Lenorable - Synthetic Division - Miyazaki -- Velvet Lounge - Jul 6 2012

Miyazaki - I was watching "24 Hour Party People" just prior to heading over to the Velvet Lounge and found this local quartet to be in nearly perfect sync with the Manchester bands from that movie. The drums are nearly machine steady, the bass player lays down quick melodic runs, while the guitar and keyboards lay on the atmosphere. There are male and female vocalists that work well together, but also handle some individual leads. The male vocals make Ian Curtis sound like Bruce Dickinson, while the female vocals offer a bit more range. A bit of a keyboard problem on stage was quickly remedied and the restart did not bother the 40+ people there, many of which to see them. Musically this was solid and this band is worth a look for effectiveness more than creativity at this point. But if they invite their friends back next time, I hope they tell them to shut the hell up while the other bands are playing. As much as I prefer people to stay for all the sets, if you really don't care, just get the out and let the rest of us take in the music.

Synthetic Division - We have a vocalist and a guy on the synthesizer here. This is pleasant sort of pop dance music with a bit of a pulse to it. When the synth cranks up, it is reasonably effective. Other times it is a bit soft as the vocals are awfully quiet. The soundman got them up a bit in the latter half which helped as they are decent enough for the material. They did evoke a Tangerine Dream sound with a sequencer type rhythm a few times, which is a nice foreshadowing of this Sunday's show. Nothing too dazzling here for me, but they were effective enough, and there is a lot to be positive about when you see the quote of the night below.

Lenorable - I reviewed an ep from this local duo a few months back, but missed the release show. As I thought they were quite good, I am happy to be able to catch their 43 minute set tonight. They have a guy on 12 and 6 string electric guitar and a female singer who handles the backing tracks on computer. They exhibited all the moves I recall from the record with great goth/post punk shimmering guitar runs reminiscent of John McGeoch (Magazine/Banshees) or Robert Smith (Cure). I really like the vocals as she has a quivering strength as she graces the notes with a moody edginess that keeps this listener on his toes. The backing tracks are solid and thankfully the 20-25 people remaining were fully in communion with this band's music. They rocked well toward the end of the set, finishing it off with a flourish of strong chords and melodic vocals. They have all the goods to pull in just about anyone into post-punk. Although this is fine for now,  there are some limitations that they may need to address long-term. But that is a ways away and there is plenty to enjoy right now.

Quote of the Night: From the Singer of Synthetic Division... "I'm celebrating 25 years of being alive after being diagnosed with HIV at age 11(!! Hope I heard that age correctly). So let's all celebrate being alive tonight."   Hear hear.