[phlipcam video] Craft Spells + Beach Fossils @ Great Scott, Cold Cave @ Royale

Bunch of rad shows this week, and so we have a bunch of wet hot American phlipcam action for a gross, muggy day here in Boston. The clip up top features CRAFT SPELLS, which dropped their feel-good summertime jam "After The Moment" early in their set last night at the WZBC Spring Concert at Great Scott in Allston Dance City. Making their Boston debut, the West Coast dudes had the good fortune of hitting the stage moments before Nathan Horton sealed Game 7 for the Bruins. They were a bit mystified by the hockey worship, and noted it between songs, but then again, they're from Stockton, California, and Seattle. We're sure folks don't get that worked up when the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL get championship aspirations. 

Anyway, the jangly good fortune and friendly post-punk smiles for girls in white Chucks and their boyfriends who might suck carried over to BEACH FOSSILS set. The surf-ish Brooklyn lads demanded the stage lights got tuned down, and I got caught in the back thanks to some heavy dancing up front, so the video kinda isn't the greatest but the song remains. The 'ZBC crowd was eating this shit up, and for good reason: that early-New Order dance template is pretty much fuck-up-proof, and the Fossils seems to re-energize it at a time when copycat shit is prevalent and the post-punk wave has finally crashed. I had hoped to capture the glistening "Daydream," which is one of the best songs of the past few years, but elected to get all emo on my lady over standing there like an overaged music writer turd holding a Flipcam in the air. So it goes. Someone, somewhere is going to propose to his gal at a Beach Fossils show during that song. It might have already happened. It's a thing that totally should be a thing in 2011. Dustin Payseur would be best man.

Lastly, old friends in COLD CAVE synth'd up Royale by warming up Monday's Kills show, and they went even darker than the 'Fossils. A rep from Bowery Boston told me Wes Eisold -- the genius madman behind the Cave -- required almost ZERO lightning, preferring to perform in total darkness. It worked for tracks like the swirling electro ripper "Confetti" and the other one from Love Comes Close that I can't remember the name of, but was ultimately fairly frustrating. Cold Cave's set was short, and before the last song, they offered up a recording of X-Ray Spex' "Oh Bondage Up Yours," a pretty cool tribute to the late Poly Styrene. I caught like 10 seconds of that, from the balcony (yes, by the bar) followed by 4 minutes of noise and then their closing effort. It's dark as fuck, you really can't see anything, but whatever here it is anyway.

If Craft Spells and Beach Fossils follow a Joy Division-into-early-'80s-New-Order sound, then Cold Cave has skillfully attacked the "Blue Monday"-onward phase. Look at that, it all comes together!All hail Peter Hook! Anyway, Cherish The Light Years will definitely be on my Ten Best Albums of 2011 list. Endorsed.