A Place To Bury Strangers

By: Alex Borsody

Hipsters no doubt make up the majority of Brooklyn’s A Place To Bury Strangers‘ fan base, though this band is much different than your average Death Cab for Cutie clone. They bill themselves as “the loudest band in NYC,” and more recently “the loudest band in America.” With that set-up, one expects to hear the chaotic, abrasive sounds of grindcore or hardcore but their self-titled debut (Killer Pimp) sounds closer to The Cure spliced with Sonic Youth.

A Place To Bury Strangers is a paradox. They are incredibly unique yet sound very familiar. Hypnotic, repetitive guitars with spacey effects instantly conjure up memories, of “Daydream Nation” and “Washing Machine”, while the vocals are an unholy combination of Rush’s Geddy Lee and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Sonic Youth also comes to mind during the first few seconds of “I Know I’ll See You.” You can hear The Cure in their song structures, vocals and melodies, notably on “Missing You,” which is reminiscent of “Just Like Heaven.” Every song on the album shows the influence of groundbreaking hipster pioneers The Velvet Underground . None of this necessarily a negative since A Place To Bury Strangers have chosen fine influences and channel them well.

One suspects APTBS sounds really cool in concert with the speakers blasting on high. The wide range of effects and unique sounds this band create would most likely cast an interesting ambiance. In fact, so interesting that a NYPD member asked his fellow officers to allow them to play one more song before shutting down a performance because he said, “This band is sick.”

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