Due to my inability to navigate downtown well, I was only able to catch the last twelve minutes of Key Grip's set. Vocals were scarce from the band, but when present reminded me a bit of Thom Yorke. The brightest moments in the song came from an occasional explosion of noisy keyboards. The tune never seemed to wander much away from its root notes, but the audience already gathered swayed metronomically with the droning beats.
Next up, John LaMonica out of Lawrence, Kan. helmed a solo electronic set. Relying heavily on vocal effects and tracks played from his laptop, LaMonica performed multi-layered glitch songs. I was expecting more of a singer-songwriter set, but instead LaMonica was more akin to a DJ with all original material. His music was chilled out, in rare moments rising and breaking off to leave a trailing, effects-laden vocal loop. A few of LaMonica's tracks dabbled with hip-hop beats, while others felt right at home with bands such as Washed Out or Baths. The repetitious and differing levels of intensity felt cathartic live, but I feel LaMonica's might suit me better coming through a pair of headphones.
When I came back indoors from enjoying the awesome evening weather, Amen Dunes had taken the stage. I immediately started humming along to the first song, although I had never heard it before that moment. A two piece out of New York, the band left me searching my mind all night for a similar artist. Amen Dune's music has a certain familiarity to it, always just on the edge of bursting out from under echoing waves. Utilizing only a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer, the band touched on cheery psychedelia and repressed pop. Frontman Damon McMahon used his voice to blend in with his wonderfully drawn-out chord progressions. The drummer's parts were more atmospheric than driving, which worked well with the band's vibe. Absorbing the tunes created a kind of a body buzz, just a few steps away from a stoner-rock show.
Going into the show, I had some concerns as to how This Will Destroy You's studio albums would translate live. Their particular brand of sweeping post rock is the type of music I would usually put on to wind down for the night or write a paper. This Will Destroy You demolished those concerns upon launching into their first song "A Three Legged Workhorse," which is also the first track off their first self-titled release. Bass rumbles and savage tom thuds reverberated throughout the room, encapsulating the venue before dropping into drowsy, airy openness. The two guitarists worked together magnificently, with a seated guitarist playing long, held notes as the other controlled dynamics with delayed tremolo picking.
This Will Destroy You stays more to the lighter side of post-rock, but at the crashing of a cymbal would cascade into a doomier, distorted realm. There's something primal under their skin, echoing through the tension of their muscles, waiting to manifest itself with a dynamic change. Their ability to perform calming waves of technically beautiful numbers and dulled walls of weaving sound set them apart in their genre. Dynamic control is This Will Destroy You's specialty, knowing when to ease out with a smooth, ethereal organ note or to climax with stormy guitar attacks.
Whether experiencing their recordings or their shows, I find it hard to recall certain song names or even album titles due to the nature of their sound. With no vocals to identify hooks or definite ends of tracks, a This Will Destroy You album is much like their live set. Not a word was spoken from the band until they reappeared for an encore. Thanking the audience for making them feel welcomed, the band jokingly announced they would play a song entitled "Moneyball." Their song "The Mighty Rio Grande" recently appeared in the aforementioned Brad Pitt film, marking a beautiful scene in which breathtaking cinematography spans across American baseball diamonds.
In the end, I left the show stunned; my consciousness was changed, if not literally destroyed.
