This Weekend In New York: Brooklyn Gets Into The Seasonal Spirit With Solo Projects And Post-Punk

This weekend we learned Manhattan has no monopoly on holiday cheer. Sure, the decorations on Fifth Avenue might cost a little more, but not even the gaudiest department store display shines as brightly as the talent, creativity and camaraderie we found at Shea Stadium and Secret Project Robot.

Debbie Allen

Friday we hit up Shea Stadium for solo projects by Amy Klein (ex-Titus Andronicus), Greg Fox (ex-Liturgy), and Dan Friel (soon-to-be-ex Parts and Labor). Composed of Amy Klein and Catherine Tung, Hilly Eye is the type of riot grrl duo I'd love to see more of in the male-dominated indie rock scene; Klein reminds me a little of a young Carrie Brownstein with her confident riffs, interest in psych-rock, and the untamed way her voice can dance around a note. (See also: her progressive politics, which she articulates gracefully on her blog.) Unfortunately, the sound system at Shea was not on her side that night, and slow-building opener "Jersey City" lacked both women's voices. "That's our first song with no vocals," Klein joked. "We're already stripped down because we're a two-piece, but that's taking it to the next level." Despite numerous people's efforts to fix it, her voice remained somewhat underamplifieded throughout. But I still saw sufficient evidence that Hilly Eye's in-the-works debut album has the potential to be great.