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Caitlin Cremer was born and raised in Aurora, Ill. She's a journalism student at the U of I and now calls Champaign-Urbana her home while she calls a trip to Aurora a visit. She doesn't own or operate anything, she hasn't founded all too much either, but she has assisted the music section of the buzz, WPGU music selections and has a personal interest in knowing and listening to local music. Regardless, she most definitely has an opinion about music and likes to think she has some reasons to be trusted on it too.
With effort, the two-member set of Mit'n have furthered their experimentation with bizarre musical compositions since I saw them last at the Man Man concert at the Courtyard Cafe. I don't remember much of a line-up description of each of their songs, but fortunately I did receive some explanations last night at the IMC. I say fortunately because while listening to the songs, it is difficult to pull out the lyrics and understand them enough to correlate them into a consecutive story or emotion.
They told the staggered crowd of 20 or so that the music they would be presenting were songs of childhood. Perhaps the subject matter — you know, bullies, ghosts and abductions — is why I felt it was hard for them to connect to their songs emotionally.
The best of their songs is one in which they play a "Spooky House" record on a portable record player. The record added to the atmosphere, and the crowd scooted closer on the floor to hear the crickets and creepy laughing ghost. Only two more people ventured up to sit cross-legged next to me and gaze up at the mysterious nature of this group. The lyrics were drawn out and the melody more cooing, with shorter intervals of madness that would generally distract me at any other time from hearing what they had to offer. Contrary to what I said earlier, the lyrics did seem to connect to this song, but only in that the band enjoyed booing and creating spooky sounds in creating a ghost house madness a child would ensue at a haunted house.
The set of the band seemed a little disjointed. The members would trade off on instruments and move around the set during each song interval. I suppose it was impressive that a band of two people could vary in their instruments, but I found the most alluring to be the violin played by Nikita Sorokin, although he was a little drowned out by the other playing guitar.
Their melodies were generally enjoyable, especially by the two audience members who had been sitting next to me who got up and danced — in their own way.
The last song was the epitome of Mit'n's music. It was full of more energy and sound than melody but I felt that the sound is what the band wanted. And perhaps they wanted to put everything in that last song: screaming and yelling and frantic, manic, something that I can't quite place. Still, it was good to see them enjoy themselves, and the energy they gave off was the most memorable part of the show in its entirety.
Photo by Greg Hinchman
