caught anamanaguchi tonight. chiptune with a live band = RAWK.
the opening band (which is essentially a reformed spiral beach, without the bassist who is now in austra) got stuck in the snow and didn't make it up from toronto. downer.
this is a good track from the set:
......but this is a more accurate angle:
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so, the show started off last night as a bit of a bust but ended well.
first, i showed up too late to get a ticket. oops. the show was in a converted art gallery that, while well known to locals, is sort of a weird venue. it's actually the basement of what we in canada consider to be a 'heritage building'. specifically, it was the original county courthouse; next door is the original county jail, which is now a hostel. crazy canucks, eh? there's a picture attached. the city is actually in the process of facelifting the building and turning it into an arts centre, meaning the days of this venue as a little club may be nearing an end. while this will likely increase city revenue in the long run, which is a good thing, it would still be a sad day in ottawa to see the saw gallery close.
luckily, the opening band bailed. another canadianism: they got stuck in a snowstorm. where else do bands bail on gigs because they can't get through the snow? i say 'luckily' because it's how i got ticket from somebody that was going to leave after the opening set, but i actually really wanted to see what the reformed spiral beach is up to. i mentioned that the samples i've heard haven't been enticing, but three short songs does not an analysis make.
the middle band, extreme animals, is not for everyone. it was some kind of bizarre sample-based techno-hardcore thing. i skipped out during a morbid cover of 'losing my religion' that consisted of the 'that was just a dream' section looped over top of a candied up happy hardcore beat that pretty much left me shivering. don't you be messin' with my stipe, motherfuckers. no, in all honesty, it was simply ridiculous and rather out of place as an opening band in all ages show. for this to work, it would require a pretty messed up crowd, and probably after hours.
all ages? yeah. in fact, the bar was closed. the place is licensed. bizarre. so, i skipped out of extreme animals and took a trek across the street to another small ottawa venue, the russian themed avant garde, and took a few shots of jager and grabbed a red bull. where's my sponsorship cash? yeah, fuck you too. made it back just in time...
...and what is anamanaguchi, besides a difficult to pronounce name? well, i should point out that they're responsible for the scott pilgrim video game soundtrack, although i'd be lying if i said i've seen the film or played the game. anamanaguchi is 8-bit/chiptune stuff with a live band. they have a hacked nes running nintendo melodies in the background, and a standard guitar/drums/bass setup jamming over top of it in a vaguely punk rock and vaguely post-rock fashion. the result is simply kinetic. really, it's probably the definition of 'fun' amongst those born in the post-nes generation. what could really be more awesome than this as a foundational principle for a rawk band?
i'd argue, though, that they're still developing a sound. the lead person in the band is a talented guitarist. i'm also a talented guitarist and feel capable of making that declaration based on watching his fingers go. however, the focus of the show, lead guitar-wise, was on a lot of doubling of the sequencer parts. don't get me wrong: it sounded pretty awesome at points. but, i found myself wondering several times during the show why he didn't break into harmonies, overlays or even rip into a blaring corganesque solo. as mentioned, it seemed crystal clear that he has the chops. if you're going to put that kind of setup together, why not take full advantage of it? the potential for even further awesomeness is staggering.
regardless, i'd highly recommend checking these guys out as a fun night out if you happen to get the chance to do so.
i don't have footage from ottawa, but this is a full set from around the same time:
