Noise Pop Last Night: Memory Tapes, Birds & Batteries, Loquat

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It was a mashup of sorts last night at Bottom of the Hill - the sounds of Birds & Batteries, Loquat and headliner Memory Tapes don't necessarily go together. But to each his own, and though most of the all-ages crowd was there to shimmy to Memory Tapes, Loquat and Birds & Batteries certainly did their part to impress some local musical talent.

Loquat fans often site their sound as haunting, a description they lived up to last night with the help of lead singer Kylee Swenson's vocals. We're in agreement with The Owl Mag in that the band wasn't necessarily suited for the crowd, but we remain Loquat fans nonetheless. They introduced two new members at the show last night, guitarist Chip Cosby and keyboardist Christopher Cooper, and played some promising new material from their upcoming album, slated to drop next month. If 90210 was still cool, they'd totally play at the Peach Pit After Dark.

Birds & Batteries have been favorites of 7x7 ever since the group made our 2008 Hot 20 Under 40 class, following their dreamy album I'll Never Sleep Again (2007). Their Noise Pop show featured more material from their newest EP Up to No Good, which we crowned one of the best local albums of 2009. It's almost impossible not to bop to "Out in the Woods," (seriously, we challenge you), which set the stage nicely for a Memory Tapes rock out.

Memory Tapes (despite the plural name), is just one dude. A really impressive dude from New Jersey. Dancy, wistful, New Order-esque, Dayve Hawk's 2009 album Seek Magic is one of the most gorgeous pieces of dance-pop we've ever heard. Though his set was short (maybe 20 minutes?), he played the album in its entirety, evoking lots of dreamy, high-noted "ahhhs" during 'Bicycle.'

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