Cymbals Eat Guitars + Hooray for Earth + Brainstorm - Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR; Oct. 10)

[Editor’s note: Photos were not taken for this show. The picture you see is from a previous Cymbals Eat Guitars show we covered in Boston]

Think back, if you will, to one of the earliest episodes of The Simpsons. This episode involves the family visiting Dr. Marvin Monroe’s clinic for a therapy session. The five main characters are all hooked up to machines that allow them to zap one another with jolts of electricity, often mid-sentence, with hilarious results. Watching Cymbals Eat Guitars tonight, I feel like I’m attached to one of those machines. As soon as I get comfortable, wham! A crash of volts and screeching.

Over and over, the band will begin playing a poppy and enjoyable tune that, without warning, shifts into feedback-heavy noise rock. It’s jarring every single time, and is also quite a departure from the band’s recorded material. Make no mistake about it, I’m all for experimentation, genre-bending, and general creativity. However, the band seems unable to decide on which side of the record store they fall.

Their set begins with an assailing intro; waves of noise catapult toward us before shifting into more easily-followed beats. Singer Joseph D’Agostino often goes off pitch as he strains his voice to reach maximum loudness, but he sounds good in the rare moments he maintains a consistent volume. There is something decidedly ‘90s about the way they play, reminiscent of the happy-yet-angry era of adolescent post-grunge transition. By the time he reaches “Shore Points,” D’Agostino is full-on screaming. Though the vocals are grating, the set does have its high points. A groove emerges, and there’s a big, balls-out jam session that brings 3/4 of the members to their knees.

“Sits at the Bus Stop” is a slow-paced manifesto of a song, and its live mid-set delivery brings to mind images of a bullied teenager stroking a weapon. Intriguing and envelope-pushing though the band may be, the schizophrenic shifting from indie pop to experimental to anguished frustration prevents much of the audience from getting a firm grasp on the music. Perhaps that’s the idea, but it drives patron after patron from the room until barely 25 people remain in Mississippi Studios.

One girl, clearly enjoying the performance more than most, thrashes wildly about at the center of the sparse crowd. As the end nears, they clean things up a bit. The final song is polished, upbeat, and vaguely surf-inspired. It’s a bouncy tune that has the remaining audience members doing the twist. This song is their strongest and most enjoyable, and it’s a shame they saved it until now. As D’Agostino makes his thank-yous, it is this song that causes pleas for one more. He gladly obliges, dedicating the swift encore to everyone with a birthday. It’s a calm conclusion to a highly fragmented performance.

Cymbals Eat Guitars are preceded by Hooray for Earth, a band that is similar in both sound and geographic origin. Hooray for Earth’s start is delayed by equipment troubles, and they begin almost 20 minutes late. Like the headliners, they feature a multitude of effects pedals and aggressive beats, as well as assaulting feedback coaxed out of the amps every few minutes. It is clear that nobody in this band can actually sing. They are all screams and wailing, which is why vocal clarity isn’t their focus. Musical strengths manifest in other forms, and each member plays his instrument with dedicated force. However, the instruments remain slightly out of step with one another for the duration of their performance. They sound more cohesive from the back of the room, and I move back there for optimal listening. Swirling circles are projected on the band and the backdrop, and provide a welcome sense of stasis amid the chaos of their songs. With their performance time reduced due to the initial setback, Hooray for Earth departs after only 30 minutes of stage time.

The first band, Brainstorm, is the standout act of this evening. Unlike their tourmates, these two gentlemen produce sounds that are crisp and clear. It’s the kind of cheery and energetic music that forces you to move, with extra loud drumbeats commanding your hips from side to side. Crowd members, typically loath to expend energy on a first opener, thump their feet vigorously against the floor. The performers introduce themselves during a break between songs, and announce that they are so local that they live approximately 10 blocks from the venue. The drummer is quite a multi-tasker, wearing a Britney Spears-style headband microphone so he can sing and drum while his bandmate plays the tuba on a song called “Lonely Ghost.” Later, he stashes one drumstick under his arm in order to play the keyboard with his left hand and drum with his right. Both members are equal parts joy and focused professionalism. They close on a new song filled with hand claps, guitar noodling, and lyrics about waiting with great patience - perhaps great patience until their next show?

DOWNLOAD: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Shore Points (MP3) or Follow us for more Cymbals Eat Guitars MP3s (Twitter)

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