Grizzzzy Bear/Yndi Halda/The Motel Beds/Lungs @ Pearl 8.3.08

...gathering for a rare Sunday evening show at Pearl, things kicked off with the instrumental quartet, Lungs. With their distinctive take on post-rock, the band's melodic sensibilities and dynamics place them firmly within the bounds of the style. Seemingly most comfortable with the heavier aspects of their spectrum, the more subtle passages are deftly executed. While the band may further explore the middle ranges of their dynamic range, on this evening Lungs demonstrated that they are one of the best young bands in town at the moment...




...next up we had the return of The Motel Beds, not seen on stage since the spring. Backed by members of Captain of Industry and The Human Reunion, PJ Paslosky and co. attempted to kick out the cobwebs from their dormancy and serve up their patented experimental pop. While tuning issues seemed to plague the set somewhat, the Beds still managed to pull together a set of hook-laden tunes that will hopefully continue to improve as the band returns to a more active performance schedule...




...in town from Canterbury, England, Yndi Halda gave a performance that those who were fortunate enough to be in attendance will not likely soon forget. Although the band may be easily tagged as post-rock, there is a nuance and sense of dynamics that provide them with a unique take on the style. Building from incredibly quiet spaces and allowing themselves to explore numerous plateaus, the band's ability to fully exploit their dynamics and further intensify their melodic themes only served to elevate their crescendos. While many of their contemporaries have codified the patterns of post-rock, Yndi Halda follow their own instincts and come away with a wholly unique canvas that may very well set them apart from the pack...




...closing out the night, Grizzzzy Bear proved yet again on this night why they are one of the best bands going in Dayton at the moment. With special guest John Lakes from Captain of Industry filling in on the drums, the band tore through a handful of tunes from their debut disc, continuing to expand the arrangements to accommodate a near-endless series of riff modulations that could easily provide enough fodder for another band's entire repertoire. Even intermittent technical problems could not hold Grizzzzy Bear back on this night, as the unreleased Mr. Bloodsuck served as the centerpiece of a brief set that left the audience clamoring for more...




For more photos from the evening, go here.