Lion the Girl Says No

photo ©2006 adam pw smith - www.adampwsmith.com

If there's one word to describe Gena Olivier's voice, it's haunting. Her band Midnight Movies has a new album called Lion the Girl, which is an exploration of smooth delirium. I normally approach new bands in the indie scene with a degree of skepticism; many turn out to be more about image and less about music. Not so with Midnight Movies. I saw them perform with Autolux earlier this month at the Glass House in Pomona, and was swept up in their shadowy layers of sound. Velvet Underground comparisons are warranted, but there is something straight - almost choir girl-ish about Gena's voice that makes for a gripping dynamic. This band is very musical.

I'm always intrigued by female drummers, and Midnight Movies has two. Gena was originally vocalist/drummer, until Sandra Vu became a member of the band. Sandra is a highly trained musician - she studied piano and flute, and must have had a later love affair with drums. While playing, she generates power in a way that I've seen women Taiko drummers do. She's precise and fluid, yet commanding. And there's something immensely satisfying about seeing a petite Vietnamese woman pounding her heart out on a drum set. Not something I'm used to seeing in a rock band. Later on, Sandra switched places with Gena to play a seamless flute solo. Her tone was deep and raw.

The most important thing about Midnight Movies is their emotional depth. Their dark synth and reverb contribute to an overall languid, pensive mood. The term "psychedelic pop" suddenly makes a lot of sense.