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Music

Weird War: In the Belly of the Beat

by Todd Simmons

Music

In strange and sinister times like these, it’s not surprising that America’s funkiest indie-rock band has a name like Weird War. Based in Washington, DC, literally beneath the flight path of Dick Cheney’s private helicopter, this is a band that, according to lead singer Ian Svenonius, “creates music based on the furious rejection of the current cultural narrative—music based on a hatred for imperialism and transforming that hatred into energy.” But despite being brutally aware of what’s brewing in the cauldron down the street from them, they’re remarkably adept at creating music that not only makes you think, but flat-out gets down in the process. Their songs shine a spotlight on clandestine worlds in which big corporations and the government utilize mind-control to get what they want: “There aint nothin’ wrong with you; the mental poison messed up your mind,” they proclaim on the track “Mental Poisoning.” Yet just because the powers that be are a buzz-kill doesn’t mean Weird War will cancel the party. They might be deep thinkers, but they’ve also been known to whip the Mercury Lounge into a fervor.

Untouchable Is Something to Be: The Rise and Continued Rise of Against Me!

by Justin Taylor

Music

I’ll never forget the feeling of shaking Against Me! drummer Warren Oakes’s hand as he pressed through the crushing crowd toward the front doors of CBGB. We locked eyes for half a second and I called out to him over the roar: “FIVE YEARS!” He smiled, or maybe shook his head—hard to tell what’s going on behind a beard like that. Then he had to go inside and I, ticketless, had to go home.

The Double: Loose in the Area by Fred Cisterna

by Fred Cisterna

Music

I know this older guy who follows new bands but instantly dismisses 99% of them. When he heard one hotly hyped recent CD, he deadpanned, “I’m glad these young men have found something to do with their excess energy.” But last year, when the naysayer heard the Double’s impressive debut, Palm Fronds, he nodded affirmatively and actually uttered the words, “These guys are good.” If the Brooklyn-based quartet can impress this grouch, it’s clear they’re onto something.