I have a question. Did everyone in Atlanta end up going to see the Dark Knight on Friday night? Well okay…it is a damn good movie, but even so, shame on you. Atlanta locals Sonen performed the same night, with a rather underwhelming and perhaps discouraging turn-out. I was present the night of their Corndogorama performance, but missed it somehow. I’m guessing I was getting one step closer to hell eating a corndog and checking out the outdoor stage at the time, but luckily I was given one of Sonen’s demos later that night. Needless to say I was very impressed by the recording, as the EP’s five songs played in my car uninterrupted for a few days, slowly growing on me.

Their performance at Lenny’s Friday night was wrought with difficulties. Yet, as I had grown very familiar with several of their songs, the sound still translated to me, the live mix just made too ambiguous an otherwise very colorful sound. I asked lead guitar/vocalist Keith afterwards “what was the cover you did?” only for him to reply “we didn’t do a cover.” Apparently the mic levels were so off that I misheard vocalist/synth player Holly in between songs, what I understood was “this next song is a cover [muffled noises],” but God knows what she really said.

Throughout a number of line-up changes, health problems, member migration, etc., Sonen is still going strong, and picking up speed. Of course the odds weren’t in their favor Friday night as there were some more screwy sound problems other than the mic levels, and some tuning issues between songs, but this band definitely shows some promise. Once their latest line-up solidifies things should run much more smoothly, and I can get a good glimpse of their A-game which is displayed prominently throughout the demo EP.

Technical issues aside, their exciting bass-driven electro-punk sound was just what I needed to hear that night. It’s now clear to me that, in or out of the studio, Sonen has some of the tightest and most powerful drumming for bands of this kind. Holly’s vocals are outstanding. There is a compassionate and warm quality to her voice which at times is seemingly juxtaposed with biting irony. This and the menacing bass-lines sometimes make me feel like I’m listening to a futuristic version of the Breeders (don’t you dare misconstrue that as an insult).

It was all kind of a refreshing morale boost, which was perfect considering I was feeling very under the weather. This performance deserved a larger and more ebulient crowd of spectators. There was a lone enthusiastic man dancing with himself, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the audience, bouncing around the floor and weaving through the spaces between showgoers who chose to scatter themselves throughout the room. If only more of these guys showed up, the room would have been a living electro-popcorn machine.

By the way, this is what a fashion show at Lenny’s looks like.

(visit Sonen’s MySpace here)

photos: Vernon Langley

Program the Dead - Psycho Teenage Lust

Program the Dead - Dumpster Diving for Love

Atlanta locals Program the Dead seem to be trying to cut and paste a laundry list of rock sounds in one package, which isn’t an impossible feat, but their latest EP Calling the Snakes trails off and loses steam once the band tries to venture out and conquer new territory. They establish their strengths with the first two tracks, only to dismiss them and introduce some half-hearted attempts at more radio-friendly work. Listening to “When You See Me” is like listening to a Who ballad gone wrong, derailed by an insipid chorus and a “no-brainer” guitar solo.

Some songs, like the opener “Psycho Teenage Lust” sound like a down-tuned Raw Power-era Stooges with a horror element. The next track, “Dumpster Diving for Love,” is fast and ominous, with crunchy guitars played through muddy amplification like what you hear on Kyuss’ Wretch. The vocals are bitter and sardonic, and Matt James’ voice resonates well with the sludgy rock and roll backdrop they’ve created. It’s a strange mixture, but it’s probably their most striking and pronounced feature

“Comin’ Down” is a return to the sleazy rock and roll revelry you’re supposed to expect from a band like this. However, the song takes a nose-dive as the band tries to counter-balance their hard edges with some airy noodling. I’m aware the song is about, well, “coming down,” but the “down” aspect is obviously not their strong suit. If only there were some mediator between PTD’s harsh moments and those more gentle, then the album would be less of a sloppy push-pull routine, and more a solid composition.

The record’s finisher, “Shoot the Moon” is another pseudo-ballad, an ethereal melodramatic question mark that could be placed at the end of any these sentences: “What happened to the rock?” “Where’d the swagger go?” “Ozzfest or Warped Tour?”

Program the Dead need to understand that a jack of all trades is often a master of none.

 Buy Program The Dead’s Other Discs Here

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