always wanting what you ain't got

On Sunday night, I went to a farewell party at Darkroom. David Golitko, a member of (ex-)Chicago bands Assassins and Marvelkind, is moving to Germany to learn how to make wine, and presumably leaving his bands forever in the process. The word on the street is that his family has been in the wine-making business for hundreds of years, which is probably quite a bit longer than they've been in the rock music business.

Assassins are basically a Los Angeles band now, in so far as they still exist. It's hard to tell what might be going on with them now, and I'm far too shy around Merritt Lear to be able to ask the right questions. "It's fun to play these old songs again," Joe Cassidy said from the stage. It felt tragic to hear him say it. Their album came out in 2006.

David Golitko is awe-inspiring. He sings surprisingly well, plays guitar and keyboards like a pro, and dances with gorgeously subtle kinetic grace. Assassins and Marvelkind share another member, Aaron Miller, who is a complete monster. He drums with so much intensity; two sets in a row, and he only got better as the night progressed.

Assassins are a gently-fronted, propulsive electronic pop-rock group. Joe and Merritt would never scream at you, and they're eerily on pitch when they sing live. They kiss on stage, a peck on the lips, and Joe looks at Merritt sweetly, reminiscent of Starlister. Close your eyes and Joe is Bernard Sumner. Los Angeles, you'd better be good to them; they deserve it.

I handed h70s demos to David and Merritt, and to Jonathan Radtke and Greg Corner of Kill Hannah. Maybe someday there'll be an Assassins remix of h70s, or vice versa. Maybe someday I'll interview them here, or stay with them in Silverlake and talk with them about the future of pop music.

The stories of these bands inspire me, but they also make me sad. I often wonder whether it's possible to make a career out of playing music at all anymore; if a band like Assassins can't find a label or a significant, nationwide audience, how could I hope to do any better? Kill Hannah have been in the public eye longer than I've been making music and have been touring like crazy for a few years now, yet it doesn't look like their two records on Atlantic have sold enough to break even.

Marvelkind and Assassins were beautiful, and left me with more questions than answers. The songs are catchy; what are they saying, and why are they saying it? The songs are danceable, but nobody's dancing, and the band pretends not to notice, not to mind. I left the show much more impressed than I thought I would be, a little less sure of myself than I was before.