A Place To Bury Strangers has the notorious reputation of being the loudest band in New York, which subsequently will make them, statistically speaking, the loudest band in most other markets as well. Initially, I couldn’t say that their infamous decibel shredding was more colossal than Mogwai or My Bloody Valentine. Then again, I also didn’t have tinnitus over 24 hours after either of those shows. I still, at this moment, can’t hear shit. And I had earplugs. Like jumping out of a plane, that thrill either appeals to you or it doesn’t. For me, it’s impressive, but you always need more than the sheer propulsion of air molecules in the room. A Place To Bury Strangers delivered in that sense as well. I’ve been told they can be hit and miss live, including friends who saw them at last weekend’s Midpoint Music Festival. However, they came out guns blazing in Louisville on Wednesday night.

The simple yet impressive light show combined with lead man Oliver Ackermann’s guitar slinging theatrics made for a very satisfying visual presentation. Wish I had a chance to say hello to him, as Ackermann is a bit of a legend (forming Skywave and founding Death By Audio), but I have to admit, being a school night and all, APTBS is a physically wrecking band, so I had to bow out a little early. I can be lame like that. Brutal, awesome experience, but I can only recommend seeing them in good conscience if you don’t have to awaken early the following morning.

Tragically, I couldn’t capture any great shots of new Louisville upstart K Tranza, as they played their entire set in a soft blue stage wash. Major bummer… because they were fucking great, especially considering this was only their second show. Informed by the art punk of Swell Maps and Mission of Burma, K Tranza is equally moody and propulsive. The dudes also ripped through a particularly thick and epic rendition of Wire’s “I Should Have Known Better.” If you missed it, you missed it. K Tranza have already developed their mission statement – to rid the city of Will Oldham ripoffs, one destructive, reverberated power chord at a time, as evidenced by the toungue-in-cheek “Rulers of the Scene” below. I think we can all get behind that.

MP3 :::
A Place to Bury Strangers – The Light
K Tranza – Rulers of the Scene