Black Lodge rose above goth cliches at 529
... But the group’s gloomy and minimalistic post-punk plod walks a fine line
Black Lodge played the middle slot at 529 last night, situated between the sleazy, noisy gypsy rock of A. Grimes, and the West Coast garage/psych clamor of L.A.’s Bleached.
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Dual bass players Jennifer von Schlichten and Karen Horn-Smith, synth player Jennie Castillo, and drummer Adam Bruneau have piqued interest among the locals as of late because of the group’s turn toward the Cure’s “Hanging Garden” style of gothic rock / post-punk. Throughout last night’s show, the group’s gloomy and minimalistic post-punk plod walked a fine line between being the product of nascent abilities vs. a stylistic embrace of the ’70s/’80s foggy primitivism that defined Bauhaus and Joy Division early in their careers. For the purposes of this review we’ll stick with the latter, because Black Lodge’s particular brand of ethereal, bottom-heavy grumble felt very deliberate by design.
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Either way, the group pulled off a distinctively dark and murky pop sound that hints at a strong atmosphere that’s billowing in their songs — the kind of aural essence that this kind of music demands in order to rise above crushed velvet clichés. That atmosphere hasn’t fully formed yet, but it’s most certainly there, lying in the shadows, and slowly taking form. Watching the group reconcile this in real-time last night made their sound and presence all the more spellbinding.