Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 10/10/07.

Mushroom with Eddie Gale Joint Happening (Hyena). Mushroom is an experimental, heavily psychedelic, anything-goes outfit pushing ten years in the Bay Area. Eddie Gale is an avant-garde and free-jazz trumpeter who made his mark blowing minds in Brooklyn during the late ’60s. Together, they’re downright dirty.

Mist and Mast Mist and Mast (self-released). Anyone familiar with Oakland indie-Americana group the Red Thread probably wishes it hadn’t disbanded this summer. Frontman Jason Lakis’ ensuing solo effort roams the same clouded realm, though less effectively.

Straggler Bow Down Lions (Happy Retard Records). “Real rock ‘n’ roll” is always a mixed blessing. On one hand, you’ve got loud, straightforward, no-frills hard rock; on the other, obnoxious, derivative, dumbed-down bar fodder. Straggler straddles the line as well as any local group, with an extra dash of soul.

Astral Transmitter (Vibraphone). Dim production muffles Astral’s passionate, yet clichéd take on UK post-punk and shoegaze. Sure, Joy Division, the Cure, and My Bloody Valentine were great. What else is new?

Rachel Efron Say Goodbye (self-released). Utterly laid-back piano-pop that sucks the tension right out of the room. Efron makes it sound easy, but there’s a reason so few artists get it right.

IMEEM site

Hometown: Berkeley

Next local show: 3/2, Oakland Metro

Recent release: The Get Down, 2006

Believe us, we’d be the first to say we’re done with the whole dance-punk thing. On principle alone, we’re just tired of it. Because face it, most of the bands suck. We get it: You discovered Gang of Four. You have a stylish haircut. You think it’s cute to coerce indie rockers to dance. Done yet? Tempo No Tempo don’t escape the latter trap, needlessly bragging on their MySpace page that they sound like “the first time you danced in public and felt okay about it.” But what makes Tempo No Tempo different from the Rapture et al is that TNT are from Berkeley and obviously not interested in assimilating into the dying dance-punk masses.

How do we know this? Because, for one thing, they have normal haircuts. This is very important. Also, of course, there’s the music. Tempo No Tempo are equally familiar with Wire, Interpol, and the Strokes, crafting danceable rock music as opposed to exaggerated beats with pointy guitar parts. They also cite local post-rock heroes From Monument to Masses as an influence. This doesn’t manifest ostensibly in their tunes, but certainly can’t be a bad thing. It’s also promising that they include an acoustic song on MySpace: proof that TNT are looking more to establish themselves as a legit rock group with strong songs than to merely associate with a subgenre that has attracted so many substanceless followers.

Tempo No Tempo is a young band, formed by four UC Berkeley students in 2004. The songs they’ve churned out so far are promising — especially “Static,” which comes from their debut EP, The Get Down, home-recorded and self-released last year. Sounding both youthfully exuberant and strikingly mature, the song could catapult the band to much bigger things if heard by the right person. Over the last year, TNT has earned the attention of Pitchfork and local music mag The Deli Magazine, as well as an opening slot for LA group Ima Robot.

CONCERT NO CONCERT

-Tempo No Tempo play tonight, that’s right tonight, with fellow local groups Panda and Facing New York at the Metro in Oakland. More local bands should round off the bill. Only $10! Head over if you have the chance.

-For those of you who are busy tonight or outside of the East Bay, Tempo No Tempo has shows coming up at Epiphany’s in Santa Rosa (4/6), the Boardwalk Bowl in Santa Cruz (4/13), and Streetlight Records in San Jose (4/14).