Everything about this past Saturday was a little out of the ordinary, making for a memorable day and night in Denver. It started not long after sunrise; that ball of light in the sky being unusually and unseasonably friendly, treating the city to record temperature highs. The uncharacteristic pairing of autumn scenery and summer weather was so striking it was almost unreal, causing me to revel in its beautiful abnormality. That theme of strange beauty carried on throughout the night, as the Hi-Dive hosted three bands that each approached indie rock with degrees of pleasant peculiarity; an appropriate cap to an extraordinary day.
They performed two more songs that will be on their upcoming EP, "Nothing New" and "Don't Tread On Me", both sounding like A Mouthful of Thunder planted the seed of pop punk and allowed it to mature into an alt-rock sound by nurturing it with the sophistication of contemporary folk. Before the band played the last song that will be on their EP, they snuck in a track that showcased a more synth-based sound laden with a crazy drum rhythm perpetuated by employing the use of two drummers. The final song, "Fades To Black", was back to that high-energy uptempo sound that they began their show with, making the performance close in a logical circle. A Mouthful of Thunder is definitely a promising local band, and fans of indie rock should find plenty of things to like about them. Their EP will come out soon on Bandcamp, and you can see when it is released by checking
the band's website. Until then, check out this
newly released video for "I Will Remember You".
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| Hooray For Earth |
Next up was the band that was the reason why I came to this show in the first place, Hooray For Earth. This indie synth-rock band from Boston, MA released a ridiculously awesome album earlier this year titled
True Loves that instantly became a favorite in my album rotation. Oddly enough, it wasn't their more '80s inspired experimental synth-pop songs that initially drew me in, rather the clever uniqueness of the title track "
True Loves" and "
No Love", but with each successive play I realized the brilliance of the entire varied package. I was very eager to catch this indie rock band that pushes the boundaries of what synth-rock can be.
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| Hooray For Earth |
I was expecting to see a four-piece band, but Hooray For Earth only had three members Saturday night. Lead singer Noel Heroux was center stage with his patched-up guitar, flanked by a drummer to his right and bassist/keyboardist to the other side. Right away you could tell Noel Heroux would be sort of an enigma; reading his initial body language was sort of puzzling, as if he was apprehensive about being on stage. It could be a trait that could be off-putting to some, but I was reserving judgement until I saw the band perform.
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| Hooray For Earth |
Hooray For Earth began with one of their synth-heavy tracks, "
Sails", and the live version was a lot more raw and rock influenced than the almost new wave style of its recorded counterpart. The electric guitar never seems to stand out in the studio version, but Noel Heroux had the volume and distortion cranked up on his guitar for the performance, bringing a lo-fi noise rock dimension to the live sound. The same can be said with "
Bring Us Closer Together", with the electric guitar often taking place of where the synth would be. The vocal delivery was also pretty timid for the first few songs, as if the energy wasn't quite 100% from the get go.
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| Hooray For Earth |
Hooray For Earth played "
Get Home", a song from their EP
Momo, that also had a more lo-fi garage aesthetic instead of the dreamy and atmospheric synth found in the recording. But as Noel Heroux's vocals started to approach a more full and energetic delivery, the guitar heavy sound started to feel more genuine and honest. Soon the characteristic complex marching beat of "
True Loves" emerged, mated with a distorted melodic guitar riff that gave the feel of thematic arena rock. If the vocals matched the same enthusiasm and intensity that was flowing freely from the drummer, the performance would have been completely perfect, but although it was close, it still just wasn't quite there, especially compared to how huge the vocals of that song sound on the album.
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| Hooray For Earth |
As each song progressed, that would be the theme - songs with exceptionally crisp and varied drum work (especially "
No Love" and "
Black Trees"), synth that gave a retro feel but was less emphasized than I was used to, more prominent distorted guitar work that added a thicker layer of grunge to the sound, and vocals that were just shy of the desired intensity. I did enjoy the way the songs were performed, but I think if you didn't already have the context of the way Hooray For Earth's music sounds on their albums, the presented live performance package could be confusing and seem a bit messy.
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| Hooray For Earth |
I think Hooray For Earth's songwriting is phenomenal. There are a lot of great things going on in each song that wouldn't normally be expected from a synth-rock band that are just plain hard to describe - something out of the ordinary that is very pleasing. But although I really enjoyed seeing Hooray For Earth live, I think there is still work for them to do to truly deliver the same captivating experience in a live setting that is ever-present in their studio recordings. I wouldn't hesitate to see them live again, but only because I expect and hope that they can reach a higher level.
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| Cymbals Eat Guitars |
Lastly, headliners Cymbals Eat Guitars took the stage. This New York based quartet produced a very unique rock sound using a guitar, bass, synth, drums, and a ridiculous amount of energy that came from lead singer/guitarist Joseph D'Agostino. The best way I would describe their sound is to call it cubist indie rock. They are an indie rock band at their core, with strong apparent influences of post-punk and '90s alt-rock. But much like a piece of cubist artwork, the songs are all very abstracted. It's as if they chopped up rock songs and rearranged them as to have no apparent cohesion or relation to their original traditional structure. Choruses, verses, bridges, and hooks merge, depicting various musical moods within the course of each piece - sounding very chaotic at times, but actually methodically constructed.
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| Cymbals Eat Guitars |
I must admit, their style of musical approach is not for me. I prefer a little more structure and have to say I often got lost when trying to follow along with Cymbals Eat Guitars' music. But that doesn't mean I can't respect what they do especially after witnessing them perform it all live. As random as everything sounded to me most of the time, the band had a clear vision of where they were and where they were going, always in complete synchronization with each other. Lead singer Joseph D'Agostino sang his vocals with such energy and presence, you could literally feel it if you were close enough to him, as saliva would shoot through his teeth as he would emphasize each consonant (slightly less gross than it sounds). When he tore into his guitar riffs, sweat would stream and shake off his brow. It really was one of the most impassioned performance displays I've seen in a while.
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| Cymbals Eat Guitars |
I can't really tell you what songs they played. I've definitely heard both of their albums,
Why There Are Mountains and
Lenses Alien, and I know they featured songs from them, but I was too busy trying to comprehend what I was listening to in the first place before I could even identify what each individual piece was. It seemed to me that the live performance was even more abstract than what they had on their albums, like a haphazard audio collage. I'm not saying the musicianship was bad at all, it just wasn't something I could readily grasp. I suppose it all just went way over my head and I just didn't get it. There was a sense of beauty in their approach I could appreciate, and I'll always remember the overall experience, but it's not music I'll put on repeat. If you are looking for a departure from the standard forms of rock, give Cymbals Eat Guitars a listen, because maybe you will get it.
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