First off, they looked great. Shitty to bring it up, but we had a lot of time during the prolonged set up to inspect the cut of their respective jibs. Lead singer Emil Nikolaisen looked like Jimmy Fallon dressed up like Jimi Hendrix for Holloween. His freakishly tall half sister/ bassist split the difference between Nico and Janice from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. There was also a clean cut preppy drummer with eyeliner, a be-scarfed giant on crutches (and guitar), another less prominently placed blonde female vocalist, along with yet another unassuming guitarist, and an in the shadows violin player that could have either been Danielson main man Dan Smith, or (more likely upon photo reconaissance) a Norweigan Dan Smith archetype. Quite an imposing line-up. A total spectacle even.

Set and album opener "Drain Cosmetics" is one of the most immediate songs in the band's arsenal and a good bone to throw the grumbling crowd. Multiple fuzzed out guitars fleshed out the relatively straightforward melody. The vocals fought for space in the wall of sound and lost, failing to reproduce the album's nuanced atmospherics. But it wasn't too disappointing due to the MVP performance of the motorik rhythm section, which gave the song more propulsive thrust than its recorded version.

The Norweigans' German precision carried over into the next number, "Selina's Melodie Fountain." Without a super tight song structure, and home to multiple guitar freak outs, a song like this would crumble without the grounding presence of a good drummer and bassist. It was actually great.

From here on out the band revealed themselves to be a one trick pony. A song would start with a rush of guitar noise. From their prime center stage real estate, the hot bassist and new wave drummer would lock into a Kraut groove. Assorted guitars and guitarists would digress from there, providing solos and feedback in equal measure. On a dime the sonic shenanigans would halt, and everyone would convene on the rhythm, building to a triumphant crescendo. With the exception of a down tempo Isn't Anything homage mid-concert, all the remaining numbers in the set could be described in this way.

Luckily it was a good trick, and it didn't have a chance to wear out its welcome, as the set was over in a slender 45 minutes. No encore. "Un-Deux," their poppiest number, conspicuous in its absence.

So, first Manhattan appearance down, mystery intact. No mean feat.

For extensive pictures of the show, pop over to the always thorough Brooklyn Vegan

To listen to some tracks try here (Scandinavian style)

To buy the album, go here

Tags: Serena Maneesh, Mercury Lounge