Track/Mission Creek Pick of the Day: Warpaint

Lauren Dukoff

I was at a BBQ over the weekend where one woman was singing the praises of Warpaint. Of all the bands playing Mission Creek, she advised, this was the one not to miss. So I went home and fired up the old MySpace page, and sure enough, there's something special about this four-piece. The vocals come on in waves and rounds, with a dizzying, Cocteau Twins quality to certain songs. Other tracks are hypnotic not in their haunting harmonies, but rather in raw yelps erupting from dissonant pop. The voices are sweet, but as on "Elephants," they emerge from brier patches of prickly electric guitars and drums that shift course like erratic heartbeats, with eerie gales of feedback jumping in and out of the mix. The group keeps things interesting in recordings and I imagine the same can be said for the live show--hear for yourself when Warpaint headlines at the Knockout tonight.