix of "Lights" by Josh Beech and the Johns
• Sweden's Smith & Thell deliver hotness with "Kill It With Love".
• Another Swedish pop star, Darin, delivers dance-pop perfection with "Nobody Knows" – I've said before and I'll say it again: I really should just move to Sweden.
• San Francisco's Midi Matilda drops a moody, catchy EP available in multiple download formats, and they're letting you set your own price. This is the wave of the future! Go listen to and buy Red Light District now.

New to me

I discovered K.Flay last year when she opened for Casio Kids at Cafe du Nord and was mesmerized. This girl has got it all. What I didn't know is that she'd already put out one EP, and now she has another. I bought both, and they're fantastic.

Karmin performed on Saturday Night Live last weekend, though you wouldn't know it if you watched the episode on Hulu or bought it on Amazon; music performances are often cut out from the post-broadcast digital versions. Why the labels and publishers insist on doing that is beyond me, because I see it as limiting the artist's exposure. Nevertheless, I looked for Karmin's performances and found them on Vevo, and they're fantastic. (Never mind the terrible website.) Everything is available on Rdio, too.

Lastly, I don't know how I managed to live through the 80's as a synth-pop fan without discovering the music of Ultravox. Listening to their best-of on Rdio this week, I was kicking myself for missing it when it first happened. Happily, it's all available there, and it provides a great musical history lesson. For instance, I had no idea that Infernal's "Vienna" was actually an Ultravox original. Learn something new every day! Happily, the news is that the almost-original lineup is working on a new album, so if we're lucky, they'll strike the same gold OMD did with their recent album History of Modern.

Dance on, my friends!