On The Beat: Old school’s back in session

By the time that you are reading this column, the annual Mission Creek Festival will be less than a month away, a sign that spring is beginning to rear its head and musicians are getting back on the road. This is a benefit to everyone and means that many artists with a wide variety of backgrounds and approaches to music will be making visits over the coming weeks.

While this country may lead to our demise (its super volcanoes are on the verge of erupting—there is an episode of NOVA about this if you’re curious), Iceland has become a hotbed of music experimentation. In recent years, its bustling scene has produced the folk-based electronica of Múm, the mind-bending eclecticism of Bjork and the crushing post-rock of Sigur Rós.

Joining the list of accomplished Icelandic artists is Valgeir Sigurðsson. Founder of the Bedroom Community record label, Sigurðsson is a widely sought after producer and collaborator. He has produced albums for Múm and helped create some of Bjork’s best work including Vespertine and Medulla. He has also worked with Kate Nash, Feist, CoCoRosie and Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

In addition to his resume as a producer, Sigurðsson is an accomplished solo artist. Pulling between the abstract and the concrete, his music is airy and expansive. His most recent album Architecture of Loss was originally composed for a ballet of the same name. While it would be interesting to experience the music with the dance component, the album stands on its own. It is a collection of songs that are restrained yet beautifully, hauntingly powerful.

The combination of piano, viola and electronic sounds create an ethereal connection with the world and the body. Sigurðsson will be performing with Nadia Sirota, who helped record Architecture of Loss, on March 13 at the Englert.

Terakaft lacks some of the mystery of Sigurðsson, but that is definitely not a bad thing. From the Tuareg tribe of Western Africa, Terakaft pulls from traditional music and infuses the sound with western influences like Mississippi Delta blues, The Rolling Stones and the garage and psychedelic rock of the ‘60s. Their setup is like a normal rock and roll band with two guitars, a bassist and a percussionist. The guitars play beautifully off one another as one holds the main riff while the other goes on extended, soaring runs, providing a fantastic dynamism. The bass and percussion are deep and hold the affair together while providing groove. The whole together makes a swirling, psychedelic sound that evokes the desert expanses that their nomadic tribe calls home. Those that are familiar with the output of the Sublime Frequencies label (Group Inerane, Group Doueh, Omar Souleyman, etc.) will find a lot to like here. They will be playing at CSPS on March 10.

While it is certainly different from the desert blues of Terakaft, punk rock is another form of rock and roll that is certainly welcome here in eastern Iowa. Back in the 1980s, Iowa City was a hotbed of punk rock with bands like Soviet Dissonance, Iowa Beef Experience and Suburban Death Trip. But, that was three decades ago and there is a whole new generation of punks in Iowa City that are holding up the city’s mantle. Once a year though, the old punks come out of retirement and show everyone that they’ve still got it at the event, Ol’ Thrashers. This is its sixth year and features Wax Cannon, Baggi Spandex, Acoustic Guillotine, intergenerational band Chance in Hell and representing the next wave are local UAY alumns Conetrauma. All are playing for a good cause: United Action for Youth, which provides middle and high school students access to musical and recording equipment, things that helped to develop the punk scene here in the ‘80s. You can see the thrashers kick out the jams on March 9 at The Mill.

Mac DeMarco certainly is not an old thrasher. Originally releasing tapes under the name Makeout Videotape, the 22-year-old, Montreal-based, multi-instrumentalist has risen quickly. He was discovered and released by Captured Tracks, one of the best indie labels operating right now. His first album Rock and Roll Nightclub was a weird mix between soft rock and glam-style crooning. The sounds are surreal and somewhat unsettling, but the overall album showed that he has considerable talent as a songwriter.

His talent is delivered upon on 2, a pop album that is more cohesive than Rock and Roll Nightclub and exhibits the relaxed style of Steely Dan. The bass gallops while the cheaply chorused guitar coolly cruises over top. DeMarco’s more mature vocals guide the whole vessel through its various tempo changes, providing the anchor for the album. 2 is a standout of pop music in an indie landscape that is currently littered with excellent pop bands.

This should be a dynamic show as DeMarco is known for his stage performances. To provide an example of what could happen, let me quote DeMarco himself: “One show, I was hanging from the rafters in Vancouver and stuck my thumb up my ass, then put it in my mouth. That was pretty gross.” I should note that this is the tamer of the two stories that I could have used here. Hopefully, DeMarco will give everyone a story to tell when he plays The Mill on March 19.

If you find yourself going to points elsewhere for Spring Break, have fun. If you’re not traveling, see if you can watch Spring Breakers, the new Harmony Korine movie. If you can, let me know. You can find me out on the beat.

A.C. Hawley once did a report on Iceland when he was 10. He learned extraordinarily little about the country. You can follow him on Twitter at @acethoughts.