BrightestYoungThings: Live DC: Pash / Title Tracks @ The Cat

all stunning photos: Faith Desired
all words: Shawn Breen

Tuesday night at the Black Cat was the record release show for the new Title Tracks 7", out now on Dischord ( http://www.dischord.com/release/163 BUY). While not a "packed house", it was a great intimate show with faces I hadn't seen in quite a while. It was also a first glimpse at two new-ish bands I hadn't seen before and one favorite I've seen many times but never get tired of.

Authorization opened the show with a sound that was one part Krautrock, two parts indie dance punk. It reminded me very much of Faust crossed with Trans Am. A two piece (Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Effects, Drum Machine) which includes Dan Caldas (ex Black Eyes) and Jeff Barsky (Insect Factory). This was only their third show in a year. The first song opened with a guitar placed on the floor with an e bow reverberating the strings. The tones coming from the guitar seemed to change throughout the song all by themselves without any manipulation but still managed to flow with the music as if they were manipulating the sounds telepathically. The guitar playing was wiry and tinny and conjured thoughts of the quieter guitars, via "Red Medicine" era Fugazi. The drum machine beats were motorik and reminded me of drum sounds that might be comfortable on a Kraftwerk record.

Pash was great as usual with a lot of energy (even though they said they were admittedly out of shape after not having played out in months) but my only complaint would be the sound. I felt the vocals were way too low and the guitars and bass were too high. The intricate guitar parts I'm used to hearing got lost in the mix along with the vocals, at least from where I was standing. Meredith quipped jokingly that she was having problems with her strings due in part to, "John Davis' method of guitar stringing". In all I think they debuted 4 (possibly 5, I lost count) new songs, which all sounded great. The new material rocked hard. They also threw in "Joyce Kilmer" an older song off of their first album Kingwood that Meredith said she wrote all the way back in college.

John Davis' new musical vehicle "Title Tracks" sound ranged from jangly 60's folk rock ala The Byrds while toying with 00's indie-mod, channeling the likes of Ted Leo (think Pharmacists, not Chisel) and even 70's power pop. I missed them a few months back at Aural States Fest in Baltimore and was kinda bummed about it. I wasn't really sure what to expect of the new band as I hadn't heard anything before coming to the show, but was pleasantly surprised. Meredith Munoz played double duty with 2 sets tonight, one with Pash and the other with Title Tracks. They played both the A and the B sides of the new single spread out at opposite ends of the set. Towards the middle of the set they launched into an original and the opening riff hit me immediately. This riff,... I know this riff. I couldn't place it however. I thought The Byrds, but I wasn't sure. I thought to myself, nah, not The Byrds. Once the song was finished John Davis admitted some curious similarities to The Byrds and then proceeded to follow that song with a cover of The Byrds "She Don't Care About Time".