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Some By Sea, Hypatia Lake, Antlerand & Izabelle

Posted by Administrator June 4th, 2006 No Comments »

Some By Sea, Hypatia Lake, Antlerand & Izabelle 
Live @ The Paradox March 28, 2006  
By Kenny Shye   

Sometimes I attend a show not knowing what to expect. From time to time, I attend a performance that not only scraps all misgivings from our poor experiences, but actually completely reimburses me and then some. Far above an unanticipated great show was being treated to a triple CD release from bands proficient in their craft.       

Starting it off was six-piece Izabelle, who worshipfully played with comfy tempos, singing 80’s-esque guitars and sighing keys. Their dreamscape was fitted perfectly to frontman Tim Wilson, who crooned appropriately with a mastery of falsetto. Their well-polished sound softly whispered that it was okay to smile and enjoy it.  

 The trio Antlerand forcefully jogged my minds through high-textured notes and multi-instrumentalism syncopated with spiraling images and panning landscapes. The listener/viewer truly felt like they were part of a sophisticated mobile. Guitarist/vocalist Chris Larson is the man behind this imaginative video art that made Antlerand not just a show, but an experience. Their new release on Sound Family Records, Branches, is just as inspiring as their performance. 

Some By Sea, Hypatia Lake, Antlerand & Izabelle 
Live @ The Paradox March 28, 2006  
By Kenny Shye   

Sometimes I attend a show not knowing what to expect. From time to time, I attend a performance that not only scraps all misgivings from our poor experiences, but actually completely reimburses me and then some. Far above an unanticipated great show was being treated to a triple CD release from bands proficient in their craft.       

Starting it off was six-piece Izabelle, who worshipfully played with comfy tempos, singing 80’s-esque guitars and sighing keys. Their dreamscape was fitted perfectly to frontman Tim Wilson, who crooned appropriately with a mastery of falsetto. Their well-polished sound softly whispered that it was okay to smile and enjoy it.    

The trio Antlerand forcefully jogged my minds through high-textured notes and multi-instrumentalism syncopated with spiraling images and panning landscapes. The listener/viewer truly felt like they were part of a sophisticated mobile. Guitarist/vocalist Chris Larson is the man behind this imaginative video art that made Antlerand not just a show, but an experience. Their new release on Sound Family Records, Branches, is just as inspiring as their performance. 

I was then suddenly taken captive by Seattle’s Hypatia Lake with skulls strewn about them. This was 21st century psych-rock synthesis as if the future depended on it. Images of relentless gales bent and twisted reality into a world of thunderous guitars wired into dementia. Monolithic walls of sound and effects attempted to explain earth life to the extraterrestrials through transmissions into deep space…from the bottom of the ocean. Doubtless they could be heard even into the outermost black hole as astronauts were severed from their tethered spacewalks and mocked by wearing of white in the black light. With the unchallenged blasting, it was difficult to discern if they were actually in control of their instruments. As I questioned what dimension I was now in, I was informed that this was a celebration of their latest release, And We Shall Call Him Joseph, which is only a fraction of the intensity of their live show.  

I next pondered the thoughts of early explorers braving harsh seafaring and looking up to the horizon for hope. Here I surveyed the sturdy crew of Some by Sea who heartily bobbed along their voyage. With the careful cartography of cellist Rachel Bowman plotting their due course with swaying and swelling lines, Some by Sea’s indie pop sweetness was complete with an ensemble of shakers and easy-going percussion. Ultimately, they fought off scurvy, not with bites into citrus fruits, but with telling fables of surfacing sea monsters. Exhibiting no fear, their odyssey was built firmly in the belief that brutal honesty will get them to their destination. El Capitan is lead vocalist Chris Du Bray, who called all hands on deck even through pain and heartache. We reached port with their new full-length CD release, On Fire!, which was smuggled in ahead of schedule. In this cargo they brought ashore "The Things We All Carry Around," which was the final song of the night that sent us all away completely satisfied.