California:

The Mae Shi

CITY: California
SONG TO DOWNLOAD:

CITY: Los Angeles
SONG THAT GOT US: “Run to Your Grave”
ON THE TUBES: MySpace, Web site, YouTube
RECORD LABEL: Moshi Moshi

WHY THEM? When we last saw this seven-dude party patrol at that SXSW thing, they unfurled a giant parachute over the audience before bounding into a spellbinding 40-minute frenzy of stoopid jams (“Run to Your Grave”), high-energy butt rock (“Boys in the Attic”), and skronky-sweet post punk (“Born for a Short Time”). In the iffiest of times, we need a binge band with mastery of bombastic distractions, and if the Mae Shi don’t come out and say it, their parachute does: we’re all in this together, yo.

BONUS BIT! The Mae Shi’s UK labelmates Slow Club do an airy acoustic cover of “Run to Your Grave” that 1) reveals what an unexpectedly morbid song it is, and 2) somehow makes it sound pretty.

_PHOENIX STAFF

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