Stereo Total goes tepid in Los Angeles, but tour mates triumph

September 3, 2010, at the Echoplex

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: September 7th, 2010 | 1:00pm

Band mates? They don’t need no stinkin’ band mates! With a touch of technology and innovation, even a one-man band can sound as epic as an orchestra. The Echoplex on September 3 was graced by four music groups that upheld the “less is more” mantra. For some, this was effective; for others, it bordered on boring. Tragically, European cult favorite and headliner Stereo Total fell into the latter category.

Maybe it’s the economy that’s forcing bands to downsize (Arcade Fire notwithstanding), but a duo cannot slide by on kitsch alone. The lanky Brezel Göring proved to be the goofier jester of the two Totals. During this set, he wiggled his legs as though snakes were slithering through his pink striped pants, all while banging away at keyboards, a boxy guitar, and various electronic modules.

Françoise Cactus, however, played the stoic. Sure, she’d smile and address the audience in one of the dozen or so languages she knows (Stereo Total’s songs are sung in English, German, French, Japanese et al), but she was otherwise a wallflower. Her lack of spunk onstage muddled the quirky sound. Maybe her professional alias of “Cactus” is fitting; once she took to the drums and did her best to sing along, she became prickly and unpolished. This made tunes such as the coquettish title track off their latest, Baby ouh! (Kill Rock Stars), downright impotent.

Their one reprieve deep in the set was a tongue-in-cheek cover of Salt-n-Pepa’s “Push It,” but it only amounted to a minute-long tease.

The supporting bands were a study in the pros and cons of having slim lineups. Allister Izenberg, for all intents and purposes, is a solo act, who hid behind a wash of synths and pre-programmed swells. Backing him was a Jesus-like cellist. This combo, at least musically, worked, but the warbling nature of the melodies turned the attendants off.

The middle acts were gripping, though. Kisses, playing only their second show, were a shoegaze delight even though they were sans bassist. The Killers and My Bloody Valentine would be proud.

After that serene cool down, Hawnay Troof brought the room to a fever pitch. Armed with a laptop full of ratatat beats, HT’s singer and provocateur, Vice Cooler, rocked onstage and off like an electro caveman. He kicked balloons into the crowd and got everyone to chant along to anthems about being yourself, aided by a drummer working on half a kit. Perhaps next time, it’s this twosome that should be higher on the marquee, and Stereo Total doing the supporting thing.

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Stereo Total official site

Stereo Total MySpace page

Kill Rock Stars