Two Experimental Bands Show What Works, What Doesn’t

The rock underground continues much as it always has, as if that fiery blip of punk popularity epitomized by Nirvana never happened. And it’s the likes of K Records (and dozens of other die-hard indie labels) that keeps that movement alive and relevant--a platform for meaningful experimentation.

At the Troubadour on Saturday, two bands signed to K began a two-night stand, illustrating both the strengths and weaknesses of the genre. Second-billed funk-rockers Dub Narcotic Sound System re-created the sort of hotblooded beats and attitude found on the band’s recent collaboration with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Closing the night was Make Up, a Washington, D.C.-based quintet in matching black uniforms that mixed late-’60s blues and rock. Singer Ian Svenonius performed with the fervor of a church revivalist. Despite a stage manner that seemed equal parts Perry Farrell, Bob Forrest and Gabby Hayes, Svenonius’ voice was urgent, but not particularly distinctive.

Also, unlike the Dub Narcotics, the sound of Make Up was less about a focused sound than free-form expression. That can be amusing for a time, but is ultimately far less memorable. Three cheers for rock experimentation, two cheers for self-indulgence, one cheer for Make Up.