Trash Talk, Touche Amore, Envy: 9/28 at Harper's Ferry, Allston, MA

"This song's called 'Walking Disease.'  If you know the lyrics, get the fuck up front."  A squeal comes out of the amps, and the kids up front start getting restless.  Once the song begins, you realize the absurdity of vocalist Lee Spielman's exhortation.  The music is fast to the point of incomprehensibility: everything comes out as a giant slur.  But the crowd loves it.  There's a gigantic pit with bodies going every which way.  There's a stage dive every second or two.  People aren't screaming the lyrics back at the singer or even just being conscious of the whole thing.  None of this is voluntary.  Trash Talk aren't musicians: they're neuro-linguistic programmers.  They're tuning in to some deep and vital impulse, and it's awe inspring to watch.

Touche Amore is similar, though their music is a lot more traditional.  Musically and aesthetically, they're the heirs of the late Modern Life Is War.  They played well and the crowd enjoyed them, but it's harder for me to get into this kind of music.  Still, it's always fun to see people enjoying a show.  I mostly sat this one out.

Envy, on the other hand, was spectacular.  See my review of "Recitation" below for more information about the music.  The show had all the hallmarks of a great post-rock show: ear splitting volume, incredible emotional intensity, an all-encompassing guitar tone, and weird dudes twiddling knobs on their guitar pedals.  If you've been to one of these shows, you've been to them all, but somehow it never gets old.  It's tough to imagine someone getting into this if they're not already a fan of the genre -- but if you are, Envy absolutely deserves your attention.