I'm still blown away by this show. In fact, I'm not even here. I'm not even typing this. I'm still standing at the Firebird, trapped in the world of Baroness, a world stark and desolate, lavish and beautiful.

I'll be the first to admit that I was definitely 100% more interested in seeing the War on Drugs Saturday night at the Luminary Center for the Arts than headliner, Sharon Van Etten.

The room smelled like cigarettes, perfume and cold air. The pre-concert hum of the Old Rock House crowd, waiting on Bass Drum of Death, was punctuated by a guy telling the girl next to me that he was actually, right then, in the middle of composing a blues ballad. Really now? She sipped her drink, politely.

There are lyrics people and there are sound people. No matter in which camp you pitch your musical tent, Shearwater will reach you.

Rachael Yamagata's songs trace a winding path from love's beginning to love's end, while celebrating all the complications that come along for the ride.

A freight train barrels out of the drum kit. Spanning the distance between mandolin and bass guitar, this rhythmic drive sustains Ha Ha Tonka's delicate harmonies.