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Cash Flag are five young men who gather around a table covered with electronic devices. One plays a guitar, one plays a keyboard, and the remaining three push buttons and turn knobs, triggering various samples and synthetic drum beats. There is some usually-abstract video projected on a sheet behind them, which, while not very interesting, is much more interesting than anything that they do musically. This is some flavor of electronica, but I remain blissfully ignorant of the sub-sub-sub-genres of electronica, and so I can't tell you whether it's deep ambient breakbeat or heavy acid reflux; there are drum machines and it sucks and I hate it. The part that really pisses me off is when someone is just sitting there and playing AIR DRUMS along with the pre-sequenced synthesized drum beats. Dude, if you want to drum, get a fucking drum already!
Blitzkriegbliss offer an altogether rawer and more primal experience. (And cupcakes!) This is yet another farewell show, this one for Blitzkriegbliss' drummer, who is foolishly going off to grad school. The first thing I notice tonight is the excellent sound. Everything is clear and well-balanced. (There are a few heavy blasts of distortion on the vocals early on, but they are fixed very quickly, which is almost kind of a shame. It was working for me.) Next I notice that Sophia seems almost a little subdued this evening. We are all sad to be losing David. However, during "Be Here," she really starts to kick it out. It's kind of a subdued song anyway, sludgy and plodding, and it starts out really calmly, but halfway through there's a series of bizarre oscillating slides, and the set just gets wilder from there. "Sparks" is David's song to shine on, with weird instrumentation and an alternating rhythm that I love. The last few songs are just crazy great bass-driven shriekfests. There will now be a hiatus while they try to find a new drummer; if you are a genius drummer, please contact them and be their new drummer and get them playing out again quickly!
