Midnight Movies and Blonde Redhead in Chicago, April 14, 2007
Otherworldly music that mesmerizes
By Genevieve Diesing
Published: April 25th, 2007 | 5:42pm
If it hadn’t been for Larry Schemel, Midnight Movies might be called Menacing Mutants. Luckily, Schemel, a movie-memorabilia collector and Midnight Movies’ guitarist, helped choose a more pleasing title – one that was a title of a book about the nocturnal cult ritual of viewing underground films. The name unintentionally became a perfect fit for the L.A.-based quartet’s otherworldly psychedelic and synth - pop outfit, which Chicagoans heard first-hand at the Metro on Saturday, April 14, 2007.
Operatically-inclined singer Gena Olivier steered the tone of the songs with her poised and even voice. She danced rhythmically behind her keyboards and eventually swapped spots with drummer Sandra Vu, who played flute as Olivier belted out a heartfelt rendition of “Knights in White Satin” from behind the drum set. The dreamy electronic rhythms, interwoven with moody rock, possessed the sold-out venue like spectators at a Hitchcock flick.
Movie’s nine song set preceded headliner Blonde Redhead, and was dominated by tracks off Midnight Movie’s sophomore album Lion the Girl, to be released on April 24.
Lion, a result of collaborative self-realization and relationships old and new, has lyrics that Olivier said reads “almost like a diary.” At its heart is the magnetic pull of that serendipitous magic that has remained a consistent factor from the band’s evolution since its formation in 2002.
“I think this record was kind of made during like a really kind of weird time,” said Schemel. “’Cause we had lost a record label and we made a lineup change and we didn’t have management. We pretty much were like starting over in a way.”
Olivier and Schemel met by answering each other’s “musicians wanted” classified ads in the Los Angeles Recycler, and when they met, Schemel said, “It just clicked.” The group had planned on filling out their line-up right away, but Olivier quickly learned to drum and ended up singing behind the set.
“The whole thing happened so quickly,” said Olivier. “From me never even knowing I was going to pick up a pair of drumsticks to getting a record deal and having people like the music around town.”
With their explorations into dream pop and unconventional line-up, Midnight Movies established themselves as a unique fixture in the L.A. music scene. Yet, their label, Emperor Norton, went under in 2004, around the same time bassist Jason Hammons left the band due to artistic differences. A few months later the group signed with New Line Records. They adopted Vu and later Ryan Wood, both who are multi-instrumental, and discovered an interpersonal chemistry that both stimulated and challenged the band’s dynamic.
“(Lion) totally takes on a life of its own and has a lot more energy and a lot more excitement in some places,” said Olivier. “One thing I would like to see is for us to try and not get stuck in any one box. That’s one of the things we’re really proud of on our second record.”
Midnight Movie’s entrancing sound has received almost a knee jerk association to Stereolab and Nico by critics, a sometimes limited assessment.
“It seems like it’s almost become so common,” Olivier said. “I swear journalists get lazy. Like, they don’t want to do their research and really listen or something.”
“I think we’re more the American kind of rock band,” said Schemel. “People always say we’re European sounding but … there’s a definite West Coast, psychedelic thing in the music.”
The list of artists whom the Movies admire does include Stereolab and Nico, as well as Blonde Redhead, who the Movies stuck around to watch after their set.
The Metro was crammed to full capacity when Blonde Redhead appeared onstage. The trio brought their new, seventh full-length album, 23 to life. The mass of fans swayed to the ambient rhythms, with their cameras and phones thrust in the air like a sea of glowing orbs.
The shimmering roll of cymbals rushed in and out like a stream and the pigeon-toed Amadeo Pace swung his guitar moodily like a broom. The waves of hypnotic sound reverberated throughout the room, and echoes of cranked distortion and electronic shrieks peeled off the walls.Kazu– who had recovered years ago from a brutal horseback riding accident, often sang while draped across a life size fake horse that had been put onstage.
After having thrived in the independent music scene for over a decade, Blonde Redhead represents the kind of creative longevity and enduring originality that Midnight Movies recognizes as essential to a musician’s artistic integrity.
“We’ll always make music, but I want for us to always challenge ourselves,” said Olivier. “If I’ve learned one thing from this whole experience, it’s like – things don’t ever stay – they’re constantly shifting.”
Issue #31
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