Show Review: Wildebeast and Turning Violet Violet

There are two ways to arrange straightforward pop songs and maintain underground credibility. The first could most easily be called the Nirvana method: submerge the vocals in the mix and crank up the distortion to make it all sound more alienated. The second is to use extreme dynamics and shifting beat patterns to make a sort of audio collage that sounds unlike a traditional verse-chorus structure even if there is one. Judging by artists I've reviewed (Brand New, mewithoutYou, Colour Revolt, etc.) it should be clear that I prefer the latter. Last night I journeyed to Cedar Street Studios in Port Richmond to see Wildebeast open for Last Full Measure at Cedar Street's second Saturday monthly. I ended up leaving before the headliners due to public transportation schedules, but was impressed by both Wildebeast and Turning Violet Violet as purveyors of subverted pop music primarily differentiated by the gender of their frontperson and the variety of pop on which their compositions are based.

South Jersey's Wildebeast works with an arena rock palette both lyrically and in the basic guitar/bass/drums/keys setup, an impression emphasized by frontman Sam Morales' sardonic take on rock star swagger. The firm planting of his tongue in cheek, occasional digressions into epic post-rock breakdowns, and bassist Adam Catell's arrival straight from work at Philly Pretzel Factory complete with uniform ensured a safe distance from the odd sincerity/commercialism dynamic of the arena and the near-flawless sound quality provided by performing in a professional recording studio kept Nirvana away. This show has me hoping Wildebeast has a longer and more extensively recorded run than sideman Chris Small's previous work in Troubador.

Turning Violet Violet stays far away from the arena, working with the varied instrumentation of chamber pop and mixing it up with dance grooves rather than post-rock theatrics. A healthy dose of clarinet and violin can help any local band stand out from the rest, and the technicians at Cedar Street allowed both to shine. This studio has put some serious effort into developing the local music scene, and hopefully I'll be back there again soon, probably to see Lost in Company since they were stuck working doors and merch on this one.