The air was fresh and smoke-free Saturday night at the 9:30 club, an atmosphere befitting the congenial crowd and bands that were to take refuge there for the night. The show, headlined by Montreal indie rockers The Dears, stood in stark contrast to the harsh, cement surroundings by churning out mind-numbingly ethereal pop from start to finish.
Contrary to the opener's name, the show started slow with Pilot Speed, a Toronto alt-rock quartet. In retrospect, the set began comparatively strong, with the drummer tearing at his kit, muscles locked and loaded. Sadly, the entire set constituted more of the same lackluster alt-pop of Keane, Snow Patrol and the like. The then-sparse crowd of 200 or so seemed unmoved, standing in rows resembling corn. Apparently reduced to a vegetable-like state by the band's vapid arrangements, there remained at least enough life for a polite applause. By the end their 30-minute set, Pilot Speed failed to muster enough energy to get the show off the ground.
Next was Annuals, the show's highlight, as the memory of their 45-minute set overshadowed that of The Dears. The only band to hail from the States (Raleigh, N.C.) was also the only band that got the vast majority of the crowd bobbing, swaying and singing along to their devil-may-care, ethos-laden indie rock. Their sound was exponentially more experimental and interesting than Pilot Speed's and The Dears', employing keyboards, maracas, a snare drum, cow bells and even a slide whistle to aid in creating their music's much-adored whimsical melodies.
However, more does not necessarily mean better in the grand scheme of music. If Sufjan Stevens worked with four other superfluous band members and the vocalist from Taking Back Sunday, he'd probably be Annuals. At times both wry and sweet, the band pulled off a set that almost warranted the $15 ticket price - almost.
Annuals got the show moving, but The Dears failed to keep with the momentum and live up to their headline status. Formed in 1995, they opened the set with a few forgettable songs from their 2006 album, "Gang of Losers," and padded the ample space between the few gems in their set with other material from 2004's "No Cities Left." None of the recorded intensity from their 2004 "Protest" EP was evident in their live set.
A mishmash of The Decembrists, The Cranberries, The Smiths and at times T. Rex's Marc Bolan, their brooding melancholy proved sedative rather than uplifting. During quieter, acoustic songs, vocalist Murray Lightburn had to compete with the general chatter of unenthused concertgoers. In an attempt to regain the crowd's fading attention, Lightburn exclaimed, "Dears shows are a great place to hook up," and segued into a story of love and marriage. Creating the only palpable mood of the set, a woman in the audience named Dawn was proposed to by her boyfriend, but not before Lightburn, master of ceremony, nearly killed the moment and exclaimed "This dude is about to change his or her life!"
Despite excellent drumming and a commendable stab at experimental, atmospheric music by Annuals, the show was forgettable at best. Next time The Dears are in town, save your Metro fare and buy the album instead. You don't need to know what you're missing.
