live: Girls at Mercury Lounge

"I've Got A Substance That'll Cure Everything"
Opening with a gorgeous, incredibly surreal version of Michael Jackson's (R.I.P.) "Heal The World," it was clear from the get-go that Christopher Owen and Chet White Jr's band of San Fran pop outsiders were going to deliver on the promise of their incredibly sold out, corsage laden debut 7" single. For a band that has only "officially" released two songs, I hesitate to say that Girls played all the "hits" last night at the Mercury Lounge, but, fact of the matter is, they did.While "Morning Light", "Lust For Life", "Hellhole Ratrace" were presented in all their well-worn, fuzz'd out-wah glory, the highlights of the evening were the unknown jawns the band has been testing at places like The Eagle, a leather-clad gay biker bar in their hometown of San Francisco. It should come as no surprise that cuts like "Substance", "Solitude" and "Alright" embody the entirety of California's musical history; from boxcar blues to groove oriented surf-psyche to opiated balladry, not to mention some of the best use of the whammy bar since Wayne's World, it's almost as if Girls liquefied a century's worth of California music, cooked it in a rusty spoon and shot it directly into the mains of the Mercury Lounge. Maybe its the water because while Brooklyn is considered the hot bed of buzz-worthy indie bands, no one, and I mean no one, in Brooklyn is crafting tracks like "Alright", a funky groove oriented surfabily psyche jam that, as Chris Owens said, doesn't need to be played perfectly, because it's just fun. I have nothing else to say, except if you're reading this and do not show up to Monster Island Basement tonight, well, you are a fool.

Oh, and Girls will release a 10" (not 7") of "Hellhole Ratrace", presumably backed with "Solitude" (and others?) on July 6th. Save the date.

Girls "Carolina" from the Midi Fesitval.