Lasers and Fast and What?

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 23, 2008 3:00PM

Often there is a thin line between a conceit being inspired or shtick. In the case of Chicago's Lasers And Fast And Shit that conceit is that they build much of their music gear and light show from scratch, often incorporating common household objects or toys. And in their hands, this conceit proves inspired when included in the context of their music and live presentation.

In simple terms, Lasers And Fast And Shit are an engaging mixture of punk abandon with a healthy dose of stoner metal's nodding and self-knowing winks. Their stage show is loud and raucous, typified by Joe Carsello leaning over a homemade light board to control the visuals with one hand while gripping a mic he's screaming into with the other. The Jesse Ewan's guitar and Eric Kratz's bass chug in lockstep while Mike Mizzola pounds out precise, clean, and thundering rhythms on his drum kit. When we saw them play a memorable set last Tuesday they set up their gear on the floor of Double Door allowing the lights, the immediacy of the band at crowd level, and the surprisingly catchy melodies underneath the sonic assault to win over the crowd.

The band is currently offering an early mix of their debut The April And May Years at shows, and we highly recommend picking it up. Outside of the live setting the songs are leaner and cleaner, and you can finally make out all the lyrics that are equally parts abstract and twistedly humorous. We guarantee songs like "Arctic Wolf," "Beware of the Great Lake Vikings," and "Stop Asking" will get stuck in your head so firmly you'll need a sledgehammer to knock them back out.

Check out a video of "Beware of the Great Lake Vikings" live at Double Door after the jump.