Golem-Me Walk On Your Harpoon ... What?

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 10, 2008 6:46PM

Among questions that purport to give a window into the souls of people whose last names you can't remember, "What four people from history would you invite to dinner?" is probably tops. As weird as it is to imagine Jesus and Che Guevera breaking bread with James Dean and Winston Churchill, it's equally strange to try to preview Friday's little gathering at Metro.

You likely know the Walkmen, and you're likely aware that they've been trying to catch up (without much success) to the soul-shuddering, gritty rock mastery of 2004's Bows & Arrows for the past four years. Fans hung on primarily thanks to the group's sweat shower-inducing live shows, but some seriously lame-duck albums left many of us cold. But wait! With this year's haunting You & Me, Walkmen have proven that it's possible to fan the flames of moody, dirty rocknroll even in a time where the whole genre seems to be different brands of the same vanilla flavor.

If Walkmen show up to the dinner party with a case of decent beer and a bottle of nice rye whiskey, Golem are bringing the ghoulash. The six-piece Eastern European folk-punk collective look and dress the part of ranging gypsies on a rogue Baltic pirate ship. Plenty of sweat flies, which may be the common thread.

Ah, Ezra Furman and your Harpoons, would you mind bringing the organic hot sauce to our little gathering? Debut "Banging Down The Doors" was hailed by outlets from NPR to Time Out New York for its folk-based tunes and rock-based spirit, and latest offering "Inside The Human Body" continues along the prodigy spectrum. Young Furman just graduated from college and has returned to Chicago with as much vim and vigor as he can muster from an acoustic guitar and more than his fair share of ability to incite. Just what he's inciting remains to be seen, but we're confident that time and maturity will be good to this rising star.

The Walkmen, Golem, and Ezra Furman & The Harpoons play Friday night, September 12 at Metro, 3730 N Clark, 9 p.m., $15 advance/$17 at the door, 18+

Photo of Walkmen by draed