Hear This: Ides of Gemini
Ides of Gemini already had its share of bad luck this year when drummer Kelly Johnston-Gibson suffered an injury that resulted in the band pulling out of dates opening for the Mountain Goats. But she's back in action for a new summer tour and that means this show at the Elbo Room is going to be one darkly passionate and monstrously commanding evening. The trio's balance of mysterious dawn-of-metal vibes — somewhere between acid folk's worst trips and the glowering roar of feedback and booming drums — is perfectly topped off with the rich vocals of Sera Timms. Last year's
Old World New Wave was a great album in its own right, but the band's standalone single earlier this year for Record Store Day was a concentrated delight, its sweeping original "Carthage" backed with a harrowing version of the classic "Strange Fruit," its bitter outrage transformed further into a murky, moving dirge for so many of America's original sins. Besides tourmates
Clay Rendering, Sacramento's
Bog Oak fills out what should be a strong evening for metal's continuing impact.
— Ned Raggett
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