Local H – with Salt, Mystery Machine at The Middle East Cafe – Review

Local H

with Salt, Mystery Machine at The Middle East Cafe
by Valerie Smith

Mystery Machine are out on the road opening for Salt and supporting their own CD, 10 Speed (Nettwerk). The band played with a lot of energy, but their music was rather simplistic and repetitive. It took me a while to put my finger on exactly what made them dull, but it boiled down to this: Although the bass player looked cool, his bass parts weren’t doing anything. Some groups can get away with the bassist playing the root note of the chord on every song, but they usually have someone on synth playing something more interesting to tie it all together. I was definitely disappointed in Mystery Machine.

Next up was Local H who immediately grabbed my attention. These guys were great! Their bio says that there are only two guys in the band. The Middle East was mobbed so I wasn’t able to get close enough to see for myself. If it’s true, then I’m doubly impressed by this dynamic duo. They had a full sound and played in a variety of styles with nice dirty grooves and beautifully executed pregnant pauses of silence within songs. They even showcased a few melodic ballads. Each song had a distinctive sound. (I liked the kazoo playing, too.) I’m sure that if I were a follower of their music and owned their debut CD, Ham Fisted (Island), I would be able to identify each song by the first few bars.

The Swedish trio Salt took the stage next, promoting their debut album, Auscultate (Island) (it means “listen”) which will be released in the middle of their tour. Their set was full of great songs performed at varied tempos, time signatures, and dynamics. The level of interaction between players was outstanding. They kept each line interesting while being extremely supportive of the melodic content of the vocals. Many bands out there are studio savvy, but suck live. With all of the technology available, just about anyone can sound decent on a recording, but to achieve it live is another issue altogether. Salt rocked the house and sounded as good live, if not even better, than they do on record.