What Good Are Words, Anyway???

I mean, language is 95% non-verbal. So much can be said with body language that speaking to someone to communicate your message is almost...pointless.
Well OK, not really! But sometimes you don't need words to describe feeling; you use your senses and then your brain interprets the feelings as such and such...

Like language, there's no need for words in music at times. Some of the most beautiful, moving music is all instrumental (jazz, classical, experimental, post-rock). Just imagine if bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Explosions In The Sky , or Mono actually sung in their monumentous epics; it'd detract from the intensity of their music, and the crescendos would not be as cathardic. Last night, these thoughts were proven by all the noise rock bands I saw at the awesome, historic 7th St. Entry with my great friend of almost 6 years and former roommate, Lee.

Diamonds played first, and it was amazing. The band played off-stage, making it up close and personal. Walls of noise eminated from their amps. The drummer started off slowly, then built into a thunderous rhythm. One of the guys kept rocking back and forth on his heels whilst squatting, acting like he was going to break the fun electronics and knobs that he held. They were quite intense, and a great start to a spellbinding show.

Next was Plastic Crimewave Sound. Hailing from Chicago, this band was not afraid to be even louder than Diamonds. Yeah, there were words, but I couldn't understand the singer, and it didn't matter because the vibrations from the stage were all that was needed to satiate the crowd. They even played 2 unbelievably wild and fucked up songs with Minneapolis legendary Michael Yonkers. He had this guitar that looked as if it had paid a visit to the trash compactor; it was at least loud as one, if not louder! Their last song was so out there, I can't describe it.

After Sound crushed our eardrums (though I had earplugs in, it was still plane-taking-off-the-runway loud), the mighty Kinski took stage. Now I must say, these Northwesterners know how to bring the loud, brash, and psychedelic rock! Each band member was phenomenal to watch, and I danced and swayed my hips and heels for the whole set. They were quite stunning, faster and even louder than the first two bands. There were words on the last song, but it was a perfect groove to end their rocking, intense set of music.

Now to the sweet stuff...Oneida. This trio was defintely the loudest, and I swear their drummer was a machine. Except for the human voice and swagger of his hands flailing around each drum. Every drummer was show-stopping, but Oneida's drummer sang while keeping oddly-timed beats at the same time. He held his voice steady throughout, a feat noteworthy in itself. So that pretty much made me think of him as a machine, and not an amazing, furious and passionated human being who played drums. During the last 2 songs, I kept alternating between fuck! and fuck yeah! as this night of music was jaw-dropping. Four hours of pure noise rock and I wouldn't have had it any other way.