With arrival of folksy revivalists like Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart and Bon Iver, it would seem that the charge of the minimal guitar is relentless. Deerhunter is proving wrong those that believe loud guitars are on the fritz. An ambient, post-punk band with a scotch of garage finesse took over Czar's stage late Monday night.
Their album is tame compared the show the audience received that night. Ambient garage punk with melody, and it was loud. Whenever drummer Moses Archuleta hit bass drum on his set, the whole audience felt its thud. "Is this amp too loud? Is my guitar to loud?" asked vocalist, guitarist and band front man Branford Cox. Halfway through the set, Moses had busted through his bass drum. Opening band Summerbirds in the Cellar's bass drum fearfully took its place.
This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2009.