Written by John Graham
This week brings a three-city showcase of sonic oddities to the Elbo Room on Tuesday, March 14, with two Bay Area bands bookending a pair of Portland acts. Representing SF (though originally from PDX) is Ssleeping DesiresS, the extra sibiliance in whose name gives a clue to the serpentine nature of their post-punk songwriting, with Gabriel Ramos' baritone moans slithering between retro drum machine beats, gothy guitars, and synthesizers that mix equal parts Soft Kill and Soft Moon with a dollop of Drab Majesty. Terror Apart is the solo act of Portland's Anna Leja, whose mesmerizing minimal synth treatments are punctuated by sharp percussive thumps and ghostly vocals. Cost/Worth — a collaboration of Portland projects Cost and Tetrad Veil — plumb the night's deepest abysses with their explorations of cavernous dirges, ominous drones, and dark ambient/industrial noise; if you've got a murderous itch, this should satisfy your cravings for Lustmord. And finally there's Group Rhoda (a.k.a. Oakland's Mara Barenbaum), who lightens up the proceedings with electronics that are tropical and trippy — albeit more bouncy than brooding — with Barenbaum's vocals giving the whole affair the heady feel of Chris & Cosey's Techno Primitiv entrancements.
This week brings a three-city showcase of sonic oddities to the Elbo Room on Tuesday, March 14, with two Bay Area bands bookending a pair of Portland acts. Representing SF (though originally from PDX) is Ssleeping DesiresS, the extra sibiliance in whose name gives a clue to the serpentine nature of their post-punk songwriting, with Gabriel Ramos' baritone moans slithering between retro drum machine beats, gothy guitars, and synthesizers that mix equal parts Soft Kill and Soft Moon with a dollop of Drab Majesty. Terror Apart is the solo act of Portland's Anna Leja, whose mesmerizing minimal synth treatments are punctuated by sharp percussive thumps and ghostly vocals. Cost/Worth — a collaboration of Portland projects Cost and Tetrad Veil — plumb the night's deepest abysses with their explorations of cavernous dirges, ominous drones, and dark ambient/industrial noise; if you've got a murderous itch, this should satisfy your cravings for Lustmord. And finally there's Group Rhoda (a.k.a. Oakland's Mara Barenbaum), who lightens up the proceedings with electronics that are tropical and trippy — albeit more bouncy than brooding — with Barenbaum's vocals giving the whole affair the heady feel of Chris & Cosey's Techno Primitiv entrancements.
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