Stardeath And White Dwarfs Unleash The Psych Tonight

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on May 6, 2010 6:00PM

If you’ve heard of Stardeath and White Dwarfs it’s probably due to their recent collaborations with The Flaming Lips’ including their cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album and a reimagining of Madonna’s “Borderline.” The two bands share a bloodline -- The Lips’ Wayne Coyne is Stardeath singer / guitarist Dennis Coyne’s uncle - both physical and philosophical. Stardeath’s debut The Birth bears a strong resemblance to their mentor’s noisier early days although the younger group’s psych tendencies are more melodic and less frightening than one would expect.

The Birth takes ‘70s prog and turns it on its ear, mixing cool, translucent moments of reflection with heavily distorted drum freak-outs that bring to mind early “Black Juju”-era Alice Cooper. One of the more striking achievements by the band is their ability to generate the feeling of epic-length sonic adventures while keeping most songs right around the three-minute mark. They accomplish this by keeping the ideas churning and employing fearless glee when it comes to throwing in odd noises in just the right places.

The band plays Subterranean tonight, and judging by the video we’ve seen of them playing -- both solo and backing The Flaming Lips - we’re expecting a loud and thrashingly energetic show. Opening is Chicago’s Milk At Midnight, whose last album Less Love More Acid shares many stylistic touch points with the headliners, ensuring a solid show on both ends.

Tonight, May 6, at Subterranean, 2011 W North, 9 p.m., $10, 17+