experimental pop

Song of the Day: “Starstuff” by Blanck Mass

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Blanck Mass
Blanck Mass (Photo by Harrison Reid)

Blanck Mass — the project of musician Benjamin John Power — announces his new album, In Ferneaux, out Feb. 26 on Sacred Bones, and shares “Starstuff,” a single edit from the album. It’s the follow-up to 2019’s Animated Violence Mild, which “channels the horrors of the surveillance state and the creeping dread of everyday life into the most aggressive music of [Power’s] career” (Pitchfork). In turn, In Ferneaux explores pain in motion, building audio-spatial chambers of experience and memory.

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Snapshots: of Montreal @ 9:30 Club — 3/2/20

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Kevin Barnes fronts of Montreal at 9:30 Club on March 2, 2020. (Photo by Katherine Gaines)

Of Montreal appeared at 9:30 Club recently for a different kind of show. You see, frontman Kevin Barnes fell in love. And with that, he’s been a bit more carefree, a bit more open, and a bit more himself. That inner self shined brightly at 9:30 Club, and Katherine Gaines captured this glory on film.

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Live Review: Helado Negro @ U Street Music Hall — 6/28/19

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helado negro - photo courtesy of RVNG Intl.
Helado Negro (Photo courtesy of RVNG Intl.)

What does black ice cream taste like? If you’re Roberto Carlos Lange, you may say it’s a combination of flavors that inexplicably vary with every lick. The producer and singer-songwriter, better known as Helado Negro (“black ice cream” in Spanish), served up an eclectic mix of synth-pop, electro-folk, and Latin music during a recent performance at DC’s U Street Music Hall.

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Preview: Let’s Eat Grandma @ 9:30 Club, 4/1/19

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Let’s Eat Grandma (Photo by Charlotte Pattmore)

Editor’s note: This show has been cancelled.

Let’s Eat Grandma released I’m All Ears, the band’s second studio album, last year via Transgressive Records. The British avant pop duo now will headline a show at the 9:30 Club on Monday, April 1.

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Live Review: Panda Bear @ 9:30 Club — 2/11/19

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Panda Bear 1 Panda Bear performs at 9:30 Club on Feb. 11, 2019. (Photo by Andy Jillson)

Panda Bear hit the road in February this year for a short US tour following the release of his sixth solo album, Buoys. Panda Bear performed as a stoic one-man-band to a sea of fans at DC’s famous 9:30 Club recently.  

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Music Park: Of Montreal @ Ottobar — 10/24/18

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Of Montreal thrills a packed Ottobar on Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)

Of Montreal, the band fronted by the charismatic and wildly creative Kevin Barnes, has been going strong through various permutations for more than 20 years. The Athens, Georgia-born band has released 15 full length albums (not including EPs and singles) — during that time, they’ve experimented with styles (straight ahead pop à la Beatles to country tinged Americana to dance).

Although the songwriting is brilliant and the songs tough to get out of your head, the band’s live show (and by “show” I mean it in the most literal sense) has come to be Of Montreal’s signature, and that show arrived at Ottobar on Oct. 24.

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Ticket Giveaway: Panda Bear @ 9:30 Club, 5/7/18

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Panda Bear (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)

Panda Bear, born Noah Benjamin Lennox, released a Day with the Homies, his third EP, in January via Domino Recording Co. The founding member of Animal Collective will tour the new songs with a stop at 9:30 Club on Monday, May 7. You can win tickets to go with Parklife DC!

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Music Park: of Montreal @ 9:30 Club — 3/25/18

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Of Montreal performs at 9:30 Club on March 25, 2018. (Photo by Neal Keller)

Witnessing Of Montreal’s live show, both on this current tour and on tour in 2016, has magnified my appreciation for the band immensely. I happened into their music through hearing tracks in the sets of DJs I admire, and I attended my first show as a bit of a lark. Expecting to see an eclectic sounding indie rock band drop some catchy tunes in an unassuming fashion, I was instead treated to a spectacle of theatrics and mania.

Better prepared for their elaborate production this past Sunday at 9:30 Club, I am ready for immersion in the experience.

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