Lorelei - Deathfix - Sun Wolf -- Black Cat - Aug 17 2012

Sun Wolf - Second time around for me with this local trio that starts off as the traditional power trio before finishing up with keyboards, bass, and drums. The vocal work by the guitarist (later bassist) reminds me of Jeffrey Lee Pierce although musically the band is tighter in the rhythm section. But the guitar is loose and fun, mostly. They play some quirky post punk pop song before headed back to something that sounds between the Mekons and Tuff Darts (now I am reaching). They really hit their stride with some great garage rock songs that are not completely throwback. But then the keyboards come in and they move off again along a different route on this confusing road trip. There is a lot of good things happening, but it may be helpful to get a clearer focus on a direction. Then again, I had fun and they looked like they did, too.

Deathfix - This is also the second time around for me with this local quartet featuring some famous names including Brendan Canty on guitar/vocals and Richard Morel on keyboards/vocals. But I do not want to ignore the rhythm section as I felt they did an extraordinary job of setting the pace in this set. The early material was really hard edged and so effective with the spaces created by the bass and drums. The guitars and keys could change pace with throbbing power and keep listeners on edge for even the longest song. Great drama here with the groove they locked into. Kind of like second generation Doors and Canned Heat offspring figuring out how to bring sixties jams into post punk songs. A couple of songs at the end had me relaxing, but most of this set had me on my toes at full attention to this rapturous tuneful power.

Lorelei - It's their record release party of their brand new long player reviewed last month here. It is a record that takes a few dedicated listens to figure out the skill and originality they present. They are a bit more immediate live, as most bands are, and were cooking up a good din tonight. Apparently the guitarist/vocalist was off his game a bit due to a stomach bug, but he soldiered on with his quirky angular riffs. The rhythm section showed great skill and touch creating more unique textures and patterns than many of the post punk bands around. When they have pace, they are reminiscent of Buildings, a local band I enjoy a lot. But they vary their pace more and occasionally have a glorious blast of a shoegaze guitar solo exploding out of their songs. And they do structure the music into a variety of intriguing songs. I think any Feelies fan would easily gravitate to this music. It is not the same, but he intricacy and vibe are similar. A smart and satisfying set resulted with a good sized crowd that justified having this show on the big stage instead of downstairs. I'll be back for more.

Quotes from the XXX Olympiad: I ended up watching more of this than I expected since it was something to turn on during the day when I'm home, I did catch some good announcing quips. I am sympathetic as I often catch myself writing such brilliant sentences such as.. 'the nice guitar work resulted in a really nice song', so I appreciate that too much hyperbole and other errors will happen, still...

Badminton commentator: "Malaysia forced China into an unforced error."

and this way over the top Volleyball play by play guy... "Unforgivable Error" said three times in one match ... and ... "Russia has come back! Literally, from the grave."