Social Registry Showcase @ Santos Party House
There is good news and bad news. First, the bad news…my camera was acting up, and I couldn’t get a good angle to get any shots. Good news is that many of you Flickr obsessed took some great shots and now I have images to accompany my review. Yay for collective cloud computing!!!
So here we go.
I think the Social Registry is one of those labels that can truly lay claim to being a family –not just a business. Churning out some of the more interesting releases from bands like Blood on the Wall, Psychic Ills, Gang Gang Dance, Telepathe, and Growing, each band has a very individualized sound that seems to inform each other.
The showcase was by far one of my favorites in all my years of attending CMJ. Peppered between the bands were DJs Andrew Kou, Josh Wildman, Leo Fitzpatrick, and Dan Hougland, making for a jamming dance party between sets. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to catch some of the newer signees Mike Bones or Sian Alice Group. However, having seen them before, I’m sure they gave great performances.
Psychic Ills keep getting better to me. What was once a combination of noise, psyche and chaotic elements has turned into a darker, more fully realized psyche band. They’re one of the few bands of this kind that can hold my attention throughout the whole set. I hope you feel the same way next time you check them out.
Next up was Growing. I have been to more Growing shows than I can count since living in New York–and watched them mature into the band they are today. While previously they were more into a droney, nature aesthetic, now the music is slightly more abstract and beat driven while maintaining a loyalty to the affect guitar and samples; this makes for a more powerful, visceral sound experience that becomes more welcoming with every show. And, I was very psyched to see it with a sound system that could actually project the depth of their work.
The show culminated with arguably the crown jewel of the label Gang Gang Dance. Doubling as their record release show, Gang Gang Dance provided a very energetic set, including a very lively and charismatic version of their latest single House Jam.
My only complaint is that I wish there were less people at the show. It was very packed throughout most of the night and sometimes made it hard for short people like myself to see the set…and take pictures.
Growing
Image C/O ihateanarchists
Gang Gang Dance
Image C/O DLT XII
The music was great. For the most part, all the bands were at their best (Mike Bones was shit, though). My only issue was the venue. The sound is phenominal but everything else was crap. The staff were braindead hiptards and the bartenders were the douchiest ever. Not that you could really even get a drink. The place was so packed one could hardly move. To top it off it was 18+ and there were a lot of transplant college kids with fucking backpacks on actiing like it was their first show. I know it was CMJ and all but I doubtr I’ll ever go back to Santo’s. It even beats Webster Hall for the “Venue So Annoying it Ruins the Concert” prize. I’m glad GGD and Marnie Stern are playing at Music Hall of Williamsburg as well as Santos next month so I don’t have to deal with that place again in order to see GGD. They need to get their shit together.