Joy Wants Eternal Reverb

Sunday night Joy Wants Eternity, From Monument to Masses, Unwed Sailor, and Mars Accelerator took over El Corazon for an experimental-indie-ambient, all-instrumental show (we weren't able to decipher any of the sounds the Mars Accelerator guy was producing, so we're counting his vocal input as an extra instrument).

The crowd at El Corazon were nothing but appreciative, listening raptly without conversation, and applauding and whistling at the end of each "song." We say "song" because each of the bands (to a greater or lesser extent) move through songscape whimsically, as if they're being filmed in front of a blue screen (this is the slow part, now it's the exciting part!, now it's dreamy again). Beating on the drums and cymbal and strumming their reverby guitars ferociously, they produce the alchemists' legendary "wall of sound," let it die down, build it back up again -- or just stop, which signals the song is over.

From our limited perspective, we found Joy Wants Eternity and From Monument to Masses a bit more polished, friendlier to the unpracticed ear. JWE likes to provide ambient soundtracks to visual projections, but on this night, their projection was AWOL. We could still feel the cinematic impetus to their music. FMTM labels itself post-hardcore-indie-punk, which is expressed in part by incorporating spoken monologues and snippets into the jangly-guitar noodling. They were the high point of the evening, for us, as their sound involved a bit more dynamic range.

Unwed Sailor features one of the more crazily active bass players we've ever seen. (Some might say too active.) Mars Accelerator, sadly, we just plain didn't care for. Their wall of sound was too similar to what we'd call noise. Each song began and ended without substantial differentiation from the last, and the monotony got to us.

We noticed about half the audience was wearing earplugs, which got us wondering who the ear-damaging decibel level was for, exactly. For us, it was just on the edge of discomfort, which doesn't make for an ambient environment we can relax into and enjoy -- it's more like being hit repeatedly with one of those little tack hammers.

Here they all are at MySpace, for anyone seeking some streaming mp3 satisfaction: MyJWE, MyFromMonumenttoMasses, MyUnwedSailor, and MyMarsAccelerator.

El Corazon, by the way, is an engaging space, with a separate band venue and bar connected by a hallway. The music area is really three levels: a dance floor, a sort of SRO balcony overlooking the floor, and back benches over looking that (a section of which is broken beyond safety, owners). We were a little taken aback by the men's bathroom's lack of a door; from the hallway you can see boys whizzing to your heart's content. Maybe that's a post-hardcore thing.

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By MvB in Arts & Events on August 14, 2006 2:45 PM

Comments [rss]

Seth

I suggest a converstion to the soulful sounds of smooth jazz. Never too loud.

MvB

Audrey, I realize you're discussing the situation as it stands, but I hardly think I'm wrong on all counts.

Really? In order to enjoy a rock concert I should get earplugs designed by a doctor? And where are these "decent" earplugs sold? The kind sold in drugstores assuredly DO muffle sound, not filter it. And of course musicians/engineers have earplugs -- they have more frequent exposure.

No, I can't agree music should be so loud it's painful to listen to. My point is (and I know plenty of people who agree) that when the music at a venue is consistently that loud, people start skipping that venue rather than argue about it.

Audrey

MVB, wrong on all counts. Ask any sound engineer or musician with some sense, and they'll tell you that earplugs are a necessity. Don't use those cheap pieces of foam; 32db is more protection than you need, but you can find decent earplugs with noise reduction in the 20db range even at a drugstore. Good earplugs don't so much muffle sound as filter it. If you're looking to make an investment, you can get a really good pair designed for your ears from a doctor.

BTW, the engineer will probably be mixing heavy on the high frequencies---because he'll assuredly have hearing loss at that end of the range.

MvB

But they shouldn't *have* to be used. Conventional earplugs don't reduce decibel levels the same at all frequencies -- they tend to be more effective at the high end and less effective going down. It's like listening to everything with the SuperBass on and the treble cranked down. It's absurd to be forced to listen to music that way. How does a soundboard engineer set the dynamics when half the audience is hearing 32db less on the highs? It's already hard to hear crispness in some of these acoustic environments -- with earplugs it can get to be a dull thud.

Audrey

Tim, agreed. Earplugs should be used at pretty much every rock show.

tim

"We noticed about half the audience was wearing earplugs, which got us wondering who the ear-damaging decibel level was for, exactly."

I was at the show, and regardless of what kind of craziness the soundboard operator was up to, if you weren't wearing earplugs, you permanently lost a good chunk of your hearing.

I guess that the high percentage of audience members wearing earplugs at the show qualifies as some kind of bonus points for JWE (and FMTM and the other bands, too) - not only do they bring the rock, but their audience is smart enough to protect their own hearing.