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My third time seeing Ketman, and the first time at a place with really great sound. To my surprise, there's some really good singing going on. The guitarist sings in a warm, furry voice on some songs, kind of surprisingly tuneful and lovely, while spewing squalls of noisy guitar, heavy on the twang bar action. On the other songs, the bassist shouts, more punky and urgent. The few that they "harmonize" on are weird and interesting. The bass lines are solid and the drummer is fantastic, loud and fast, complicated and interesting.
From there, things take more of a sweet and sunny turn. The Temporary Thing, from California, are a poppy five-piece, with keyboard and acoustic guitar added to the standard lineup. On the first few songs, the keyboard kind of drives things, the acoustic guitar is pretty inaudible, and the music is pleasant. Catchy, but maybe a little predictable. Things perk up a bit in midset; the rhythm guitar player switches to electric, and the singer then begins to play some more interesting leads. The songs stretch out a bit, and the whole thing just gets a little more engaging.
Lincoln Conspiracy have no guitars. They're a bass/drums/keys trio, and the drummer is the lead singer. Once you get past the slightly unusual configuration, they too are a pretty straightforward pop band. They do a lot of big, cheerful melodies and gorgeous harmony. Bass and drums are very solid, but mostly in a supporting role. The piano, mixed a bit low for my taste tonight, is driving and energetic and fun, and the keyboard player adds occasional synthy accents from a second keyboard. (Particularly on the song which he fittingly dedicates tonight to the recently deceased Bob Moog.)
