It seems that Grimace Federation has a flair for adventure. The Jaga Jazzist-esque combination of prog-jazz and post-rock from their 2010 release On Velvet reminds me of the original Rainbow Road. The wonder and grandness of the music recalls a vast expanse of stars, a black sky that stretches on forever juxtaposed against a dreamy splash of color. Since On Velvet, they’ve paired down to a trio with Chris Wood still leaving his drums bruised and battered, Jim Calvarese holding down the low-end, and Wes Schwartz tinkering with his laptop and electronic toys over his electric guitar, moving them further into the realm of grandiose electronica. New songs like “Auroville” and “LIGHTSABERTEETH” sound like they could be scoring modern two dimensional adventure games like Braid and Fez. This video-game parallel I’m drawing may seem a little out-there, but the way Grimace Federation’s music engrosses reminds me of the way a good video game engrosses: It conjures an alternative realm filled with wonder and adventure.
That adventure begins tonight at Kung Fu Necktie, where the band and their “Popular Science” series have taken up a biweekly residency. With a slew of different openers scheduled to accompany them each evening and Grimace Federation’s exciting new sound, the show ought to be reminiscent Daft Punk’s Discovery and Tron: Legacy, equal parts danceable and thoughtful. Get out there and save the princess, heroes. Kung Fu Necktie,1250 N. Front St., 8 PM, $8, 21+ – Adam Downer