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Words by: Jason Horine | Images by: Alex Akamine
Fujiya & Miyagi :: 03.05.09 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA
A recent criticism of indie rock in the past couple of years is that it lacks soul. Ignoring any reductionist discussions on race that may inevitably arise from this critique, there is no denying the emergence in popularity of the bearded folk rockers that expend little energy employing the influences of African-American popular music. Last Thursday's gathering of artists at The Independent in San Francisco sought to refute that lack of soul, as Fujiya & Miyagi headlined a bill that was nothing short of funky.
Opening the evening were Brooklyn party rock duo, Project Jenny, Project Jan. Despite some recent blogosphere acclaim for their EP The Colors (which features a collaboration with Fujiya & Miyagi), along with last year's placement of "Negative" in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, PJPJ performed to a mostly empty Independent. With keyboardist/programmer Sammy Rubin setting up camp behind the laptop, vocalist Jeremy Haines welcomed the crowd. Dressed in a dark suit and tie with clean-cut blond hair, Haines looked more like a salesman just out of the office than a rock star. But as the performance began, his charisma immediately became evident as he deftly worked through a collection of tracks that play on the hip-hop, samba and digital punk sounds that they have self-described as "Electro Karaoke." PJPJ have no cohesive sound and clearly lack direction. This flaw is also what makes the show so much fun.
Haines has the quality vocal chops of a crooner, which is perhaps where his onstage comfort level (quite uncommon for most indie bands) is derived. Given that voice and stage presence, he's like a post-modern Dean Martin, but with the rapid-fire sing/rap delivery of Anthony Kiedis. His lyrics are jam-packed with what seems like twice as many words as should fit in a single line, and halfway through the set his ability to remember all the words, let alone spit them out in key, becomes as impressive as anything else. By the time they got to "320," their final song of the night, PJPJ had clearly won over the newly amassed, bouncy audience so that when Haines did finally stumble on a lyric it was easily forgiven. It is difficult not to enjoy a show filled with such humor and promotion of the absurd.
 Fujiya & Miyagi :: 03.05 :: San Francisco |
At first glance Pop Levi doesn't make much sense on this billing. A British musician playing classic rock seems out of place slotted between the white boy funk of PJPJ and the electronic grooves of Fujiya & Miyagi. The simplicity of electric guitar, bass and drums did admittedly sound refreshing after the computerized notes of PJPJ, and as Levi's swagger took center stage, rock 'n' roll seemed alive and well. The trio hit their stride, though, with rousing performances of "Wannamama" and "Dita Dimoné" from 2008's Never Never Love, and Pop Levi's pedigree became apparent. Like a bastard child of T. Rex and Prince, this rock is as much about the sway of the pelvis as it is the banging of the head or pumping of the fist. Blues rock mixed with glam rock designed for dancing, and the now crowded Independent floor was prepped for the headliners (and this reviewer understood the intention of this billing).
Once indie darlings enjoyed for their name (yes, it is a nod to Pat Morita and The Karate Kid) as much as their beats, Fujiya & Miyagi have arrived. With a workman-like performance the non-Japanese trio of singer-guitarist David Best, synth player Steve Lewis and bassist Matt Hainsby got to work covering most of last year's Lightbulbs and a fair amount of their debut full-length, Transparent Things. The distinctive funky basslines, spacey synths and breathy vocals sound just as pristine live as they do in studio recordings, and Lee Adams on drums added an organic element to balance out the ambient textures. F&M rightly belong in the same company as LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip and whisper-electro veterans, Air.
While the band members themselves appear slightly subdued - and really most of their songs could be described as such, as well - the spirited crowd was enthusiastic and vibrant. Perhaps craving this rare source of funk in the lily-white world of indie rock, they embraced the deep hypno-grooves of "Pussyfooting" and "Sore Thumb" and did their best to get down with it. Normally accustomed to vertical pogo motion, it took a moment but the hips broke and that pelvic motion that Pop Levi did his best to initiate took effect, letting loose a bit of a dance party. With no complex (or all that coherent) lyrics to encumber their songs, Fujiya & Miyagi can focus on the jam with vocals treated simply as another instrument adding to the ambiance. Mix into that atmosphere the visual background of colorful dancing domino stop-motion animation, and this performance became a truly sensual experience. With drum and bass at the heart of those sensory stimuli, it's the soul that feels most refreshed.
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