Adventure Galley and Blurred Vision @ Neurolux (7/2/13)

As faithful readers know, I don't mind seeing a band I've never heard much about.  Quite the opposite.  And hey, with a name like Adventure Galley, it almost felt like a dare to go see them.

I counted about thirty people when I got to Neurolux.  About forty-five people were there when Adventure Galley played.  A pretty good turnout.

I sat at the bar for a while, wondering why the show hadn't started.  Then I realized that local DJ Vestral was doing his set.  It wasn't too bad at all--your straight-ahead booming, bombastic clubbin' stuff.  I recognized one sample from a TV commercial.  Nobody danced, but that was probably less the music's fault than the unsuitable sunlight and blood alcohol levels.

Blurred Vision's set surprised me.  I haven't cared much for these guys in the past, but they sounded better here than I remembered.  It could have been due to a better mix or better acoustics.  Whatever the reason, I could hear more little layers and rhythmic wrinkles to their simple synthesizer riffs and stomping, steady beats.  Their detached, heavily filtered vocals stood out more as well.  Not that the lyrics seemed particularly important; I did appreciate having my rational mind tickled, however.  The flashing lights, smoke and lasers were nice touches too.  I still prefer Cloud/Splitter and Edmond Dantes, but pretty good nonetheless.

Adventure Galley played next.  At first, their airy synth drones and squiggles seemed a bit like the fluff on the lead singer's pirate hat: cute and fun but not especially crucial.  However, as their material progressed from a blend of surf, disco and New Wave to a more straightforward, Killers-esque dance-rock, they felt more integral.  In any case, their strong beats, snarling guitar, charmingly cheesy keyboards and pleasantly rough vocals got the dance floor to fill in pretty nicely.  If this group comes back, maybe they can get the Dirty Moogs to open.

You can find info on Blurred Vision and Adventure Galley on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Radio Boise.  If you like what you've read and would like to help keep it going, click the yellow "Give" button and donate.  Even $5 would help.

Gauntlet Hair, CAMP and Blurred-Vision @ the Crux (11/30/12)

This show caught my attention because it had been set up by WavePOP, a new indie label founded and chaired by CAMP's Cameron Andreas.  Cameron has proven himself a creative, ambitious, good-natured gentleman in my conversations with him, so I wanted to wish him well and see how this concert (WavePOP's first in Boise, as far as I know) would pan out.

It certainly seemed off to a good start when I arrived at the Crux.  I counted about sixty people, almost all of whom were on their feet.  I imagine that the Crux made some good coin on beer this night (though they may have needed to spend a bit of it to clean the floor afterwards).

Local electronica duo Blurred-Vision filled in for Shades, some of whose members reportedly couldn't play due to illness, and opened the show.  Their cute little beats and tunes had me wondering again when Crockett and Tubbs were gonna show up.  The overwhelmingly hipster-ish crowd politely bounced on their feet.  This set's liveliest element were the colored swirls, glowing grids and oddball live footage that played on the wall behind the stage.  These montages came courtesy of the gentlemen at antimagic.

Bodybuilding poodles?

Next up was CAMP, who had apparently put themselves on the bill at the very last minute.  I'm glad that they did: it gave me the chance to observe how their ease and confidence seems to have deepened since I last saw them.  Drummer Pops Miranda did an especially fine job, augmenting his forward thrust with a jazzy elegance.  Meanwhile, Aaron Ajeti's basslines sounded extra sinewy and Cameron Andreas's guitar as trippy as ever.  Also, for the first time ever, I could make out some of the lyrics.  Didn't sound bad at all.  The crowd seemed to thin out quite a bit during this set, but at least the folks who stayed moved around some.

Gauntlet Hair closed out the night.  This Chicago trio blended dreamy pop-tunes, light vocals and chiming guitar with droll basslines, propulsive drumming and a touch or two of howling distortion.  Their tough, supple grooves got the people dancing, and antimagic's flashing squares, blurred-out live footage and swirling shapes added to the music's misterioso quality (I especially liked how they incorporated the cow skulls over the stage into the images).  Hypnotic, beguiling stuff.

You can find info on these groups and WavePOP on Facebook and elsewhere online.

MV & EE, Blurred-Vision and Lucid Aisle @ the Red Room (11/11/12)

Even though two of them were local, I'd never even heard the names of any of these acts before this show.  That alone, of course, would've got me interested in checking it out.  I grew more intrigued when I read some quotes included in the Facebook invite about the headliner, MV & EE.  Should be different at the very least, I thought.

I counted a little over forty people when I got down to the Red Room.  The crowd was comprised mostly of the younger hipster contingent and included quite a few familiar faces, the most surpising of which was that of Colorado musician Rence Liam a.k.a. Dear Rabbit.  "Wow, he must really like this town," I thought.  I became a little less impressed when I saw his merch set up by the pool table, but still, three shows in a year...

Local trio Lucid Aisle opened the show.  I grew puzzled by the audience keeping a couple of yards away from the stage during this set.  Maybe they were just afraid of having their faces melted off.  This group would start out nice and easy with a little jangly guitar, a little dripping bass and some steady drumming.  Then they'd flip the switch and the whole package would explode.  Their locked-in rapport and skill at handling shifts in dynamics made me think of Red Hands Black Feet, and their fierce solos called to mind Cerberus Rex.  Very impressive.

Next up was local electronica duo Blurred-Vision.  With their unwavering mid-tempo beats and pretty little hooks all in a row, this group sounded like outtakes from a Georgio Moroder or Cliff Martinez soundtrack.  Their singer's plain moan got swallowed up in the waves of synth, which was probably just as well.  The crowd didn't have any reservations about getting close for this set; they were up and dancing for the duration.  Pretty good background or dancefloor music.

MV & EE (Matt Valentine and Erika Elder) played next.  This Vermont duo sounded like the missing link between Neil Young and Sonic Youth.  Moody, disarmingly serene folk-tunes and Dylanesque harmonica blended with seething distortion freak-outs.  Valentine and Elder's mellow vocals wafted along as if oblivious to their stinging, buzzing guitars and weeping, yowling slides.  Their lyrics weren't as mushy or obscure as you might think, however.  Indeed, their one-dimensional bluntness held considerable charm (I particularly liked one song entitled "Shit's Creek").  Different for sure.  Memorable too.

I left right after MV & EE because I had to be up at 5:30 the next morning.  Hopefully, some folks stuck around for Dear Rabbit.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.