Music » Concerts/Events

Ghostland Observatory, DJ Lord

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Critic's Pick

There is something morbidly fascinating about this duo from Austin. Their Daft Punk-without-the-smarts laptop twiddling, outlandishly theatrical stage presence and singer Aaron Behrens’ Michael Hutchence–Freddie Mercury wail – not to mention their half-hearted few albums in the few years they’ve been together – ring with an open hostility toward their followers that could be performance art if there were any substance to their music. From their band name to their album names (delete.delete.i.eat.meat, Robotique Majestique), the pair comes off like the apocalyptic horsemen of the Austin music scene, as if pointing out with great relish just how easy it is these days to attract large hipster crowds and secure high-profile festival appearances. Gertrude Stein could have been talking about Ghostland Observatory when she wrote about Oakland, Calif., “There is no there there.” The fact that they, along with similarly gimmicky former buzz bands the Hold Steady and the Polyphonic Spree, have embarked upon a text-scheming tour sponsored by Southern Comfort liquor (tickets are free if you text ORLANDO to 68405) at which they take turns in various cities covering “the artists who inspired them,” only reinforces their attitude: Make it complicated, ’cause the music alone ain’t selling it. (7 p.m. at the House of Blues; free, registration required; www.southern comfort.com/undercover) (Staff)