The Wombats at The Slowdown, Sept. 27, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

My take on The Wombats: In a lot of ways they’re just a meat-and-potatoes powerpop trio, solid in all respects. The problem is that their music just isn’t terribly interesting. Certainly it’s not unique in any way. But maybe that’s why it’s so appealing to the 200+ youngsters who crowded the main floor at Slowdown last night.

Wombats play straight-forward freewheeling power-ballad love songs without a hint of angst, irony or despair. And when you’re 19 and living in Midwest suburbia consuming a healthy diet of reality television with pop stars manufactured on gameshows like The Voice, how much angst, irony and despair do you really need (or want)?

It isn’t that much different than when I was their age. We listened to Van Halen to forget about the rest of the world and live vicariously through David Lee Roth’s crotch conquests — that was what mattered. It seems like the rise of self-obsessed confession rock didn’t come until much later, and even then, it was never very popular. The audience for Van Halen is exponentially larger than the audience for Morrissey or The Cure. You can draw your on conclusions as to why.

But I digress. Wombats reminded me of Weezer, albeit a form of Weezer sung with a cockney accent and completely devoid of irony, self-depreciation, self-consciousness or self-doubt. Instead, it was sing-along anthems about girlfriends, and there’s nothing wrong that, though when it isn’t done with at least a sliver of something different it quickly becomes boring, the kind of music that’s very easy to ignore. Harmless.

As I was watching the girls scream when the lead guy bent down to touch their hands I wondered if angst will ever return to fashion with the Glee generation. How stupid of me. We all know that all it takes is a broken heart.

* * *

After a busy week, it looks like a light weekend for shows.

Tonight at O’Leaver’s ’80s flavored post-punk band Deadwave headlines a show with Lincoln miscreants Plack Blague. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr. Slowdown’s big room, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns celebrates the release of a new CD with Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds and Field Club. $8, 9 p.m.

I got nothing for Saturday. If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments area. Have a good weekend!

* * *

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I typically don’t run my Reader column in this here blog because it typically doesn’t focus on music (and this is a music blog after all). Sure, I add a line of hype about the column on Thursdays, but then I simply link to it. Well, this week I can’t find the column online at thereader.com. So because of that, and because the focus this week is on music, I’ve included it below. As always, you can also read it in print in The Reader.

Over the Edge: Of Sound Mind (and Opinion)
CD Reviews, YTD 2012

This week’s column is a return to my old indie music criticism schtick. Because I still listen to music — lots of it — and have more than 20 years’ experience writing about it, which I think gives my critical analysis a modicum of relevance.

Or maybe not.

The role of the music critic has become somewhat (mostly) marginalized. Anyone interested in modern music with the available income to purchase it also has access to Spotify or one of the other music streaming services that makes (most) new music available with the flick of a finger from their iPhone/Android/computer-powered listening device.

In other words, if you want to know if the latest buzz band is worth listening to you no longer have to risk your hard-earned ducats and make a blind purchase like in the old days. Now all you have to do is listen to it online. That means the critic’s role has been relegated to: 1) saving you time by pointing you toward an interesting path, or 2) validating your already made-up mind.

Reviews don’t even mean that much from a marketing perspective since artists don’t (and can’t) rely on income from album sales anymore. The ones who want to make a living making music depend on income generated at live performances. Still, if they’re going to get butts in seats, they have to get their music heard in the first place, and maybe that’s where the critics come in. My how the world has changed in just 10 years.

With all that in mind here are my impressions of some recent music, for what it’s worth…

Purity Ring, Shrines (4AD/Last Gang) — Chime-bot sounds from outer-space tone rockers is at its best when melody outdoes beat, but man it can get tiresome.

Thee Oh Sees, Putrifiers II (In the Red) — A crowing cock-a-doodle-doo of a garage punk band, no one does it better or with more style. Stands for Orange County if you’re wondering. So why can’t we get them to come to Omaha?

Digital Leather, Yes, Please, Thank You (Southpaw) — Another in a series of recordings (something like four LP/EP releases in the last couple years?) that sounds like Gary Numan post-wave synth rock bolted to a doped-up garage-punk band. One of Omaha’s finest. BTW, this is a cassette-only release. Yes, you read that right.

Peace of Shit, Business as Usual (Rainy Road) — Local perusers of thee garage aesthetic write songs as clever (or crass) as their name. Also on cassette (I see a luddite trend here).

Two Gallants, The Bloom and the Blight (ATO) — This original snarling guitar-and-drum purveyors of the punk sea shanty waited until they left Saddle Creek to make the best record of their careers. They’ve never been more focused, or ferocious.

Cat Power, Sun (Matador) — Chan Marshall puts aside afternoon-light fragment pop for something more upbeat, trippy, tuneful and almost happy, until you listen to the words.

Azure Ray, As Above So Below (Saddle Creek) — By combining the best of their respective solo projects, the Fink/Taylor duo have (finally) struck the perfect balance between strutting and soulful, sounding (finally) comfortable in their own skins.

TEEN, In Limbo (Carpark) — Maybe the best all-girl indie rock band going. Less self-assured than Best Coast, but better.

Ember Schrag, The Sewing Room (Single Girl Married Girl / Edible Onion) — Local singer/songwriter’s clear-as-a-bell coffee-shop folk ruminations, worth it if only for the perfect jewel of “Your Words.”

Dinosaur Jr., I Bet on Sky (Jagjaguwar) — Everything ‘80s is new again, at least to the young ears that weren’t around the first time. As good as anything they did back then, at times even better.

Bob Mould, Silver Age (Merge) — Everything ‘80s is new again, again. Bob put away his dancing shoes and rediscovered his electric guitar and hasn’t sounded this good since his Sugar days.

The xx, Coexist (Young Turks) — Among the hottest (or most heralded) of the droll vibe bands, no matter how much I try it bores the shit out of me.

McCarthy Trenching, Plays the Piano (Slumberparty) — Half ragtime instrumentals and half ragtime-influenced piano ballads, they say he’s Omaha’s Randy Newman but he’s really just a nice guy lost in better days. And I like his “Solace” better than Marvin’s.

The Intelligence, Everybodys Got It Easy But Me (In the Red) — The best under-the-radar indie rock collection that you’ll probably never find. By the numbers, but it still gets me every time.

PUJOL, United States of Being (Saddle Creek) — Proof that Saddle Creek still has a nose for finding new talent (even though Jack White found it first). All his earlier recordings have been leading up to this. Not anthemic, but epic nonetheless.

David Byrne and St. Vincent, Love This Giant (4AD) — Waters down the best parts of both, it’s not weird enough to be interesting and not straight-forward enough to be interesting.

Violens, True — Everything ‘80s is new again, the dream-pop edition. Lush.

Wild Nothing, Nocturne (Captured Tracks) — Everything ‘90s is new again, the (upbeat) shoe-gaze edition.

Twin Shadow, Confess (4AD) — A dizzying trip back to ’80s electro-pop with a sound that recalls everything from General Public to Fine Young Cannibals to New Order to Peter Gabriel. If you’re gonna steal a style, this is how to do it.

Divine Fits, A Thing Called Divine Fits (Merge) — Better than the last couple Spoon albums (or anything by Wolf Parade).

Various Artists, Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Hear Music) — Unnecessary tribute album’s only highlights are Billy Gibbons’ “Oh Well,” and Antony’s fey “Landslide,” though it’ll make you want to seek out the source material.

Over The Edge is a weekly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. Published in The Omaha Reader, Sept. 27, 2012.

* * *

Tonight at The Slowdown it’s Liverpool indie-rock trio The Wombats (Bright Antenna). Their sound has been described as “post-punk” but falls much closer to alt-pop or power-pop. Some say they’re destined for Arctic Monkey-level stardom. Who knows… maybe. This one was originally scheduled for the “junior room,” but was moved to the big stage thanks to pre-sales. Opening is Morning Parade and The Royal Concept. $12, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, our old pals Kite Pilot is playing tonight at The Sydney with Betsy Wells and Black Jonny Quest. $5, 9 p.m.

Last but not least, Pony Wars (Craig Korth, Craig Meier, Mike Brannan, Eric Ebers) is headlining a show tonight at O’Leaver’s with I Was Totally Destroying It and Millions of Boys. $5, 9:30 p.m.

* * *

The Album Leaf at The Waiting Room, Sept. 25, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

MONO is a four-piece ambient rock band from Japan that plays soaring all-instrumental compositions that are equal parts majesty and sorrow. The recipe is two guitars, a bassist who doubles on keyboards, and drums. It’s gorgeous, lush music that tries to replicate the density of orchestral music using rock instruments, and at its best moments, succeeds. A few songs sounded like the score from a 70 mm WWII epic, underlining scenes of burning buildings, diving airplanes, marches to victory and acres of graves. The music was dark and beautifully dismal; sad movements that combined to make an epic rock symphony.

While startlingly beautiful, MONO took the stage at around 9:30 and played for 90 minutes, which was about 60 minutes too long. Every song repeated the same quiet, build, crescendo formula, which fooled the audience into thinking “Well this has got to be the big finale,” only to have them start all over again. Since three of the musicians were seated and there was no variety in stage lighting, there wasn’t anything to see. After about 40 minutes I was in the back room playing No Fear pinball, with MONO providing the perfect heroic soundtrack as I hit one ramp after another.

Headliner The Album Leaf didn’t come on until after 11. I remember these guys from their shows at Sokol Underground nearly a decade ago. For the most part, their sound hasn’t changed much, though these days they sport a violin and frontman Jimmy LaValle provides vocals on a few of the songs. Their sound is still driven by the rhythms, whether electronic or created by drummer Dave LeBleu, who was amazing. Call it ambient rock if you want, there is a jazzy quality to what they do, though no one was improvising. Each song was like an individual set piece colored in shades of amber and gold.

Adding to the performance was film projection — sometimes video effects, a few found-film pieces — and LED bars that pulsed and changed colors in synch with the music. But in the end it was the musicians that made the show.

Remember when this kind of instrumental rock seemed fresh and exciting (who remembers Tristeza?)? It may no longer seem risky, but it’s no less enjoyable (in small doses).

* * *

This solid week of rock shows continues tonight at Slowdown Jr. when Tennis returns, with Landing on the Moon opening. $12, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Pueblo’s The Haunted Windchimes opens for John Klemmensen and the Party at The Sydney. First up is Underwater Dream Machine. 10:30, $5.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Big show tonight at The Waiting Room. The Album Leaf returns in support of their 2010 Sub Pop release A Chorus of Storytellers. That’s right, 2009. Well, it’s been at least that long since they’ve been through Omaha. Opening is Japanese instrumental rockers MONO (Temporary Residence Ltd) and Chris Brokaw (ex-Come, ex-Codeine, ex-Consonent, ex-The New Year). His new album, Gambler’s Ecstasy, comes out next week on 12XU Records. $13, 9 p.m. See you there…

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies took the stage for only the third time this year Friday night at O’Leaver’s and uncorked a slew of new material that one assumes is destined for an upcoming Long Player.

Hoshaw has shifted up his core band quite a bit since the last time I saw them, with a new drummer (Wayne Brekke), new bass player (one of the Fergesen clan) and the addition of a mandolin. That left only one remaining Deadly — Matt Whipkey on electric guitar, the one piece of the puzzle that cannot be replaced without irreparably marring Hoshaw’s music. Whipkey’s role as sideman is absolutely core to this band. His fills and leads give Hoshaw’s tunes an added dimension that frankly would not be there without him.

Matt Whipkey is one of the longest running singer/songwriter veterans in the Omaha music scene. I remember seeing him way back in the early ’00s doing a solo acoustic gig with Landon Hedges and Joe Knapp. Since then, Whipkey has gone on to front a number of bands, from The Movies to Anonymous American to The Whipkey Three, but his guitar his never sounded better than when it’s backing Hoshaw. Maybe it’s a question of focus, or maybe the two are the perfect compliment to each other.

Hoshaw’s new songs continued in the same gritty folk vein as heard on his amazing debut full length from a couple years back. Opening number “New Tattoo” is the best Bob Seger song that Bob Seger never wrote or sang, sort of an updated version of “Turn the Page” (but boiling with broken-hearted venom) that underscores every ’70s folk-rock reference that permeates Hoshaw’s lean, melody-driven song-writing style, perfect for playing in the back of Sammy Johns’ 1973 Chevy van.

While adding the mandolin seems like a good idea, we’ll have to wait until Hoshaw & Co. play a different stage to know for sure, as it was almost completely buried in the mix. But what wasn’t unheard was Whipkey’s guitar, which was pushed to full throttle on the second-to-last song of the evening, featuring Whipkey in full rock-star freakout mode. If Hoshaw can capture that energy in the recording studio, we’re in for another fine Hoshaw/Deadlies album.

* * *

There’s a decent show going on every night this week. Maybe we all should take a week off from work? Why not?

It begins tonight with the return of Deerhoof to The Waiting Room. The band is touring in support of its latest Polyvinyl release, Breakup Song, which came out just a couple weeks ago and earned a 7.2 on the Pitchfork meter. Quirky? You bet. They certainly were the last time I saw them back in June 2010. Opening is Buke And Gase, Raleigh Moncrief, & Rahypnol Rangers. $13, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Mount Eerie plays at Daniel Muller Studios, 6066 Maple Street in the heart of Benson, with UUVVWWZ. $10, 8 p.m.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here we go:

Tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies. Hoshaw, who used to be renowned for playing three or four times per week, has cut back on his local live performances. In fact, this is only his third performance of 2012. Hopefully he’s been filling that time writing new songs (which we’ll  hear tonight). Joining Brad and the boys are The Daredevil Christopher Wright and The Matt Cox Band. $5, 9;30 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) at The Brothers Lounge Dim Light will be celebrating the release of their debut full-length CD. Recorded by Tom Barrett at Sleepy House Audio and mastered  in Seattle by Slow Skate’s Robb Davidson, the album features 14 tracks by Dim Light’s Cooper Moon (vocals/guitars), Barrett (bass) and drummer Boz Hicks. Opening is The Filter Kings. No word on cover, but it’s probably $5 and the show will probably start around 10.

Meanwhile, O’Leaver’s is hosting a four-band bill Saturday night headlined by Well Aimed Arrows, with Places We Slept, Lush Bruises, and The Tanks. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Am I missing anything? Add it in the comments area. Have a good weekend…

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I was up late last night watching Iron Maiden: Flight 666 on Palladia. The 2009 documentary follows the band on its Somewhere Back in Time Tour — 50,000 miles by way of Ed Force One — a retrofitted Boeing 757 flown by the band’s lead singer Bruce Dickinson. Talk about your Spinal Tap lifestyle. Man, they love their Maiden in South America.

Anyway, during a commercial break on comes a familiar song — Bright Eyes “First Day of My Life” — selling Zillow.com, the online real estate website. Very tastefully done. You can view the commercial above, or on  YouTube here.

As far as I know (other than movie trailers) this was the first time a Bright Eyes recording was used in a TV commercial. In the old days upon seeing an ad like this indie music fans would jump on top of their milk-crate book cases, rip off their flannel shirts and self-righteously pound their chests screaming “SELL OUT!” at their TV screens.

But today, with the music industry drying up like last summer’s drought-baked crops, selling the rights to one of your songs for a TV commercial not only is grudgingly accepted, it’s recognized as just another necessity if you want to feed yourself by making music. In fact, having your music used in a commercial can even be something to be proud of as long as it’s not selling mundane products like baby-back ribs or maxi pads.

I don’t know anything about Zillow, but the company must be reputable or Oberst (probably) wouldn’t let one of his songs be used to sell it. Conversely, Zillow’s ad agency must be hyper-aware of Conor’s past highly vocal political stands and is leveraging that rep not only to attract a late-20s/early 30s demographic who grew up with his music but who also know that Oberst wouldn’t sell a company that screws people. If Conor says Zillow is OK, it must be OK, right?

Needless to say, Conor wasn’t thinking of Zillow when he wrote one of my favorite songs off I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, a song that according to Wikipedia also has been used in in the 2007 film Elvis and Anabelle and was featured in an episode of NBC’s Chuck. Should artists only be concerned solely about the original intent of their art and wash their hands with how it’s used beyond that original intent? I don’t think that they can be so cavalier. But in an era when most listeners are stealing music online or listening to it on sub-penny-per-play streaming services like Spotify, artists have little choice but to turn their heads when it comes to how their music is used in “secondary markets.” They gave birth to the child; they can’t be responsible for what it does after it leaves the nest…

* * *

In this week’s column, an account of the Corporate Cup from the back of the pack. It’s in this week’s issue of The Reader, or you can read it online right here.

* * *

Fantastic show tonight… in Lincoln. Swans is playing at the Bourbon Theater. One of the most important post New Wave noise bands ever will be performing songs from their latest album, The Seer. Expect ear-bleeding volumes. This should be a fantastic show, too bad it’s in Lincoln and I have to work tomorrow morning. Opening is Xiu Xiu and Vverevvolf Grehv (Dapose from The Faint). $25, 9 p.m.

For those of us stuck here in Omaha, Built to Spill returns to The Slowdown. Doug Martsch and Co. should be named honorary Omahans considering the number of times they’ve played here in the last few years. Opening is Helvetia and Sister Crayon. $20, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile over at The Barley Street Tavern the Electroliners headline a show with Fizzle Like a Flood and Jessica Errett. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Last but not least, old school punk maniacs The Vibrators are playing at The Hideout, 320 So. 72nd St., with local old-school punkers Cordial Spew, SVS, The Shidiots and Barley and Hops (ex shaken babies). $8, 9 p.m.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

One of my favorite Minnesota singers/songwriters/rock stars, Mark Mallman, is playing a weird little gig today at Joslyn Art Museum from 5 to 6:30 p.m. as part of his cross-country Marathon IV Road Rogue tour.  According to markmallman.com:

“Marathon IV: Road Rogue is a transcontinental bio-musical webcast. Composer Mark Mallman will perform music 24 hours a day for 7 days webcast in its entirety live from the back of a 1992 GMC Vandura.”

According to Omahype.com, the performance will take place inside the van. This could be very cool or very strange. Either way, it’s worth checking out. You can watch what’s going on right now from the site’s live feed. It’s kind of… creepy.

* * *

I’m listening to the Speed of Sound EP by Minneapolis band Communist Daughter, who plays at Slowdown Jr. tonight — indie acoustic guitar folk clearly influenced by Simon/Garfunkel, CSN, Bon Iver, the usual suspects. But who they most remind me of is the late, great It’s True. Very wispy, very winsome well-defined melodies, though too often I find myself ignoring the words, which are of the love/lost/longing variety. “I wish I didn’t have to love you this way…” We’ve all heard that one before. Still, worth the $5 cover (probably). Wonder if they’ll be bringing a small horn section with them like the one heard on the EP… Opening are local folkies Blue Bird and Tara Vaughan Band. Starts at 9.

Communist Daughter, “Don’t Remember Me”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/52296638″ iframe=”true” /]

Communist Daughter, “Ghosts”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/52297525″ iframe=”true” /]

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Wild Nothing at Sokol Underground, Sept. 14, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In a lot of people’s minds, last Friday night’s Wild Nothing/DIIV show was a make or brake sitch for The Sandbox, a club that’s been struggling to become “sort of” legit, booking bands on a regular basis for the past few months. Well, a few hours before showtime, I got an email from someone associated with the show saying that it had been moved to Sokol Underground. No reason for the move was given.

The Sandbox posted the following on Facebook this morning, pointed at the show’s promoter, Slow Burn Productions:

“Sorry to do this, but so much shit talking and misinformation has been spread about this fucking major screw up on the part of the promoter. When what something called a ‘sound rider’ is given to a promoter, it details everything a band will need for sound and or lighting for an event. For this Wild Nothing / DIIV show no sound rider was given to us, the venue, in advance by said promoter so we really had no idea what the bands were expecting for sound needs. As such, we were under assumption business as usual in the sound dept. Needless to say, the bands were not satisfied with this. We easily could have got the extra things and mics the bands were expecting HAD WE KNOWN ABOUT IT AHEAD OF TIME, like any reasonable and conscientious promoter would have done. Thank you.“

I haven’t been to the Sandbox in almost a year, but the last time I was there, its meager PA system could have handled the show. I’ve been told that since then, there have been a lot of improvements in sound, stage and lighting. I guess I’ll have to wait until the next “big” indie show rolls through there to find out, as the style of punk usually booked there hasn’t sparked my interest.

So it was off to Sokol Underground. I hadn’t been down there since last winter, when my nephew’s band played a death metal showcase. I used to go to Sokol Underground a few times a week back in its indie heyday, when it was booked by One Percent Productions (and before them, by the Saddle Creek duo of Robb/Jason). Since the One Percent guys opened The Waiting Room — a far superior music venue that’s literally walking distance from my house — other promoters have booked Sokol Underground almost exclusively for metal/death metal/goon rock showcases, a reflection of the years of influence radio station 89.7 The River has had on the scene — i.e., the emergence of Cookie Monster Metal almost a full decade after it went out of style around the rest of the country.

And it’s a shame, because Sokol Underground is still a fun place to see a show, as last Friday night’s Wild Nothing/DIIV show proved. Walking down the stairs into the club it felt just like old times except that Marc or Jim wasn’t there to give me the nod to let me into the show. Instead, I handed my printout ticket to the strapping young lad at the register, walked over to the bar and tried to buy a Rolling Rock, but was told they just sold their last bottle, leaving to me drink Lucky Bucket the rest of the evening — not a bad alternative.

The room itself hasn’t changed much, though the PA looks and sounds less powerful than during the golden years. The rock stickers (including my Lazy-i sticker) have been stripped from the poles; the bulletin board across from the cash register that used to be covered with show fliers is empty. But other than that (and some much-needed paint) the room is virtually the same and still has that quality I loved from its early days — you can always go unnoticed in Sokol Underground. The dismal room lighting makes it easy to hide. But beyond that, unlike the upscale Slowdown and The Waiting Room, Sokol Underground is so dumpy that no one cares who you are… or at least that how it seems. The brokedown-palace atmosphere is oddly relaxing. I can’t explain it any other way.

By the time I arrived at around 10:15, the first two openers already had left the stage and DIIV had just started. DIIV is an ambient/dream-pop band in the vein of M83 — lots of chiming, layered guitars and tonal vocals. Definitely a vibe band with an obvious shoe-gaze sound that at its best can fall into a droning, rhythmic groove that’s full-on Stone Roses-esque. The drawback is in its lack of variety. Every song — in speed, rhythm and style — sounds like it was cut from the same sonic cloth, and becomes one dimensional, especially with vocals that have more to do with mood than lyrics.

Wild Nothing is very similar but more straight-forward — less vibe, more songwriting, better compositions. They reminded me of ’90s champions The Church and The Cure with bigger guitar riffs and vocals that you could actually understand. While there was a basic droning common denominator, their set had a satisfying ebb and flow that DIIV lacked. The young crowd of between 100-150 soaked it all in at the edge of the stage, a few even tried to dance (sort of).

It really is a shame that more indie shows aren’t booked at Sokol Underground, but with One Percent (who books almost all the good indie shows that come through town) already having two main clubs for indie — The Waiting Room and Slowdown — why should they bother? I get it, especially when they can take home the bar sales at TWR, something they’ll never get at Sokol. Still, it seems like there have been fewer and fewer CMJ-quality indie shows coming through town over the past couple years. I blame the economy, the decline in the music industry, and  what appears to be a decline in interest among those who (should) go to these shows. I also blame lack of radio, though in this era of XMU-satellite and everything being online, does it really make that much of a difference? Yeah, I think it does.

Bottom line: If I could choose between TWR/Slowdown or Sokol Underground to see a show, I’d always choose TWR/Slowdown — better sound, better sight lines, easier access, and in TWR’s case, much closer to home. But that said, I’d still love to go to Sokol three or four times a year for a solid indie show like the one I saw last Friday night. It’s going to take a new promoter like Black Heart or Slowburn or someone else to make that happen.

Wild Nothing at Sokol Underground, Sept. 14, 2012.

* * *

Sumtur Amphitheater is about 10 miles south of Benson in Papillion. I’ve never been there before, but from what I’ve been told, it should be a great place to see tonight’s Silversun Pickups show. Opening is School of Seven Bells and Atlas Genius. $30, 8 p.m.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Let’s get right to the shows.

Tonight at The Sandbox it’s Wild Nothing with Diiv, and local openers Betsy Wells and Sun Settings. I wrote about this yesterday. It should be quite an event, the kind of show that we may be talking about a few years from now if Wild Nothing’s fan base continues to balloon. Tickets are $12 at the door. Show starts at 9.

Also tonight, Whipkey Three plays at The Barley Street Tavern with 24 Hour Cardlock and Static Octopus. $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night The Melvins are playing at The Waiting Room with Big Business and Tweakbird. Or, more accurately, “Melvins Lite,” as the band will consist of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Trevor Dunn. The show is part of Melvins’ attempt to become the Guinness World Record holders for the first band to tour the full United States and D.C. in 51 days! $15 today, $17 tomorrow. Show starts at 8.

Black Heart Booking

And maybe the funnest show of the weekend is the free concert down at Slowdown Saturday night featuring Rock Paper Dynamite, Lightning Bug, Snake Island!, Conchance, Sun Settings, The Bishops, The Decatures, Adam Disconnected and Hot Tail Honeys. So what’s the occasion surrounding this free show? Is it a benefit? What’s the deal?

Turns out that Black Heart Booking head honcho Lucas Wright is getting married earlier Saturday “and instead of a lame wedding DJ or some cover band, Heather and I thought it would be fun to have a free music festival with some of the bands we’ve really grown to love over our last four years in Omaha.  We are paying the bands out of our own pocket,” Wright said.

“This is our gift to Omaha on our big day. Omaha has really become home to us and not only are there really amazing bands and music, but also it’s a great place to raise our family with the zoo, children’s museum and tons of great events all year long. Omaha is a bustling hot-spot for the growing creative class as well as a safe-haven in the economic turmoil since the housing crisis in 2008.  So to say ‘thank you’ to Omaha for being such a rad place and being our home we decided to have this fun event on our first day as Mr. & Mrs. Wright.”

No need to bring presents, just bring yourselves. Show starts at 8.

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Almost forgot to hype this week’s column in The Reader, where I write about my break-neck, high-speed, no-holds-barred drive across Nebraska, and why I’m not afraid of getting a ticket. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader, or online right here.

Have a great weekend…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.