Vaadat Charigim Impress at The Echo in Los Angeles

Vaadat Charagim live by Matt Matasci

Los Angeles – Formed in Tel Aviv just three years ago, Vaadat Charigim has rapidly risen to the forefront of the alternative music world with 2013’s The World is Well Lost. Sinking as a Stone, their sophomore LP, is slated for release this week on Burger Records. The three piece outfit creates a sound that blends a Creation Records-style “wall of sound” with earnest vocal work akin to moody dudes like Ian Curtis or Richard Butler. The most distinct aspect of the band’s sound is their lyrics, which are completely sung in Hebrew; a bold choice that has not stopped the band from gaining a substantial audience in English-speaking countries.

Last Wednesday at The Echo in Los Angeles, Vaadat Charigim brought out a rawer, emotive element of their recorded sound, easily stomping down any language barriers between audience and performer.  With an impressive bank of effects pedals at their arsenal, guitarist/singer Juval Haring and bassist Dan Bloch created powerful, distorted low-end riffs that gave the songs a distant, melancholy atmosphere that would evoke strong emotions even without any vocals. It’s no surprise that an Israeli band that got started rehearsing in an unused bomb shelter would have a bit of an apocalyptic disposition.

With his long dark hair covering his face for nearly the entire set, Haring would occasionally take a break from the singing and pummeling power chords to rip into leads which alternated between dissonance and melodicism, giving each of the songs their own unique touch. The other Juval in the band, drummer Juval Guttmann provided a steady rhythm throughout the eight-song set, at times getting so involved in his drumming that a stick would go flying to the front of the stage. Despite having to scramble to retrieve a back-up stick, he somehow managed to never lose the beat.

Vaadat Charigim focused mainly on tracks from their upcoming release such as “Hashiamum Shokea,” a Jesus and the Mary Chain-indebted track which ran through a series of intense crescendos and includes vocal melodies that were just slightly audible over the din of the heavily distorted, down-tuned waves of sound. Again, it is no surprise that a band from a land of extreme contradiction, political and social upheaval, and wide-scale destruction would write a song that yearns for a more stable, peaceful community but also carries an overwhelming spirit of hopelessness.

While their titles and lyrics are completely Hebrew, the members of Vaadat Charigim are certainly proficient in English – between songs they conversed with and thanked the audience, as well as openers Winter and headliners Froth. Speaking to each other on stage, they stuck to their native tongue, certainly a unique experience to witness for a crowd that was pretty used to only hearing English on the darkly lit stage of The Echo.

After making several appearances throughout the United States in anticipation of their second album’s release on May 19, this string of dates in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and San Diego are the band’s final United States dates for the time being.

Keep an eye on the Vaadat Charigim’s Facebook page for more information on any upcoming tours.
Matt Matasci

Matt Matasci

Perhaps it was years of listening to the eclectic and eccentric programming of KPIG-FM with his dad while growing up on the Central Coast of California, but Matt Matasci has always rebuffed mainstream music while seeking unique and under-the-radar artists.Like so many other Californian teenagers in the 90s and 00s, he first started exploring the alternative music world through Fat Wreck Chords skate-punk.This simplistic preference eventually matured into a more diverse range of tastes - from the spastic SST punk of Minutemen to the somber folk-tales of Damien Jurado, and even pulverizing hardcore from bands like Converge.He graduated from California Lutheran University with a BA in journalism.Matt enjoys spending his free time getting angry at the Carolina Panthers, digging through the dollar bin at Amoeba, and taking his baby daughter to see the Allah-Lahs at the Santa Monica Pier.
Matt Matasci