It List: Monday

Reading Rainbow/Fungi Girls/A Smile Full of Ale/Teenage Cool Kids (Majestic Dwelling of Doom): Great show at one of the best DIY spots anywhere in the area-- Majestic Dwelling of Doom has been around for a long time under a variety of names, and its unique, basement-like setting sets it apart aesthetically from a lot of other paces to see a show in Denton... or anywhere else around here for that matter. Philadelphia's Reading Rainbow is a band that plays with a lot of sounds that are in vogue these days, and fans of Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Wavves and Psychedelic Horseshit will likely dig this stuff-- but their material cannot be properly described solely in those terms, as they seem to lean closer, at least in song structure, to a kind of mish mash of C86 and droning, noisy guitar work thats most conveniently associated with Jesus and Mary Chain. You could call their stuff "noise pop" if you'd like, and you'd probably be more or less accurate-- just don't let the label get in the way of some really great music. Catchy, messy, and a lot of fun, I wouldn't miss these guys on this tour before Pitchfork or someone notices them and they get a record deal that requires them to play in a place not nearly as fun as Majestic Dwelling the next time they come through town. Highly recommended.

Dark Party/Blixaboy/Mux Mool (the Lounge): Two Ghostly International acts come through town tonight, and Dark Party's band name actually provides a rather helpful hint as to what their music sounds like-- lots of dark sounding synths and crisp drum pads, with influences ranging from disco to hip hop to early electro, and its all quality, spaced out goodness with a nice helping of excellent electro funk beats to bring it all together. Mux Mool is bit rougher in most respects but a good deal of fun, and possibly the more interesting of the two out of town acts-- sort of like what might happened if Burial teamed up on some mixes with Black Moth Super Rainbow, but with more of a focus on electro house than either of those two acts might have. Blixaboy seems like a very appropriate opener for the evening.

Cool Out (the Cavern)