Dave Chamberlain

With two records released in less than a year and yet another tour on tap, Boston-based Karate has proved that it's not just another one-trick indie-rock pony.

Perhaps, however, that should be expected. With two members (guitarist/vocalist Geoff Farina, drummer Gavin McCarthy) having graduated from the esteemed Berklee College of Music and a third (bassist Jeff Goddard) who went but didn't graduate, Karate marks one of the more formally trained bands to feed the indie-rock bloodline. Of course, graduating from one of the world's foremost music schools generally doesn't lead to a career in the low-profile, low-paying indie rock scene. "It's just the music we've always played," says Farina, "or at least been on the border of. We all came from a punk-rock background, so [regardless of the musical education], it's natural."

Formed in 1993, Karate has gradually built on a borderline indie-rock/post-rock sound, often dubbed slowcore and (unfairly) compared to Codeine, over the course of six records. The band's latest, "Some Boots" (Southern), folds the strengths of all Karate's records together, creating a bipolar tension that at times moves along at a snail's pace but can explode into jagged, shredding rock at any given moment.

Still, given their musical education, it seems that the rock life (same set, night after night on tour) would hardly challenge the members. "There's a level of improvisation--even while we're playing--that helps keep everything different every night," says Farina. "Considering that, it takes a lot just to get through the set."

Furthermore, although the members are armed with the intelligence to make them pretentious or condescending toward less-difficult music--especially rock--they take the opposite attitude. "Part of learning about music is learning to appreciate sound and the way it works. Some of the best music out there is very simple, and some of our music is very simple."

Karate plays October 11 at Schubas with Chris Brokaw and Check Engine.

Elsewhere:

A power trio from Philadelphia, the Burning Brides released one of my favorite records in 2001 with "Fall of the Plastic Empire" (File 13), and--having made the jump to V2 Records--they released it again this year (!), making it fodder for uninformed 2002 "best record" lists. These guys have come a long way since they opened a show at the Bottle in June, 2001, in front of about eight people; their recent opening gig in front of Queens of the Stone Age and subsequent media praise shows that those File 13 kids knew what they were doing when they signed them in the first place. From the psychorock "Plank of Fire" to the garage-stained "Glass Slipper" to the thrash-bent "Elevator," if you like loud rock, they have something for you. This time around the Brides get to headline a show at the Empty Bottle, October 13 with Redline.

Whether or not you're into Tiger Army, a trio of Northern Cal punks who toss a rockabilly slant (read: stand-up bass, snare-drum only) into old-school hardcore punk rock, anyone in lust with three-chord frenzies should check out the band's latest, "Early Years EP" (Hellcat). These guys arose during the mid-nineties in the same locale as a number of high-profile veterans (Operation Ivy, Rancid), but "Early Years" reveals these guys to be anything but kiddie-punk. The record's six songs (including a cover of the Misfits' "American Nightmare") include demo tracks recorded three years before Tiger Army actually released a record--the first two, "Temptation" and "Jungle Cat" (on which they take the big feline concept and run with it) belong in any punk-rock collection. Tiger Army opens (October 16, at the Metro) for the Damned, who should have given it up about fifteen years ago.

Bill Doss couldn't live in Seattle. It would kill him. The co-founder of Olivia Tremor Control and lead man in the Sunshine Fix has done gone crazy over the radiant lifegiver. The band's full-length debut, "Age of the Sun" (Emperor Norton), could be a choir fill for any number of ancient religions that worshipped the sun, something the song titles give away: "Ultraviolet Orchestra," "Inside the Nebula," "Le Roi-Soliel," "Sail Beyond the Sunset," etc. Once you get past the obsession for a naturally occurring ball of fusion-reactions, though, "Age of the Sun" marks one of the most uplifting psychedelic endeavors ever, a mellow, hook-filled solar ride through the color streaks left behind by the "Magical Mystery Tour." Doss could've made a record for the ages had he not self-indulged to the tune of sixteen songs on the record; pare it down by six, and you'd never hit the skip button. All the same, there are some absolutely perfect pop tracks with shifty-eyed hallucinogenic properties that can literally turn my bad days around. "That Ole Sun" builds with wavering tremolo, distorted and echoing harmonica, sloshing dub-style effects and some freak-out guitar before lighting into a chorus so candy-coated, so catchy, I'd imagine a psyche-drug user would break into tears of joy. Extensive use of piano--forcing an automatic Monkees comparison--brings the final product down a bit, but fans of harmless, sweet and smart psychedelic pop are urged to investigate. Catch them at the Abbey Pub, October 16, opening for the Glands and Departure Lounge.

(2002-10-09)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

Raw Material
Any music fan anywhere should not miss the Friday night extravaganza at the Fireside Bowl, headlined by the out-of-control one-man destroyer, Mr. Bob Log III.
(2002-10-02)

Tip of the Week
The four members who compose tonight's opener Pelican have created an entirely new kind of doom metal...
(2002-09-26)

Raw Material
When Boas play a release party for "Mansion" (Overcoat) this week, they'll unveil one of the most anticipated records to drift out of the incestuous wing of Chicago's music scene.
(2002-09-26)

Tip of the Week
Lost in the garage-rock glut on the airwaves right now are the bands who've been doing it for years, playing small venues for more than a decade, two decades or even three decades.
(2002-09-18)

Raw Material
(2002-09-18)

Tip of the Week
(2002-09-11)

Plugged in
(2002-09-11)

Raw Material
(2002-09-11)

Raw Material
(2002-09-04)

Raw Material
(2002-08-28)

Fire Starter
(2002-08-28)

Tip of the Week
(2002-08-21)

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