San Francisco Music Blog

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Chinese Stars @ Thee Parkside

After rising from the blackened ashes of Skin Graft noiseniks Arab on Radar, The Chinese Stars initially seemed set on continuing their previous band's discomfiting mission: to simultaneously convert and confuse listeners with squirmy guitars, surreal lyrics issued via grating nasal whines, and lobotomized drum beats that anchored the insanity to a tangible rhythmic base. But recently they've mixed in vintage synthesizers à la Six Finger Satellite, resulting in an off-color blend of dance punk, dissonant rock, synth pop, and sheer weirdness. The Chinese Stars are now probably too dancey for No Wave distortion addicts, too frisky and atonal for neo-disco hipsters, and way too W.T.F. for any random passerby who might stumble into the club. They may no longer be a noise band, but it's possible the Chinese Stars have finally achieved Noise Band Nirvana -- by alienating absolutely everyone. At last, success! (8 p.m., $8, Thee Parkside)