It's a critic's lament: nothing is cool. At year's end 2005, it sure seems much cooler than 2004, but then again I'm not crazy about lists and ranking and all the hierarchical nonsense men are allegedly drawn to as a gender. Nevertheless, it's common practice to compile lists that attempt to quantify intangibles and the ethereal qualities that make music more fun to listen to than to read about.
So without further ado, let's delve into Philadelphia's top 4 (+1) live music experiences of 2005, a few honorable mentions for acts that didn't quite make the cut and opening acts that stole the show, as well as the major disappointments of the year. For me, 2005 marked the year that indie's hegemonic stranglehold of "cool" began to fissure and crumble and in the ruin a new pluralism remained.
04. Anthony Braxton Sextet - International House: There are few more interesting multi-reedists performing today than Anthony Braxton. Along with his student band from Wesleyan, he played to a capacity house in West Philly. For an hour and a half I watched in rapt attention as the band toyed with structure, sign and play with only an cartoonish hourglass keeping time. It proved a strenuous performance as players flashed hand signals to maintain the form, loose as it was, the audience holding its breath to see if everyone got the message. There were spontaneous moments of improvisation - the trumpeter dropped something and kicked it on the floor while the tuba player passed his pie tin mute through its keys, rubbing it on the instrument, literally playing it percussively, the contrabass moaning and belching in the foreground like an angry father. Braxton exchanged saxophones who sounded their disagreements less forcefully. For someone who's dedicated their life's work to avant garde performance, whose compositions bridge the gap between jazz and the work of Stockhausen and Cage, Braxton brought to life strains and stresses with delicate nuances Wolf Eyes can't quite articulate.
03. Boris - First Unitarian Church: Boris had a breakthrough year. With a new album out on Southern Lord and a deferential profile appearing in The Wire, Boris laid claim to critical darling status and their mythic status as doom/drone masters ascended. With their 3 disc Archive release testifying to their mettle, Boris more than justified the hype with a deafening symphony of whole note rests and guitar drone. Unlike Stephen O'Malley's comparable work with Sunn O))) and Khanate, Boris' sound doesn't hew to the existential melancholy of Einsturzende Neubauten but glorifies their nuclear resonances like an orchestra of Daisy Cutters.
02. Autechre - The Trocadero: Autechre's soundsystem is a thing of wonder. Their impressive range and volume devastated an undersold audience; evidently Philadelphians weren't interested in Untilted, which redlined the soundboard as it verged on power electronics. The needle teetering, Autechre glitched and tweaked through transitions and the sound coiled around like snakes around the legs and bodies twitching in the room.
01. Electrelane - The Khyber: Had it not been for O.C. ready Spoon playing across town at The TLA, Electrelane might've found a bigger audience (in fact, I raced to The Khyber when the Spoon show ended.) Their latest album, Axes, was recorded live, enabling the band to achieve a looser, natural feel. Their performance evinced their self-confidence. Guitarist Mia Clarke's solos convulsed with epileptic unpredictability. Verity Susman's ethereal voice lilted over the chaos. With time, Electrelane may prove Yo La Tengo's heir to those subtle modalities of skronk and melody. For now, we'll just have to settle for them being one of the most interesting rock bands in existence.
Honorable mentions: Devandra Banhart's Hairy Fairy Band with the inimitable Bunnybrains (who really deserved better than Philly gave); Psychic Paramount, opening for Whitehouse; and Endless Boogie who turned in a characteristically misunderstood performance opening for Dungen. Broadcast, whose visual style and aesthetic collide in a stunning combination of the psychedelic and modern.
The disappointments?
- Stephen Malkmus. The most interesting moments came when John Moen dedicated a song to Coldplay on the occasion of their New York Times review and when some drunken student jumped on stage, shouted "Philadelphia" and threw a water bottle into the audience that exploded when it hit the lights.
- Spoon. Manicured and mannered, even they felt like their set was designed by IKEA.
- Wolf Parade. It was easier to understand the hype for Arcade Fire (with whom they share a drummer.) Canadian post-emo rock that amalgamates Modest Mouse with the blandest rock moves doesn't move me.
