IMMIGRANT
Bottom of the Hill
July 21, 2007

The house lights lower and the distant sound of an old jazz record comes scratching out of the PA. The stage is filled with the smell of burning sage from a censer hanging off of the keyboard. The men of Immigrant quietly take the stage and begin generating a low warm hum of amp noise that slowly grows louder and louder. The drummer begins rolling his mallets on the toms louder and louder until, in a crash, the band is on their feet and they are rocking! This entertaining but artistically questionable and self-absorbed introduction set the tone for Immigrant’s Saturday night all ages show at Bottom of the Hill.

Immigrant consists of five dashing young men with super-cool gear, great outfits, perfect hairdo’s, and all kinds of kickass eyeliner. The band is led by two guitar players, Patrick and Lee, who play interchangeable rhythm and lead parts, much like Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Their tones are warm and rounded so that when they play roughly the sound comes out smooth and energetic. The bassist’s melodic grooves tie together songs that are a mix of the Beach Boys tunefulness and the Beatles cleverness, roughened up with a swagger like the Stones and power like the Stooges.

The singer, Graham, has a stage presence that recalls classic 1980’s hair metal acts like Iron Maiden. His vocal delivery, like Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, is low and gravelly, almost conversational. At intense moments in songs he soars up in his range, almost like a Broadway singer.

Despite their loud, dark, industrial riffs and grooves, Immigrant struck me as a sweet pop band in denial. Charming little melodies and pop hooks kept peaking out of the songs almost inadvertently, and were quickly covered in a wash of distortion before they were fully articulated. Is Immigrant a closeted soft-rock band?

Immigrant is so good at the dark and theatrical, they could be the house band in an after-hours burlesque hall, playing twisted blackened waltzes, gothic laments, and gypsy folk like Gogol Bordello or Circus Contraption. Instead, they played it safe with a set of well-executed but uninspired songs, and never really connected with the audience.

[Jeff Bissell]

[STREAM] Immigrant:  Various Tracks