Hungry Beat! @ Pehrspace 9-27-08
She danced with everybody and nobody, patently aware of the the sideways glances from men at all sides she was earning, but in the interest of peace of mind, actively oblivious to the attention. Or perhaps she liked it. Her elbows were locked by invisible pins, but her wrists and finger tips danced on the rhythms of the music like waterbugs on the surface of a lake. She spun in irregular circles, prancing about the entire space as though every molecule in the air belonged to her, and there was not an ounce of matter outside of the room.
Hungry Beat!, the new once-monthly indie pop / northern soul night at Pehrspace, launched this past Saturday. I came early and did not stay late, so I missed Michael Stock (of Part Time Punks spinning). Early in the night the crowd was small, but devoted, and certainly inclined to dancing by the time I left.
Indiepop is something I have a cautious appreciation for despite the fact that it has to offer me, as an individual, very little in what I look for in my music. Indiepop is often not the most dynamic of genres and in general it doesn't seem to reflect at all the world we live in today; it seldom engages "the now". It seems to neither embrace nor protest -- or even acknowledge -- widespread corporate unhappiness. It is seemingly unaffected by global fear, famine, war, or the toxic cultural landscape that brings upon the human experience all of those things. It's happy and disposable, even when the songs are about unhappy and permanent things.
And for all the cultural value of gender ambuguity, there is an argument to be made that specifics are usually more interesting than vagueries. (Or perhaps it is just that today's listeners [i.e. His Bloggership] are desensitized and require over-stimulation; classy subtelty no longer registers.) As for preference within the genre, I like the janglier and crunchier stuff best.
All of the traits mentioned in the above paragraphs (disposability, innocent escapist disregard for the world's ills, ambuguities that let the listener reimagine herself in the song) are in fact what makes indiepop appealing to its champions and perhaps someone with a less superficial understanding of the genre than His Bloggership would take issue with some specifics of my claims.
The point being, for me, the realm of indiepop is a place I like to visit more than live, and once a month is perfect. I reckon I will be a frequent attendee of Hungry Beat! and I feel pretty strongly that it serves a necessary need. I am very pro-dancing and wish there was more of it at my regular haunts.
Launching a new regular night is a really hard thing to do. It was clear to me, as an outsider, that Hungry Beat! had a very positive start. The early adopters and supporters in those first few hours were happy to be there, and though LA's indiepop scene is a niche of sorts, I got the feeling that the joyful noise is going to be contageous.
Of the thirty or so songs I heard, the one that struck me the most was by Aberdeen. Twice in one month I've heard a song, asked "Who is this?" and "Aberdeen" has been the answer. I guess that makes me a fan.
The next Hungry Beat! is Saturday, October 25th.
Hungry Beat!, the new once-monthly indie pop / northern soul night at Pehrspace, launched this past Saturday. I came early and did not stay late, so I missed Michael Stock (of Part Time Punks spinning). Early in the night the crowd was small, but devoted, and certainly inclined to dancing by the time I left.
Indiepop is something I have a cautious appreciation for despite the fact that it has to offer me, as an individual, very little in what I look for in my music. Indiepop is often not the most dynamic of genres and in general it doesn't seem to reflect at all the world we live in today; it seldom engages "the now". It seems to neither embrace nor protest -- or even acknowledge -- widespread corporate unhappiness. It is seemingly unaffected by global fear, famine, war, or the toxic cultural landscape that brings upon the human experience all of those things. It's happy and disposable, even when the songs are about unhappy and permanent things.
And for all the cultural value of gender ambuguity, there is an argument to be made that specifics are usually more interesting than vagueries. (Or perhaps it is just that today's listeners [i.e. His Bloggership] are desensitized and require over-stimulation; classy subtelty no longer registers.) As for preference within the genre, I like the janglier and crunchier stuff best.
All of the traits mentioned in the above paragraphs (disposability, innocent escapist disregard for the world's ills, ambuguities that let the listener reimagine herself in the song) are in fact what makes indiepop appealing to its champions and perhaps someone with a less superficial understanding of the genre than His Bloggership would take issue with some specifics of my claims.
The point being, for me, the realm of indiepop is a place I like to visit more than live, and once a month is perfect. I reckon I will be a frequent attendee of Hungry Beat! and I feel pretty strongly that it serves a necessary need. I am very pro-dancing and wish there was more of it at my regular haunts.
Launching a new regular night is a really hard thing to do. It was clear to me, as an outsider, that Hungry Beat! had a very positive start. The early adopters and supporters in those first few hours were happy to be there, and though LA's indiepop scene is a niche of sorts, I got the feeling that the joyful noise is going to be contageous.
Of the thirty or so songs I heard, the one that struck me the most was by Aberdeen. Twice in one month I've heard a song, asked "Who is this?" and "Aberdeen" has been the answer. I guess that makes me a fan.
The next Hungry Beat! is Saturday, October 25th.