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MP3: Moss of Aura – Never

The Metro Gallery was understandably vacant two Thursdays ago. After all–it was a weeknight, substantial storming had been predicted, and, to top it all off, an unfamiliar group (Austin’s The Sour Notes) was headlining. To put it lightly: the present viewership didn’t exactly make performing worth the artists’ while. But that doesn’t mean the night was uncomfortable or awkward. I’d actually say that the lack of occupancy had quite the opposite effect.

Some might think of crowdless shows as uneasy, self-conscious situations, but I’m inclined to think that an open room can often supplement an artist’s music. Because of the way the Metro Gallery is organized, the audience tends to quickly become aware of itself when the headcount is small; the room’s atmosphere acquires a much greater sense of tranquility as a result. Taking into account the majority of the artists scheduled were of a sit-down variety, the night was a pretty good time. Conversations were kept down at the back of the bar, and the audience members (all eight of us) looked content in their respective locations. All of this, of course, counts for naught without a decent lineup.

Previously featured on monthly webshow An Hour of Kindness, Fearsome Creatures were first to take the stage. Allyson Little’s distinctive vocals were already doing their very best to fill the empty space–then at its most occupied–as I walked in. For all her effort though, guitarist Stephan Kaplan consistently soiled any progress the duo made. He would, in poor taste, mutter crowd-directed vulgarities between songs (ex: “how’s it going, cocksuckers?”). And, sure, his comments could have been slightly humorous for whatever that’s worth, but Fearsome Creatures have clearly made their stake by now–Crudeness is plainly not a thing that can be tolerated when the whole aim of your project is to make pretty music.

Moss Of Aura followed, and this side project of J. Gerrit Welmers (better known as the keyboardist from Future Islands) unquestionably dominated the night’s attention. What Welmers’ does with Moss Of Aura is simple: he lays down “phat-as-phuck” beats on top of mushroom cloud atmospherics to impressive effect. It’s a formula that he demonstrates ample proficiency with, but also one that I can’t imagine contains a whole lot of workable variability. In other words–If your music project is going to feed heavily off of a procedural infrastructure (such as Moss of Aura does), diversity is something that will grow more difficult to come by every second of the way. I wouldn’t insinuate that Moss Of Aura is going to become uninteresting anytime soon though: Welmers’ endlessly replayable self-released debut, Still Parade, suggests that variation isn’t a necessary part of the equation. The specifics will prove difficult to describe in a mere paragraph or two (and Welmers’ live act is essentially the same as his release, anyway), so in lieu of writing a formal show review I’ll just recommend that you ready your best pair of headphones and listen to what we post. ‘Cause god damn.

Now, I left midway through The Sour Notes’ set (partially because I fear snowy Western Maryland roads and partially because it was terrible), but here is the impression I received. They presented half-thought indie pop tunes whilst standing motionless, scarcely revealing any signs of human emotion. They apparently found no possible way to address their audience without creating a tense silence. That being said, they did have one of the most animated percussionists I’ve seen in a long while. Just a word on him: in his own unique way, Travis Hackett of The Sour Notes retained complete control over the rhythmic domain for my observation’s entirety. He approached his work with plenty of bumps and bounces, but executed it flawlessly. Concentrating on Hackett’s actions genuinely improved how the rest of the Sour Notes sounded. And they are sour. Sure, indie pop has been thoroughly excavated by now, but that’s still no excuse for lacking originality in the grandest sense of the term.

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