A Place To Bury Strangers, In Waves @ The Viper Room, 12/3/07

I just saw psychedelic noise 3-piece A Place to Bury Strangers at The Viper Room. HOLY SHIT alert. If you like shoegaze, check out these guys. So far I've gotten a handful of people into them, and I'm glad to spread the word. Dare I say it, these guys were better live than Jesus and Mary Chain at Coachella 2007. Yup, that's right. Their music is heavier than a ton of bricks being dropped through a glass house full of revved up tractors. Find any two consecutive radio stations. Now tune into the static that is in between them, and mic that up to a board full of Big Muffs and into a stack of Twin Reverbs all turned up to 10. Now add strobe lights. That is what it is to see A Place To Bury Strangers live.

I was fortunate enough to chat with the incredibly modest and friendly frontman Oliver Ackermann outside the venue, and I thanked him for putting on THE BEST small show I've seen all year. He was incredibly kind, and told me if I liked them, then I should check out "Ringo Deathstarr". That I did, and they sound even more like Jesus and Mary Chain. In a world where nothing is original anymore, I definitely do not mind an overabundance of bands that sound like the kings of shoegaze.


Post-punky. Dreamy. Lush. Ethereal. Atmospheric. Haunting. These are just a few of the words that come to mind when witnessing headliners In Waves. What beautiful music this Echo Park band creates. The vocals recall the soft melancholy of Cass McCombs. I can't fucking wait for them to come out with an LP. Soon enough. May I recommend the song "Too Much Vision" as a starting point.


Spotted at the show: Lukas Haas.