Friday, July 22, 2016

Holy Fuck - Doomsquad -- DC9 - Jul 21 2016

by John Miller

Doomsquad - It's getting late. Doomsquad, supporting their latest effort, Total Time, are in the 28th minute of what appears to be a 30 minute delay. Shit happens, I get it. There are lots of moving parts, so perhaps the delay was inevitable. It's interesting, the drums, rather percussion is spot on. In addition to the traditional, there looks to be some triggers activating a pre-recorded beat and there is definitely something else but it has gotten so crowded, the mystery instrument, remains just that, a mystery. The keyboards (of which I count three) keep this progressive techno grounded. With the amount of rhythmic gymnastics happening, they provide an exceptional base. If I get lost, I'll just listen for the keys. Considering Doomsquad began as a joke; a riff on the classic family outfits of the sixties and seventies, they did a good job of subverting those tropes on their collective heads. Far from saccharine, they are aggressive and at points almost confrontational. Very impressive.

Holy Fuck - Let's count how many times I can write fuck or a derivative of fuck. DC9 has some pretty amazing food and some pretty amazing booths. Super comfortable. Generally I'll take a seat before a show, slide as far as I can to the left, and rest against the wall. An older gentleman sat down across from me tonight with the drummer from Holy Fuck. While I didn't add much of anything to the conversation, I was able to confirm the suggestion of local mainstays Tone as someone Holy Fuck should get into. Moral of the story; talk to strangers

Holy Fuck has an interesting approach to their brand of electronic music; they use non-traditional instruments to approximate the sound of modern electronic music. That's not to say they don't use electronic instruments, Holy Fuck aren't using the typical tools. Though I don't see any laser guns yet, it’s early, so there is still hope. Holy Fuck is much more traditional than I could have imagined. There is a constant thumping base and looping keyboard patterns that are unmistakably dance; Fuck isn't exactly clean either. There’s film of dirt that envelops their compositions. I imagine a lot of that has to do with the fuzz coming off the bass. Lots and lots of fuzz, low ends, distortion, effect games with the keyboards. Vocally there isn't much to speak of; any additions from the band are usually in the form of atmospheric noise. The drums are on point all night; through it all they are crisp and varied. Matt keeps it interesting with his choice of time signatures. It reminds me of Battles. I almost feel as if there is too much noise. It can be overbearing at times and take away from the cleaner, quieter moments. And too be honest the quiet moments aren't even that quiet. This isn't manic, swinging violently from volume to volume, it’s excessive. And with a name like Holy Fuck, who can blame them?

Total fuck count: 9

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