Local IQ: Albuquerque's Intelligent Alternative

A New Year for Day

Seven days after the obligatory New Year's Eve celebration, we should all have recuperated enough for another night out on the town. But rather than cranking up the volume to 11 again, perhaps something a little quieter would fit the bill. A simple acoustic show might be a little too quiet for some folks, but how about guitar strumming backed by trip-hop beats or a dark and smoky saxophone?

Like a gothy Juliana Hatfield melded with Kelli Dayton Ali's Sneaker Pimps (circa 1996), Chloe Day's breathy "little girl" vocals are often at odds with lyrics about vampires or dirty little secrets. Her last CD, Pixie Runway, (2004) credits 30-plus studio musicians. But when Day takes to the road, she is a true solo artist, taking the stage armed only with a guitar and laptop computer. In this digitally-accompanied spotlight, Day presents a mixed-bag of jazz-tinged dark pop and electronica that seems (as she sings in "With You With Me") caught "between the ages of the Beatles and the Deftones."

All the press that Day has received in the past about soul-searching sojourns in Mexico or playing guitar from the back of pick-up trucks, is a bit precious. Likewise, her publicist isn't sure whether to present Day as a sex kitten or a flower girl. Regardless, her music speaks for itself. The soft stuff is a quiet comfort despite Day's trash-to-flash subject matter, but an uptempo dance tune like "Lost" is stirring while "Spoon" conjures downbeat, back alley jazz joints.

Chloe Day
9pm Mon Jan 7
Atomic Cantina