The Double
Loose in the Air (Matador)
Despite their collective youth, perhaps the Brooklyn-based boys in the Double have learned a trick or two from the 17-year cyclical emergence of cicadas, since their original sound will be redundant – and only vaguely so – to those steeped in the earlier ambience of Sonic Youth and Pavement. Two of the four bandmates attended Vassar College, which was nearly overrun by the noisy insects most recently in 2004. On the band’s Matador debut (note: former home of Pavement), the Double mostly eschews the skronky guitars of popular alterna-bands in favor of a wall of sound. Lyrics soar and fade with bassist David Greenhill handling primary vocal duties, singing about flowers, fog, and lost love in a suitably plaintiff voice. There’s something coolly paranoid about the proceedings, which flirt with emo anthems only to break apart upon impact like the desiccated shell of a long dead locust. Exquisite electronic collages add moody layers. Droning “Idiocy” may be the Double’s best bet for radio play. Follow-up “Icy” finds parallel lyrical rhythms in “murmurs, whispers, lies” and “hunger, gravity, night.” Such ephemeral concerns deserve such a durable band. (Thursday, March 16, 12mid @ Club de Ville)
This article appears in March 17 • 2006.