Various - Start Your Own Fucking Show Space (Album Review)

 

Various - Start Your Own Fucking Show Space

(2016)


My copy: limited three LP live album on clear vinyl with opaque red and blue highlights by Famous Class.


Start Your Own Fucking Show Space is a unique live album that chronicles the final shows of the Death By Audio venue in Brooklyn. Death By Audio began as and still remains a guitar pedal company run by Oliver Ackermann of A Place To Bury Strangers. In 2007, a warehouse purchased by Ackermann began hosting DIY shows under the name Death By Audio. Vice media rented the property in 2014 and forced Death By Audio to cease its activities as a music venue. Start Your Own Fucking Show Space documents a long history of innumerable amazing underground shows at Death By Audio, and the tracks are taken chronologically from the final shows. Rather than attempt to review a host of unconnected live performances, I will instead be rating them from worst to best.


26. Shellshag - “Destroy Me I’m Yours”: The vocal performance is theatrical in an almost embarrassing fashion. The song itself is simple, it gets heavy and the sleigh bells are a nice touch but unfortunately this track had no lasting impact on me. I can accept that this track and performance are not bad, just not my style. 


25. Coasting Ft. Patty Conway - “Shopping For A Smile”: The instrumentals are your typical garage rock, the vocals and drums are reminiscent of riot grrrl bands but end up just being kind of annoying. It’s a more interesting song than the Shellshag song but not something I’ll return to in the foreseeable future. 


24. Pujol - “Black Rabbit”: The vocals have a pop-punk flare to them (and I fucking hate pop-punk) but the guitars are fun, and there is a layer of charm to the energy given by Pujol. This is another song I have no intention of returning to, but there are good ideas and moments. 


23. The Numerators - “Bill”: This song begins with a cool, sharp guitar riff then breaks into fast-paced garage rock. The vocals feel as though they are trying to imitate no-wave performances from the 80s but it isn’t particularly effective. The tempo changes between the verses and choruses are fun and there is an almost surf-rock influence in the guitar solo. 


22. Screaming Females - “Wishing Well”: The guitar is cool and icy, with undoubtable blues influence. This song is very catchy with an anthemic chorus that begs you to sing along, but it is ruined by a vocal performance that is downright obnoxious. It feels as though vocalist/guitarist Marissa Paternoster is doing a bizarre impersonation of Jack Black mixed with Amy Winehouse. I’ve actually seen this song live before and it was sung in a more straightforward tone which I enjoyed much more. If only Paternoster hadn’t played it up so much, and her obsession with adding vibrato to her voice does her no favors whatsoever.


21. JEFF The Brotherhood - “Heavy Damage”: This is just a simple, straightforward hard garage-rock song. This track didn’t offend me but it also didn’t wow me at all, so it lingers just at the edge of the songs that actually impressed me. 


20. Downtown Boys - “Wave Of History”: The saxophone actually adds a really interesting layer to this track, and I love how it carries into the heavier choruses. The vocals are essentially spoken word rants that go from annoying to good for maintaining a level of aggression. This is the first track that I found to be above neutral. 


19. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - “Bottled In Cork”: A cutesy indie jam, the lyrics are fun and sung with all the swagger of a charismatic music nerd. This song feels fun to dance around to, and while it leans a little close to pop-punk, it balances itself well with good guitar work. 


18. Natural Child - “Crack Mountain”: More bluesy garage-rock with a tinge of Devo in the instrumentals. The lyrics are silly as hell, and got a laugh out of me which is more than I could say about some of the prior tracks so I feel it deserves this spot for its humor and charm. 


17. Pampers - “Monkey Drip”: This song begins with cool guitar ambiance before becoming another garage-rock anthem. The weirder vocal shouts remind me somewhat of Killdozer and it makes me wonder what these guys would sound like if they tackled a slower, sludge-rock style. The energy is right, and the vocals are delivered with passion.


16. Tyvek - “Wayne County Roads”: This is the first of these recordings that I actively seek out. Tyvek’s sloppy, chugging guitar work is fun and addicting and the chorus will stick in your head for hours. This song feels like the perfect soundtrack to a drunken outing with friends. 


15. Protomartyr - “Free Supper”: Having only heard a few Protomartyr songs before, I expected a more collected vocal performance but the sloppy, rabid delivery has a level of punk coolness that makes it fun. Less post-punk than the Protomartyr songs I'm familiar with, it features blistering noisy guitar work. This song drones on a bit, but it’s a solid performance of a good track. 


14. Metz - “Get Off”: I am a bit biased as I witnessed Metz’s blissfully loud live sound first hand around 2017. While a recording can’t quite replicate just how loud they are, this performance does a good job of showcasing how unhinged their performances can be. The guitars speed ahead and crunch like no other while Alex Edkins delivers his signature bone-chilling howls.


13. Future Islands - “Balance”: The odd synth strings are a refreshing touch in a largely garage-rock oriented live album. The groovy bass and dancey drum beat create an exciting atmosphere that dares anyone to get up and move. Samuel Herring's vocals are an acquired taste, but he truly has one of the most unique sounds in his genre.


12. Nots - “Strange Rage”: The guitar effects add a spatial element to the otherwise rigid post-punk instrumentals. The vocals are coarse yelps, but aren’t nearly as grating as others on the list and actually boost the energy provided by the guitars. The background effects add a neat atmosphere, and the lead melodies are clever and fun. 


11. Dirty On Purpose - “Ways To Drown”: An excellent start to the record, arpeggiated guitar gives way to psychedelic strumming and a solid vocal performance. This is a really entertaining blend of indie pop and post-punk with its layered tremolo and double-time hi-hat sections.


10. Oh Sees - “Turned Out Light”: The Oh Sees kick off the top ten with a fiery jam that borrows from country, but in such a fun way that the energy is insanely palpable. You can almost feel the moshpit forming through the recording, and it's hard not to long to be in the crowd every time the main riff is repeated behind the heavy drums. A solid marriage of psychobilly and garage-rock, the Oh Sees are undeniable here.


9. Parquet Courts - “Sunbathing Animal”: For some reason this track is removed from all digital versions of this album. Nonetheless, the intensity and vocal fury is maintained on the live version of this track. “Sunbathing Animal” features a much simpler structure than most earlier Parquet Courts songs but the sheer force of the vocals and guitar work make up for the monotone writing. Live, it is just as fiery of a performance. 


8. Sleepies - “All Over The Years'': Paranoia takes hold in the instrumentals, but the melodic lead guitar acts as an oddly calming factor. The song eventually erupts but the lead remains constant. This track has great momentum and the lead melody is especially catchy. 


7. Ty Segall - “Wave Goodbye”: A bittersweet sendoff as the song begins with Segall lamenting the closure of Death By Audio. Dissonant guitars give way to absolutely fat waves of bass and guitar. Segall's vocals are just hammy enough to fit perfectly in between the melting walls of noise. This song also features the coolest solo on the record as the guitars duel it out and compliment each other. 


6. A Place To Bury Strangers - “I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart”: As a founder of the space, Oliver Ackermann sends off Death By Audio with this nearly eight minute atmospheric audio experiment. The first half is moody post-punk that is held back slightly by the plain vocals. Halfway through, the song breaks into a sound collage of feedback and echoed textures. Having seen A Place To Bury Strangers, I can safely say that only a fraction of the actual density they create is reflected in this recording but it is still a great take that is worth hearing for any fan of layered guitar weirdness. 


5. Yvette - “Mirrored Walls”: A dance beat props up this impressively dark noise-rock dirge. The vocals channel early post-punk such as Bauhaus and the dynamics of the instruments are great. The song repeatedly pulls the rug out from under you and only provides a distinguishable melody after toying with you for most of the song. This is a ballsy track that will only appeal to fans of more atonal rock music.


4. Deerhoof - “Paradise Girls”: An incredible display of musicianship and dynamics, every instrument is working perfectly in tandem to paint this off-kilter song. The vocals are fun and cute while the guitar bounces from metallic squeaks to melodic riffs. The drums are amazing and so beautifully in the pocket that it's hard not to smile hearing everything work together. 


3. Grooms - “Tiger Trees”: Prodding guitars and rim clicks eventually peel back to present a delightfully groovy psychedelic wall of sound. The vocals are a bit rough but also tie the whirling guitars together. The drums go from dense to smooth effortlessly. This song is a really impressive breath of fresh air on this album that is once again, largely heavier rock tracks. There is a dissonant and mysterious clean riff that rises up part way through before the song builds to a crescendo. This song is also a perfect length, and doesn’t overstay its welcome or repeat anything to an obnoxious degree. 


2. Lightning Bolt - “The Metal East”: The fact that such an astonishing level of noise is produced by just two guys is absolutely insane. The duo of Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson replicate the madness of their recorded material to almost fearful levels of accuracy live. It’s incredible how well the energy then translates into a live recording; the nonsensical noise section whines and crackles with personality while the main riffs are just as rapid as the album version. Chippendale’s vocal shouts only elevate the chaos, and this is a wonderful moment that has been lovingly captured in this package. 


1. Dan Deacon - “Learning To Relax”: Holy shit. Some might find it insane of me to give the number one spot to a one man electronic track, but it’s so amazingly layered and fun that it genuinely left me awe when hearing it for the first time. Delightfully out of place, this song is a wonderfully colorful acid trip through synthesized melodies and dance beats. The strange vocal effects can annoy when not in the mood, but overall they add a new texture to the song that heightens the ecstasy. Things eventually strip down a bit, giving us a precious moment of reflection before dunking us back in with a wavering collection of vocal samples. The song eventually dissipates into gorgeous lines of dancing piano. This track is a joy to listen to and doesn’t even feel like a live take; I can only imagine how fun this was to dance along to.

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