Sold out Music Box show lifts Matt & Kim to new heights

Traveling coast to coast, Matt & Kim have emerged victorious in the new wave of indie rock. They took their show to an always-excited Los Angeles, performing at the Music Box last Saturday night. Along with fellow NY rockers Fang Island, a sold out venue had nothing but positivity and support for the band of the hour.

Openers Fang Island are going to be instantly dismissed the moment the vocals are presented, but this band has a lot of fire and charm if you give them an entire set. A semi-hybrid of Sufjan Stevens and Brand New, the first New York (sorta, they weren’t formed there) band on the bill brings that contextual brand of rock some call “math” and others just call “really good.” A genuine excitement and dedication was portrayed by guitarist and vocalist Jason Bartell, and a great moment arose when he locked eyes with a fan that knew every word to their song. Both the band and the crowd have also figured out a way to perform a personal moshpit, jumping straight up and down for minutes on end, instead of running horizontally or in a circle. How very "Love They Neighbor" of them. Also, the band's Orange amps decoded and calibrated their instruments for optimal rockage as per usual.

The duo of Matt & Kim has an opening staple, a warm-up mixtape filled with current and classic rap selections that cut into each other after a few minutes. It tends to keep the crowd in good spirits before the show starts, because even hipsters love to party. Then the two bum rush the stage to a wild applause and start slapping the skins and tickling the ivories. They bring back the hip-hop style later, playing both “Just A Friend” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” by Biz Markie and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, respectively.

In the live forum, Matt & Kim use their fan’s excitement to their favor, surfing the crowd and giving their fans flaccid balloons to be blown up and tossed during “It’s A Fact (Printed Stain).”  Singer Matt Johnson uses the stage to his advantage, launching off of his throne and into the air, often balancing on one foot or using his keyboard as support while he does a handstand. Drummer Kim Schifino often gets out from behind her kit to pump the crowd up and do her patented “booty shake” while being lifted up by the audience.

The set rarely slows down but the lighter tracks tend to hit closer to home, exploring growing up and living on Earth in a poetically realistic manner. They take a back to basics, stripped down approach, without any amps on stage or overdone lighting effects. Lights shaped into the outline of a pyramid surround the twosome and their flashing and rotating colors add a dazzling effect to the usually intense blend of stylish electric dance music. The band’s music is very uplifting, mostly due to their instrumental choices, not just the lyrical content. Songs like “Lightspeed” crack open the piggy bank in your mind, letting your inner child seep out and hop into your sensory control. Johnson often speaks between songs, expressing his gratitude for the positive feedback for their grassroots Brooklyn band. He mentioned their performances at both Coachella earlier this year and last year's El Ray concert, both of which were inspirations during the recording process for their new album.

If Johnson’s memory serves correct, it was the longest set of their career. It looked and felt exactly like their Coachella performance, sans some new tracks and the naked guy that ran across the stage during that performance. As the story goes, Johnson thought the crowd was responding to him, only to be disappointed when he saw a streaker jumping off the stage behind him. After telling that tale, drummer Schifino told the crowd that the phrase of the night was “Keep it in your pants!” before busting out some new tracks off of their new album “Sidewalks” due out next month.

This show and its two excellent bands beg the question “Have we hit the age of Nu-Indie?” The label “Indie” rarely tells you anything about the sound of the band, rather their appeal and potential credibility. After the term got popular, lots of bands embraced it and latched onto its stock as it rose. Now we have a market watering down the once beloved staple, and the same band that once was indie is now signing CD’s at Hot Topic. Remember when Bright Eyes or *gulp* Dashboard Confessional performed under this moniker, before the blasé amalgamation of Nu-Indie emerged? The point is that this bill was a great breath back into the lungs of modern music, with resounding approval from a sold out crowd. Both bands gave more than expected and raised the audience’s enthusiasm by topping it on stage.