Monotonix

w/ Dark Meat & Quiet Hooves

Thursday, March 20 @ 40 Watt Club

originally published March 19, 2008

There are a lot of words that could describe Monotonix, a three-piece rock band out of Tel Aviv, Israel, but the best way to understand the band and its incendiary performances is to examine a show from last October at the local DIY venue Secret Squirrel. Playing Athens for the first time, Ami Shalev, Yonatan Gat and Haggai Fershtman had no need for a stage, and tore the place apart in an enormously chaotic and sincerely entertaining set. It all culminated in Fershtman’s drumkit being disassembled by the crowd, who held aloft his bass drum so he could ride atop, his head bumping against the rafters, drumming all the while on a snare hoisted up by an audience member.

So, this is the sort of thing that happens all the time at Monotonix’s shows, and not necessarily a spontaneous and individual experience. Although the expectation of the intense exists in a somewhat predictable form, that doesn’t mean Monotonix’s performance is rote or excessively by-the-numbers. After all, did the fact that audiences knew James Brown’s over-the-top cape routine inside and out make it any less thrilling?

The tunes are heavy-heavy, but fueled by a rapid punk energy and deeply steeped in classic rock. They find their way onto an EP called Body Language this April, courtesy of Drag City Records. The unabashedly reckless Shalev is shirtless more often than not, Gat plays lead, rhythm and bass lines all on one guitar, and Fershtman drums standing up. Think Queen, Deep Purple and The Sonics, given a grimy garage-rock overhaul and made to spend a night in a van with Royal Trux. Monotonix could re-ignite a love of rock and roll. (Monotonix could also ignite their own shirts; hey, it’s happened before.)

Chris Hassiotis

Phantom Planet

w/ House Of Heroes

Tuesday, March 25 @ 40 Watt Club

originally published March 19, 2008

Let's just get the history out of the way first. It's been 10 years now since Phantom Planet made its debut, and six years since the band's anthemic single "California" warmed "The O.C." audience. Moreover, it's been nearly as many years since the band lost its most famous member, drummer-turned-actor Jason Schwartzman. If you've stuck with Phantom Planet since (and despite) those changes, it's now time for your reward.

Fans got a sneak preview of Phantom Planet's latest incarnation with the release of the band's self-titled EP in January. The release itself was the first sign of life from the group since announcing its departure from Epic Records. Still, the new label association might have thrown a few fans for a loop - Phantom Planet is now backed by Fueled By Ramen, the same label behind mega-emo pop bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, Paramore and others.

If the four EP tracks are any indication, however, Phantom Planet now has more in common with bands like The Strokes than either its new label mates or its past pop sound. Singer Alex Greenwald has a new bite in his delivery, and Phantom Planet's once sparkling pop has been ripped into shreds, full of rough edges and angular guitar riffs. It's a refreshing, energizing departure and just a sampling of what's to come.

Phantom Planet's next full-length, Raise the Dead, is due out April 15. Recent interviews with Greenwald suggest more surprises ahead, including hints that the record will be something of a concept album, possibly based around the idea of "The Leader," the cult-like figure depicted in the band's first single (and symbolized by the band's new logo, a circular, keyboard arm). It's uncertain where the concept grows from there, but perhaps Athens will have a better understanding of the new Phantom Planet once it showcases the new material on the 40 Watt stage. Opening the night will be House Of Heroes.

Michelle Gilzenrat