The Midwest rocks: The Slats

The Slats, 70,000, B.C., Miniwatt, Nate Denver’s Neck

Tonight

31st St…. The Slats, 70,000, B.C., Miniwatt, Nate Denver’s Neck

Tonight

31st St. Pub

Tonight, the 31st St. Pub will live up to its “cutting edge rock ‘n’ roll” reputation with four avant-garde rock bands, most notably The Slats, who hail from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Slats’ disillusioned, fatalistic rock seems like it couldn’t possibly come from anywhere near the Midwest. The trio’s material on their recent album, The Great Plains of San Francisco, is filled with criticisms, from suburbia and employers, to Des Moines, Barnes and Noble and Trent Lott. Their cynical post-punk lyrics frequently and conveniently rhyme, lyrics such as “a payola granola,” “expendable, dependable … lacerated, educated” and “ordinary … military.”

The Slats recently released what they call “31 songs + 01 soundscape,” their full length album The Great Plains of San Francisco, which has been in the making for the past two years on The Tyros Label, which is Iowa-based. The brief, whirling fit of distortion and feedback that opens the album progresses to melodic lyrics over fast, junky-sounding drum crashes and tempo changes.

The Slats indecisively incorporate both simple and complicated punk, layered sound collages and electronically generated noises that keep the listener constantly guessing. Forceful squealing, wailing and woo-ooos from guitarist/vocalist Brian Cox are omnipresent, especially on the track “Exit the Green Gable.” With buzzsaw guitars and vocals that sound like they’re being shouted into a metal garbage can, The Great Plains of San Francisco sometimes sounds lo-fi enough to be welling up from your basement.

The show is sure to deliver a pub full of energy. In addition to The Slats, the show will feature the debut of locals 70,000 B.C. as well as Miniwatt, noise rock from Providence, R.I. Also look for ex-Total Shutdown and Dig That Body Up members on The Dirty Three’s label Nate Denver’s Neck.