The Mona Reels are an interesting amalgam. Normally when I see two gals and a guy on stage where the only instrumentation is acoustic guitar and keyboard, I expect them to be "endearing" in their indiepopness. But, these guys defy those stereotypes.
On one hand, their lyrics trend toward typical, if somewhat literate, indiepop fair. On the other hand, these three have perhaps the strongest voices I've heard in a club setting in Seattle. Absolutely beautiful harmonies and melodies. And the melodies and chord structures are more "classic pop" than indiepop. More Beatles and Beach Boys than The Softies and Belle & Sebastian.
Anyway, here are a few snapshots:
The Mona Reels - Summy, Peter and April
The Mona Reels - Peter David Connelly
On second was Spanish For 100. I enjoyed their set quite a bit, although it's no where near the type of music I normally write about here. They're quite angular and mathematically rhythmic. They remind me of the Louisville/Chicago bands of the 1990s. Sort of a Slint-y, post-rock thing, but with some of the song structure tendencies of Television.
Spanish For 100
On third was The Sea Navy. This was my first opportunity to catch them live, which is nuts, since I interviewed Jay back on October 2. I actually liked them more in the live setting than on their recent release. Although it occasionally suffered from "sounds the same-ness" and they are the masters of the abrupt ending, their tunes had good energy and some good hooks. This was their last show with drummer TW Walsh, who is apparently Boston bound. They gave him a going away cake. Very sweet.
Their set was also interesting from the audience perspective, as there was a small cadre of sorority/fraternity types in the room, and they were quite a bit tipsy. Interestingly, although I would generally find folks like that annoying, they actually stood right up in front of the band and dances... gasp. Dancing? At a rock show. Surely I jest? So, for that I applaud them. Jay seemed quite amused at the whole scene.
The crowd dances to The Sea Navy
The Sea Navy - Jay Cox
Closing out the night was Dept of Energy. As is becoming my ongoing reality, I lose steam somewhere around 12:30pm. So, while they did a great job with their music, I was tired. So, I snapped a few shots and headed home.
Dept of Energy - Robb Benson
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