Music Blog

Wednesday night's show at the Doug Fir Lounge was realistically going down in one of two ways. Both paths held the promise of great music, barring unexpected technical or performance mishaps. But in my experience, out-of-town buzzworthy bands - especially of the synth heavy, beat pounding variety - will be met either by an audience looking for a frenetic dance party or a meditative group of listeners. The latter describes the crowd who were on hand to see this smorgasbord of East Coast bands.

Sun Airway released their debut album Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier last week. They hail from Philadelphia and the title of their album provides a surprisingly vivid description of their music. Their songs center on swirling synth textures that are equal parts rhytmic and melodic. Far from settling into static grooves, the accompanying parts often elicit a feeling of escalation, of movement at the least.  I was surprised, and pleased, to see a five-member group take the stage (I had read they were a duo). They proceeded to play most of their album. The crowd watched intently and it was easy to settle into their dense sonic gauze. Front man Jon Barthmus' (pictured at top) bittersweet and searching vocals give the band a greater sense of pop vitality. On album stand-out and set closer "Put the Days Away" , he sings "in the moonless night I wait for your call". Just one example of a lyric that uses the night as its subject - nocturne material for sure. The song then closed with a huge crescendo and a slow fade out.

Baltimore's Lower Dens followed with a set that leaned heavily on minimalist guitar jangling. They released their debut album, Twin-Hand Movement, in July on Devendra Banhart's Gnomonsong label and some of those freak-folk elements were readily apparent. Singer Jana Hunter's (pictured left) voice sounds like a mix between PJ Harvey and fellow Baltimorean Victoria Legrand of Beach House. Hunter's vocals were buried deep in the Doug Fir's mix and it seemed intentional. Although loud overall, the band created a sullen atmosphere with shoe-gazey guitar wanderings. At the peak of their sound they would burst into feedback. But even these moments felt controlled within the group's introspective aesthetic.

Of the three bands performing, Bear in Heaven have been around the longest and collected the most accolades. So it makes sense they headlined the evening. The Brooklyn trio have a similar sonic base to Sun Airway. Their songs are driven by synth leads, heavy drums, and the charmismatic lead of front man Joe Philpot (pictured below). But their sound is more cinematic and slightly darker than Sun Airway's swirling pop. Their set drew more or less equally from their past two releases: Beast Rest Forth Mouth and Red Bloom of the Boom. Their live show featured a huge drum sound that usually seems drawn back on their recordings. This helped them build the biggest sonic wall of the evening. It was equal parts loud and unrelenting. "Lovesick Teenagers" and "Wholehearted Mess" were stand-outs.

In between songs, someone yelled out asking Bear in Heaven to, "Tell people to dance... or not." This was the first sign that people were thinking about breaking from their arm-crossed stances. But the band ignored the banter, continued playing, and the crowd let the massive sound rush over them, standing as they were before.

Tagged: live review