If there’s one thing that San Francisco art punk band Deerhoof is not, it’s mundane. Their music is all over the place, and I mean that in the best way possible. The structure of many of their songs is completely nonlinear and unpredictable, making for quite an aural adventure. But I think it’s safe to say that when you put together erratic, highly distorted guitars, Satomi Matsuzaki’s playful, girlish singing, and some tasteful synth, you’re bound to be in for a fun live show.
Sylvan Esso has become something of a darling child in the indie music sphere over the course of the last year or so. The electropop duo is one part singer Amanda Meath (of Mountain Man) and one part electronic musician and producer Nick Sanborn (of Megafaun). Oftentimes the very nature of electronic music is the reimagining and manipulation of preexisting material, yet Sylvan Esso’s music sounds incredibly organic, somehow unaltered. The simplicity of Meath’s clear-cut voice interwoven with Sanborn’s hypnotic synth and beats is intoxicating. As with a good chunk of music coming out these days, I recommend giving these guys a listen on headphones.
Notable mention: Finnish/French duo The Dø, playing on February 22, at Postbahnhof
Soundcheck Charlie 