Aligns at the Map Room at the Bowery Electric

Vocalist/guitarist Jacques Barbot formed Aligns in 2010 from a studio project he began in 2009 as part of his sound engineering studies. In order to perform his music live, Barbot recruited bassist Soshi Uchida and drummer Mark Bell. The band, based in Brooklyn, New York, played local rock clubs and at Union Square. Uchida returned home to Japan in 2014, and the trio became a duo.  Forging forward, Aligns was among the winners of Afropunk's "Battle of the Bands" in 2015. Aligns' fifth and most recent album, Brooklyn, was released on April 29, 2017.

Performing at the Map Room at the Bowery Electric tonight, Aligns was more than simply vocals, guitar and drums. Aligns performed raw, aggressive music that sourced metal, classic rock, grunge, shoe gaze, funk and more. Barbot erupted with wild energy, raucously playing dirty riffs and gritty leads replete with fuzz, reverb and other effects, and to his right Bell pounded relentlessly, viciously and explosively. Together, they locked into muddy grooves that were abrasive yet magnetic. This music may never make it to the mainstream, but there is quite likely a larger audience eager to embrace this innovative duo.