Concert Review: Wall of Sound

by Erin Rice

Festivals come and go, but how many can claim to bring in so many local and Texas-based (and some non-local) bands and artists as Wall of Sound did on Saturday? Maybe a few, but that's beside the point. Local music fans had a real opportunity this weekend to get their yearly inundation of heat and music, and until 7 or 8 p.m. it seemed they would pass it up. As the sun began to set, however, the crowd swelled and Fort Worth (and those who don't mind a hike) represented well at LaGrave Field.

Boasting 40 bands on three stages, there were several standouts and a couple stinkers. Pre-staged by a slew of indie-borderline-experimental-ish bands, the first group to really grab the entire crowd's attention was The Paper Chase. With one of the most eccentric frontman, who's stage antics in Dallas are possibly only outshadowed by Fair to Midland's Darroh Sudderth, The Paper Chase were a bright spot among the somewhat droning, stand and stare at the mic bands before them. Their brand of music is a mash of disconcerted instrumentation, with the punctuated keyboards (played a Sean Kirkpatrick, a talented project in his own right) adding a haunting element backing John Congelton's spoken, emphatic vocal style. Fans of Primus, in particular, will find a rawer edge in this band they can enjoy. Far and away, the best performance of the day. For good measure, the drummer apparently threw up during the set. You can't really ask for more dedication, and perhaps drunkeness, than that.

Following The Paper Chase, Black Tie Dynasty took the stage. Though generally a fan of this Dallas band's take on classic Cure-esque tonalities, it quickly became clear that the band wasn't putting their all into this set. Perhaps the heat played a role. Perhaps the small crowd at 4:30 p.m. did as well. They certainly had some set difficulties and once their time was up they more or less exited the stage without a salutation or a thanks to the crowd that did stick it out, at least not that I can remember. A bit of a huffy letdown for one of Dallas' golden children.

The Baptist Generals took the stage at 5. This Denton group has a great, deep bass line with long, drawn-out vocals. Though a tad formulaic at times, the songs that toyed a bit more with discordances were a fine listen.

(Break for dinner because no sane person can stand making a meal of nachos.)

After returning, we headed once again to the main stages in the LaGrave outfield for Om of San Francisco's 7 p.m. set time. Perhaps Om stands for Oh, My, please God never show up at another music festival I am at again. This surly group of ambient metal musicians were remarkably out of place and had a ridiculous attitude for such a lackluster band. Ok, we get ambient metal, like Isis, gotcha. Om isn't Isis. They also aren't Iron Butterfly who they seemed to be trying to channel in their first song. Curious about the crowd's reaction to Om's set, I sought out the following written comment:

So it goes. You could say that Om did not sit well with much of this crowd. You could say that and you would be very kind.

White Denim, who played on the third stage, on the other hand, were. Playing what their MySpace claims to be a "grime fusion" (huh?), these guys rock out with fast songs and abrupt, often unintelligible lyrics. Perhaps taking a cue from Led Zeppelin's orgasmic wails, White Denim's lead singer doesn't really leave the listener with the option of whether or not to take notice. Raw and wildly inventive, they are a band to watch closely in the upcoming years.

Several notable, better-known bands would follow on the main stages, including The Books. Combining a 40-year-old Dutch cellist and a 29-year-old "laptop music whiz," this duo creates a soothing, yet auditorily challenging set of "found sounds." Also worth mention was Ghostland Observatory, an electro-punk collective fronted by the dancing and shouted vocals of Thomas Turner. The songs may have all had a similar beat and vocals, but they were good for dancing, and dance the crowd did. Dallas' own Midlake took that stage afterwards, playing a later set than scheduled due to "technical difficulties" delivered an impressive set, taking the tone the night down a bit from Ghostland Observatory and setting up the headliners, Explosions in the Sky. EitS rounded out the evening with their brand of sans-vocals, instrumental music that relies heavily on repeated rhythms and subtle transitions. A rather romantic and serene ending as the (somewhat visible) stars blanketed the sky overhead... in between the laser lights, of course.