Kilroy!

I went down to Sneaky Dee's Friday night to attend the release of "Once Smitten", the Lovely Killbots' new CD. First up was Mintz/Darby Kickdrum, 2 local artists/producers who got together for the gig. Their performance was rough ("We didn't practice very much"), but there were a few neat songs. The singer had an interesting way to rhyme verses and the topics were a bit unusual: God missing Lucifer; a love song revealing the destructive logical conclusion to the typical declarations about changing yourself for your partner.

Next was The Love Machine, a 4-member band from Ottawa. They played a lot of up-tempo pop and frequently use anthemic/repeated choruses and call-and-response. When Babe followed and I saw the 5-string bass, I knew there was going to be some bass wankery. Sure enough, this band is electronica/dance music with funky bass-lines. Not a great singer but adequate to the task. At the start of their set, there were suddenly 4 six-feet-tall fashionable girls looming heads-and-shoulders right behind me. I have never felt more inadequately short in my life.

Mix Chopin, a Disco-esque band, was next. But the sets started so late and overly long that the main act, the Lovely Killbots, decided to go on. Their electronica composed of synth-and-drums (and a backing track at various times) got a lot of heads nodding. The female lead singer had a thin voice (due to the live sound-mix) so that the songs that sounded best were those where the drummer added his brassy voice in harmony. The only negative was the sound-mix also often lost his voice. The syncopated, off-beat drumming kept the songs lively. Highlights included "Must Be Machine", "Time For Change", "Hello My Dear", and "It's Fun To Be Grumpy". All are on the excellent CD.