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Superman Loses the Girl - Genghis Cohen
One year ago, Cake and Coldplay went for a drive on Cahuenga and met up with Portishead and REM on their way to Griffith Park. They gazed at the nighttime lights, had a few drinks at Molly Malone’s and then went back to Michael Stipe’s house to record an album. They called it “Superman Loses the Girl”. Well, that’s not exactly what happened, but it certainly sounded that way at Genghis Cohen on Sunday.
Eclectic, stirring samples repeating put me in a reverie as Matthew Niblock’s clear crisp voice peers through to create a brilliance at the end of my mind’s dark, quiet tunnel. Jennifer Hardaway’s tight harmonies lean right up against Matthew’s melody and rest there until they are amazingly one voice; technically superior to most anyone I’ve heard. Intelligent lyrics and tasteful effects, nothing is overdone and nothing is forgotten. I think some of the samples used might be well achieved with a human beat box or other ‘out of the ordinary’ instrument. I’d like to see them brought to life for performance value. Matthew has dry, well-read humor and creates seamless transitions between songs with his witty appeal.
Genghis Cohen, as always, has some of the best sound in L.A. I love reviewing shows here. Their soundman, Terry, is among the best ‘listeners’ and really dedicates his time to making artists sound as amazing and true-to-life as they possibly can. Don’t perform there if you need auto-tune in the studio. The intimate setting allows for few mistakes.
An Ebo™ enters on guitar. I’ve always been a big fan of that bauble. Gary North White, extends notes and makes his sound reach for miles creating a vast playground of tone. Ralf Balzer on percussion is clean and effortless providing a solid backbone to the music and charismatic facial expression to the performance. Jeffrey Roden locks in with effective bass lines and brings his sense of wisdom to the stage.
Nothing about this band seems awkward or inexperienced. This is most likely due to the fact that all of them are tremendously talented players with years of experience behind them. Every start and stop is right on, the hooks are catchy, the words intelligent and the music mature. If you’re surfing the dot-com realm, I highly suggest wandering through their website and streaming “She Confesses to the Black Box in My Car” and The Gift”. I also hope at some point they add “Marilyn” to the site. I hear it’s being re-designed so I’ll keep my fingers crossed! You can see them live on Saturday, May 10th at Highland Grounds. The show is at 10pm and will also give you a chance to pick up their recent self-titled release. The more I listen, the more I hear in it. With many layers, superb vocals and beyond professional instrumentation, Superman Loses the Girl is sure to burrow in your ears and provide your brain with that pleasantly annoying melody it plays over and over again inside your head all day.
Article by: Jennifer Coplin
Submitted: May, 2003
Photos: Provided by artist
Artist Website: www.supermanlosesthegirl.com
Email: jen@velvetbud.com
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