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I missed the first act this evening, Sean Micka, but fortunately Jordyn from the incomparable Big Bear also reviewed this show, here. And yes, I too wrote my review before reading hers.
Halloween approaches, and bands begin to wear silly clothing on stage. Tristan Da Cunha are all wearing vaguely tropical shirts and goofy long wigs, and joke about how they live in Florida now. Then they launch into the crazed, ultra-tight, bizarrely complicated music that I love from them. Brian's voice is pretty rough initially, but it smoothes out as the set progresses. After about two songs they start to shed the wigs, which don't look all that comfortable under the circumstances. Then they do a Joni Mitchell cover! It's a wildly inappropriate choice for them, and it doesn't really sound like them at all, but of course they do a very solid job with it. They introduce "Narcosynthesis," one of my favorites of theirs and probably their catchiest song, by saying that it's from a Jimmy Buffett album. It's goofy, and musically brilliant.
Guillermo Sexo are playing their first show ever. It's always sad to have to follow Tristan Da Cunha, and so they seem pretty boring and straightforward until I readjust my expectations. They are not straightforward, and they're certainly not boring. The music is good, sort of twisted vocal pop, with a monster rhythm section and a fair number of tricky shifts. The guitarist and keyboard player both sing. She has some real trouble with pitch at some points, but is much better at other times, especially when they're both singing. And I like the odd way their voices blend. The keyboard dies during the last song, but it does so gradually, fading into a weird crackling that I actually really like and that goes well with the song.
Shark and Bear start with a shriek of guitar feedback, lovingly and beautifully modulated, before blasting into a fast, stuttering song with, again, a lot of rapid stops and turns. They do a lot of long, complicated songs tonight--their full-length set comprises a total of five--and the singer is in really fine voice. I've seen them several times, and I've never been struck so by the range of sounds that he's able to achieve, from a throaty, torturous scream to a smooth, rich baritone that's really very lovely. The guitars are also compelling, full and textured but with active, piercing lines dancing around on top. The drummer has some trouble early in the set, but rallies for the last song, another mind-blowing symphonic construction and a great ending for a great night.
