I’m not going to lie. I don’t like the Strip and the 80’s were the most worthless decade of music in the last half century. This is my opinion. Please don’t write me about the wonders of Duran Duran. It won’t change my mind. The only reason I mentioned it is that you should be forewarned about these sorts of things in a review. Think of it as a “Smoking isn’t the healthiest choice now is it?” label on a pack of Parliaments or finding out on a blind date about the “restraining order misunderstanding with the ex” before the hor’dourves. Always err on the side of journalistic ethics I say.

On a Wednesday night I was invited to go see A.i. perform at the Roxy. They have an 80’s sound; The Roxy is on the Sunset Strip; Hence the warning. The Roxy has a great history from Neil Young playing its opening to being Belushi’s last bar before OD’ing. The usual mix of doom and glamour that Hollywood wears so well. The bar is physically well designed with plenty of $5 parking, room to dance, and the ability to up to the stage for feeling the music. The downside includes a two drink minimum if you want a seat, the drinks are rather meek, and I’ve never looked at a concert calendar and said “Wow I have to go to the Roxy this week.” I’ve searched behind palms trees for Pehrspace more times in the last year than I’ve driven to Roxy but with the right vision it could become a destination again.

The opening band Soccermom is a four piece originally formed in Venice straddling the divide between new wave and New York art punk. Both laudable aspirations but during the show the adjective that kept coming to mind was wholesome. When lead singer Helen Nishimura screamed expletives while swigging Miller Lite and keeping her dress from falling it came across as cute and harmless. This isn’t exactly what a punk band goes for. The audience wasn’t much help. Even the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs would have trouble shaking down the house if the crowd kept a ten-foot invisible barrier.

Soccermom – http://www.soccermomband.com

The headliner was up and coming locals A.i. who’ve been getting airtime at KROQ. These kids are young but they’ve been bred into the business. Nick (vocals and guitar) and Zack (drums) come from a long line of artists and entertainers. Zack got his start at the age of 13 as the bassist for Steve Vai’s answer to boy bands Bad 4 Good. The last member of the trio is Milen Kirov (keyboard/synth bass) whose parents teach Bulgarian folk music.   A.i. was previously signed to Dreamworks producing the uneven 2002 albumArtificial Intelligence before returning to the unwashed indie masses with the soon to be released Sex & Robots. This may be the most appropriate album name since Led Zeppelin’s IV.

The guys have the rock star look and the knowledge of how the music industry works. As I said in the beginning I don’t personally care for the 80’s but you can’t flip through a music magazine without finding some band rehashing old riffs and beats to force the shoe gazers back to dancing. That’s fine. We need more dancing and A.i. may ride that wave to success.

From what they played the upcoming album will be a more mature, more coherent collection of songs. They range from heavy synth rock anthems like “Far Away” to the more fun electroclash “Hey Now.” There are moments when they would tap into that same electrorock vein of LCD Soundsystem, Ghostland Observatory, or Junior Boys but then they’d switch course to less inspired fare. If you’re going to download one song I urge you to choose “Tell Me U Luv Me.” It is a hit waiting to happen. The song is so infectious it should come with penicillin. A.i. hasn’t swayed me from my neoluddite ways but they are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

A.i. – http://www.aimusic.com and http://www.myspace.com/ai

The Roxy Theater – http://www.theroxyonsunset.com