Death Hymn Number 9’s caveman-no-fool rock ‘n’ roll is actually harder to put together then you might think; try too hard and it comes off embarrassing and uptight and try too little and it’s just a mess deliquescing on the floor—which can be fun as long as you’re not personally responsible for it later. But Death Hymn Number 9 smack out songs with the grace, joy and power of a midnight mailbox-smashing trip: riff and drums enthusiastically beat to pieces so that spirit might escape and rise renewed. Civil-defense samples descend from Man or Astroman? land but the rest of the band is pure Memphis-style pounding. Oblivians fans will assimilate this instantly, and Oblivians non-fans can take a valuable lesson.
Death Hymn Number 9 with the Cosmonauts at the Crosby, 400 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, (714) 543-3543; www.thisisthecrosby.com. 9 p.m. Free. 21+.
Wed., Jan. 27, 9 p.m., 2010
