Darkness Falls On Mercury Lounge
The bands that played Mercury Lounge last night may all have very different sounds, but they had one thing that really tied them together, they bring out a very, very dark mood.
First up was Gowns, a Brooklyn-based band that thrives on experimentation. Their sound has grown tremendously since their mediocre performance in April at Luna Lounge. Since then, theyve added a bass player, and seemed to really develop their songs into something more substantial than just an experiment with noise. The mix of creative percussion and violin over simple strummed-guitar works well, as the band seems to generate noise, and then sculpt it into beautiful forms.
Next up was one of Matador Records most recent findings, The Cave Singers. The Seattle trio, touring in support of their lovely debut Invitation Songs, wowed the crowd with their bluesy folk. Singer Pete Quirks voice contains a certain kind of soul that comes very rarely, and when combined with ex-Pretty Girls Make Graves bassist Derek Fudescos hypnotizing guitar plucking and Marty Lunds soft, rolling drumming, the sounds that emerges is an eerie one that could be easily be mistaken for being of an entirely different era.
Canadian rockers Black Mountain have been on tour with The Cave Singers for long enough to know that theyre a hard act to follow, but Black Mountain were the headliner for a reason. While for some reason (money) American classic rock stations have turned to Nickelback as the model for modern classic rock, theres no doubt that Black Mountain should really be what theyre playing. They sound like a Grace Slick-fronted Black Sabbath, with Amber Webbers haunting vocals, and Stephen McBeans riffs often carrying the songs. Starting off with a cluster of new songs that stay true to their sound, the set really took off with the 1-2 punch of Druganaut and Dont Run Our Hearts Around (which was definitely the highlight of the performance. This band embodies what modern hard rock should sound like. Its too bad were so often subjected to crap like Puddle of Mudd, Kid Rock, and Nickelback.
Black Mountain
Black Mountain
Black Mountain
Cave Singers
Cave Singers
Gowns
Photos courtesy of [Jonny-Leather]