ROCK CITY WEEKLY:
The Best Allston Music Offerings (12.04.08)
The SIS Preview by Miriam Lamey

Every packed gig has one of Those Guys (or Girls) in the audience. Curb those rampant imaginations, for this following description is far more innocent than the first sentence suggests. Those Guys/Girls are the unusually tall individuals who insist on standing pretty much right at the front, dead center of the stage. He or she tends to dance occasionally rhythmically, usually flailing about mostly in sync with the music. For some reason That Guy/Girl has unnaturally wild hair, and anyone of a normal height behind them can’t begin to see the band. This phenomenon was sighted at both last week’s Nada Surf concert and during Dungen’s set a month ago. While perusing this week’s Allston music offerings, just bear in mind that you might get swept away in the music, but remember that your shorter concertgoing friends in the back can’t see past all those limbs and hair.

Dead Confederate /Manchester Orchestra
Such a coincidence! I reviewed Dead Confederate’s debut album and suddenly, they’re playing at Harper’s Ferry on Tuesday, December 9th. Both Dead Confederate’s LP and live performance go hand in hand in terms of sonic depth and overall creativity. Yet the live show takes the band’s recorded sound and adds a delectable new layer as rich as that fudge you’ll undoubtedly eat this holiday season. Dead Confederate take songs like “The Rat” and infuse the rock with a sinister edge, transmitting the sense that even they know not where the pounding drums will lead. More prog-rock style tunes like the epic “All the Angels” become anthems, filling the room with distorted guitars and deep concentration. The first time I saw Dead Confederate live in a KEXP in-studio performance, I felt that these guys should be playing to millions, packing out arenas because their sound is just that huge and evocative. Check them at Harper’s Ferry for the live experience or merely the digital at www.myspace.com/deadconfederate. Sonic greatness does not end there. Manchester Orchestra take the stage right after Dead Confederate and are worth more than a cursory listen. Don’t be fooled by their name: Manchester Orchestra are neither orchestral (ok, well, maybe a little, especially when they chuck a violin into “I Can Feel A Hot One”) but certainly not from Manchester. This band hail from Atlanta, GA and have a vaguely folksy, partially indie vibe, but present some tight harmonies that give CSNY a bit of a kick up the rear end. Manchester Orchestra are calmer, more calculated and attend strongly to melodic beauty. They understand the gorgeousness of each instrument, each sound, and how all can be played to produce achy, beautiful notes. “I Can Feel A Hot One” swells with this emotion and slow wonder. “How I Waited” opens with a gorgeous, plucked acoustic and soft, but powerful vocals. Heartbreaking lyrics, like “you swore you’d be fine but you’re not/I’m sorry about it/I’m just tired waiting time” begin in this velvety voice, heavy with an unknown pain, but there’s something so frighteningly genuine about this song – all Manchester Orchestra’s music, in fact. Conor Oberst can’t achieve this sense even when he tries his hardest. For what will be an amazing musical experience, check www.myspace.com/manchesterorchestra and then head to the show next week.

Crystal Stilts
More Interpol-infused rock, I know, but Crystal Stilts present a cold moodiness that distinguishes this band from its current peers. These Brooklynites love using hollow vocals, layered ringing guitars and ghostly synth patens’. Tracks like “Converging in the Quiet” spit out Interpol, but also curiously sound like a slowed-down Devo, rife with just enough aural weirdness and misty synths. Crystal Stilts weave a comforting retro vibe through their music, giving the impression they’re perhaps a little warmer than the creepily-pissed off jangling guitars and dead ‘50s-rock-star aura would suggest. Such a sense floats straight from “Crippled Croon;” a tune with lyrics so indistinguishable they seem to be blasting from a poor PA system to an empty, echoing room. This blend of dark moodiness and haunting loneliness fills Crystal Stilts’ music with a chilly tension that supports their dusty retro vibe. Listen to this band at myspace.com/crystalstilts and hear them while sipping a large whiskey at Great Scott on Tuesday, December 9th.

Tigercity
And now for something completely different. Tigercity’s cheesily-perky ‘80s charm and shiny brightness take over Great Scott on Saturday, December 6th, and I must say, it’s a refreshing change from rock’s darker edges. Sounding a touch like Bowie, with bits of Talking Heads and their own rough guitar blasts, Tigercity play tongue-in-cheek pop music, with appropriately disdainful vocals. With the track “Red Lips” one feels compelled to sway and leap about to the snapping, quick drums and slippery synths, while the melody slithers above the electronic greatness. “Other Girls,” hovers on the perfectly drawn line between amusing ‘80s-inpsired falsetto vocals with self-mocking effeminiate choruses and a commendable Prince-inspired sound. Tigercity keep their well-deserved balance and present a great dance tune that brings together all instruments in a simple, accessible way. Overall, the music’s disco sparkles make for amusing, easy tunes that are truly quite delightful. Tigercity are online at myspace.com/tigercity and play as part of Northeast Performer’s Showcase with Taxpayer, The Information, and Midatlantic.