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Okay, yes, I went to a NEMO showcase. If I had "indie cred," I would forfeit it. Jaggery don't make it to Boston often enough, and I wasn't going to miss it. The Middlesex is a weird space: a lot more hip and professionally-decorated-looking than the places I usually hang out in. (Apparently, it's usually a DJs kind of room.) Now, I'll admit that the last time I saw Jaggery I enjoyed it, but when I learned that they usually have a harpist, I did think, "Do they need to be any more dreamy and ambient?" So I am pleased to report that it's not dreamy and ambient harp at all. (Most of the time, it almost sounds more like piano, very crisp and incisive.) In fact, the whole set rocks a lot more than I remember. The bizarre instrumentation is continually intriguing—harp, keyboard, upright bass, and a drum kit that comprises regular drums, hand percussion, and a kick djembe! I think the wah pedal on the keyboard is a new addition since I last saw them, and it's fantastic, adding another active, rhythmic element on a couple of songs. The songs are complicated, sprawling compositions with lots of unusual rhythms. And with all that going on, Mali's singing is still a showstopper. Her expressive range is incredible, from an ethereally high, sweet tone drenched in reverb to an almost guttural growl, and she's passionate and engaging across the whole range. After a lot of sound trouble on the first song (roaring bass feedback doesn't really go well with this band's music), it is a set without weaknesses.
We were going to bolt right after their set, but it turns out that Fluttr Effect is the unannounced second band, so we'll stick around for them. They keep up the "unusual instrumentation" theme, with MIDI marimba and electric cello. Both of these are turned up fairly loud tonight, and since these are my two favorite elements in the band, I'm very happy. They play an interesting set, heavy on new material. The new songs stir together their usual mix of prog rock, metal, and jazz, with their singer adding goth accents with her rich, breathy voice and (to me, at least) stagey and affected gestures. They also swear a lot; apparently they played a show earlier today at which a lot of children were present, so they're enjoying their freedom. They try to wrap it up early, but they're prevailed upon for an encore.
Then we really do bolt, so that we can have a little dinner and get to Great Scott in time for Keys to the Streets of Fear. This is really the perfect dose of no-fi, scungy yang to balance my evening's arty and intricate yin. (I like that sentence, and the sentiment that it conveys is fundamentally sound, but let me correct two misimpressions that it might convey. First, Keys are pretty arty themselves, in a deeply conceptual sort of way. It's not so much a haphazard mess staggering under layers of feedback as it is a carefully thought out mess staggering under layers of feedback. Second, "scungy" is only intended to describe their sound; they're an impeccably dressed band, and perhaps the only band ever to receive coverage in British Vogue for a song with the word "fuck" in the lyrics.) The rhythm section is pummeling, the vocals are spastic (though Patrick is disappointingly calm between songs tonight), and the two-string lead guitar is just amazing, dragging your ears through the weirdest dissonances and almost-resolutions. Plus there's all that feedback; the set ends with the two guitarists hanging their instruments over each others amps, while the drummer leaves the stage and the bassist just bulldozes onward.
Easy Action are apparently the big draw tonight, and the stage area gets pretty packed when they start. I can see why, since they bring the Pure Rock Fury. Me, I tend to like my rock fury mixed with a little something else, and this is pretty pure, so they're not exactly my thing. But they're powerful, no question. A simple, steady, pounding rhythm section, some interesting guitar leads, and a singer that sounds like a tuned cement mixer. It'd be nice if he had any variation in tone to work with, as it's hard to discern any melody in that gravelly roar, but that's not what they're doing. I hang in for about half their set, listening to what the guitarist does when they let him off the leash a little, and then I get bored and go sit down. Good thing, too, since it means I miss the flailing and crowd surfing that greet their last song, from the singer's old hardcore band.
The Beatings are last, and if I'm getting tired, they have enough energy to keep me going through the end of my evening. They have plenty of the screamy urgency that's been so characteristic of this bill, but they balance it with equal measures of indie rock tunefulness. All three string players sing, occasionally harmonizing but mostly singing lead on different songs, and they're all good, with different but overlapping strengths. Their midset Rolaids break has a weird sort of geek-rock charm. About two thirds of the way through their set, I just absolutely run out of steam—I'm getting over a cold—but fortunately the big bass speaker at stage left is free, so I sit down and let them shake my ass for me.
