Merry Swankster: Neon Weekend: Friday Night

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August 01, 2007

Neon Weekend: Friday Night

It's been almost a month since Neon Lights took over Union Hall, and my providing closure for you, the hype subjected MS reader, would seem painfully overdue. It is, I guess, although after a steady week plus of living and breathing our chosen bands I'd hope a brief respite would be forgiven. Oh, it is? Thank you, kindly.

As I always end up explaining when I write these things, objective criticism is always a tricky ideal given personal biases and there is no possible way for me to give a completely dispassionate recount of something I had such a direct hand in putting together. So, with caveats deployed, I give you a brief accounting of the fine festivities, as well as a binfull of eye catching photographs.

El Jezel

El Jezel started our Union Hall residency off with some dreamy post rock. As the crowd gradually shuffled in and began their long journey into soused, dramatic shifts and emphatic climaxes gave that swimming feeling a healthy nudge. I suspect this sort of thing might work better in total darkness, or sound tracking some seriously majestic nature footage (as Earfarm once suggested) but there were no complaints to be registered. I will note that it's odd to see such seemingly nice people play such intense music, but that's hardly a drawback.

Mancino

Due to circumstances beyond even our formidable powers over time and space, Mancino was forced to soldier on as a drumless two piece. Their songs still carried the compositional twists and turns that fans have some to expect, but this time with a soft touch that spotlit the smart lyrics rather than the rhythmic herks and jerks. Though I'm sure they'll be glad to play with their full complement whenever possible, a sharply written tune is a sharply written tune, and there was no let down here.

Thrushes

Though there is often some wrangling over what does or does not constitute a "shoegaze" band, I don't think Baltimore's Thrushes would get much of an argument in any discussion over new practitioners of the shy science. Swirling guitars, sweet female vocals, and just a general ambush of sound are all dead give-aways. They started their set with thick rich, chiming tones that reminded me of Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks theme in its soothing resonance (and if you knew my Lynch love, you'd know that's a high compliment). They quickly played the lovely "Aidan Quinn" and cycled through most of Sun Come Undone's highlights, including the blog smash "Heartbeats." Being the 4AD junky that she is, D 's eyes were perpetually starry, and the rest of the assembled were similarly transfixed.

Also: High marks to Casey, whose sleigh bell embedded arm band is a musical innovation the world has been waiting for...

The gorgeous narcotic quality of the music might have been a bad portend for a crowd's energy going into a closing act under normal circumstances, but luckily we had a five piece energy shake waiting in the wings.

De Novo Dahl

De Novo Dahl absolutely did not come all the way from Nashville to put on a lackluster show. Before the band changed into its spectacle garb, I was gravely warned by a DND member to prepare myself, for no matter my sexual orientation, the jumpsuit that was soon to appear would alter it forever. That prediction fell slightly short (slightly), but the presence of several decked out gents circling the room couldn't help but raise expectations. When the guys and gal finally got started, their range and energy was undeniably impressive.

They shifted gears from big communal sing alongs like "Shout" to bouts of electro or what we'll go ahead and call "sex-funk" without missing a beat. In fact when a broken snare drum mandated the missing of a beat, they coolly played a pitch perfect country ballad, while those of us who were more easily rattled paced frantically for a replacement. That downturn in energy was born of pure neccessity, though. The high energy level, as well as the resulting kinetic motion from the audience, were almost immediately recaptured.

As a night ending set it was perfectly climactic.