Beat Connection, Cursive land at A Club this week
A pair of esoteric indie bands are bringing equally obscure brands of pop to A Club this weekend.
Tonight’s show with The Beat Connection leans more on dreamy ambience compared to the scathing grit of Sunday’s concert with Cursive.
Here’s the goods on the both shows:
The Beat Connection with Odesza and Nude Pop
When, where: Tonight at 8 p.m. at A Club, 416 W. Sprague Ave.
Tickets: $6, through www.aclubspokane.com
The name might suggest something steeped in heavy bass drops and doctored mashups, but The Beat Connection rests on the outer rim of contemporary beat-making, melding electronic aspects with elemental eruptions laced in expansive auxiliary percussion. The Beat Connection delivers hypnotic, tropical, psychedelic pop in digital landscapes without betraying the natural aesthetics of their island-influenced sound.
Led by Seattle duo Jordan Koplowitz and Reed Juenger, the quartet recently released its first full-length album, “The Palace Garden,” picking up where the 2011 single, “Silver Screen,” from their “Surf Noir EP” left off.
On the the strength of “Surf Noir,” The Beat Connection was invited to tour Europe with fellow electronic standouts Toro Y Moi and Holy Ghost. They were later named Best New Band of 2011 by the Seattle Weekly.
It’s easy to draw comparisons to M83 and LCD Soundsystem (whose song the band derived its name from), but The Beat Connection takes a unique turn by interlocking synth lines over maracas, marimba, and steel drums, all in cascading atmospherics of highly infectious, danceable mosaic thumps.
Also on the bill with The Beat Connection is dance duo Odesza, a collaborative experimental hip-hop project Catacombkid with BeachesBeaches, plus fast-rising local indie band Nude Pop.
Cursive with Terrible Buttons and Drag Like Pull
When, where: Sunday at 7 p.m. at A Club, 416 W. Sprague Ave.
Tickets: $13, through www.aclubspokane.com
Hailing from Omaha, Neb., Cursive specializes in grating math-rock-pop that runs the line from simple rockers to elaborate mini-symphonies.
Past recordings have featured a full-time cellist, a five-piece horn section and fan-made remixes where songs are turned inside out.
Most recently, Cursive has been touring as a quartet in support of last year’s “I Am Gemini,” a rock opera of sorts revealing the tale of twins separated at birth, their reunion, and the interceding angels, devils and twin sisters conjoined at the head.
Lyrically, “I Am Gemini” is a fantastic leap from singer Tim Kasher’s past themes of self-reflection, politics, suburbia and religion. Musically, the album is a cohesive blend of song chapters that relies largely on angular guitars, thunderous drums, robust bass and organ for extra texture, managing a tightly packaged prog-pop epic.
Sunday’s show is supported by local favorites Terrible Buttons and Drag Like Pull.