This Thursday we headed to the record release party for Future Islands’ new remix album, Post Office Wave Chapel, at Death By Audio. Unfortunately the show was missing both Future Islands and their new album, due to tonsillitis and a late record print, respectively. In exchange we got an eclectic group of Future Islands’ collaborators, as well as a surprise appearance by SHAMS.
Moss of Aura started off the cold night in Brooklyn with a dark electronic ambience, dimly lit in blue. One of four remix artists from Post Office Wave Chapel in attendance, the band established the electronic milieu of the evening, offering warm, meditative beats for the audience to soak in.
After Moss of Aura, a man by the stage name of Jones came to the stage, and made sure we did not forget his moniker. The second of the four artists featured on the new Future Islands’ album, Jones was a solo rapper performing in the hip-hop tradition of self-promotion, frequently chorusing his name, and informing the audience of his merchandise in the back. Despite this peculiar mismatch with the established mood of the show, Jones did lay down some captivating beats and confidently put on an entertaining set.
Following Jones, the show took another 180-degree turn with surprise guest SHAMS. Equipped with some pedals, an mp3 player, and more notably, two microphones, SHAMS was like the illegitimate offspring of noise act Prurient and the night’s own Pictureplane. The two microphones were haphazardly dropped to the ground to start the performance, quickly building a feedback drone that established a pretense of hostility towards the audience. One person in the audience could be heard genuinely asking a friend, “What is this?!” It was that sort of reaction upon which the performance seemed to thrive. After that noisy sonic rite, SHAMS thrust himself to the ground below the stage, revealing long blond hair that covered his face as he began his violent, overtly sexualized singing. As the very danceable beats continued, he would thrust and grind and hassle the audience, ultimately putting together an anarchic thrill ride with lines like “I want to cut your face.”
Next was Pictureplane, the stage name of Travis Egedy, from Denver, Colorado. The third of the four performers on the Future Islands remix album, Pictureplane was easily the biggest crowd pleaser of the night. At the beginning of his performance, Egedy stated that his next song was for all the beautiful boys that dress like girls, and the sexy girls that dress like boys. His performance also offered up an auditory blending of genre. While maintaining a DIY aesthetic, the music was often very clean cut with occasional graceful singing added in. The blend of electronic experimentation with an ultimately crowd-pleasing beat allowed the audience a guilt-free indulgence.
Javelin ended the night on a similar note. The final of the four artists to work on the new Future Islands release, the duo from Providence invited the audience to revel in simple beats and raps. They played with a sonic ethos committed to dismissing musical pretension and rediscovering the participatory playfulness that can make a live performance so much fun.
Though the show didn’t turn out exactly as we had expected, it was a worthwhile night. The variety of the five acts gave things an eclectic and unpredictable feeling, more than making up for Future Islands’ absence.
