Through every living core, there tolls a chime

Annuals put on a great show, as always, at The Pour House in Raleigh (2/19/10). They played for a jam-packed crowd who Adam Baker graciously thanked between songs for choosing them over the Black Eyed Peas. Fergie or Annuals? Not a hard decision.

I can't say enough about this Raleigh band. I will go as far as to say they're one of the best groups to come out of the Triangle. Ever. Musical genius Baker has crafted a sound that's spontaneously cohesive and soothingly exhilarating. He intricately orchestrates an eclectic range of sound that provides new insight after each listen, whether it's the discovery of lyrical meaning, a subtle guitar riff, or a not-so-subtle farm animal noise.

The result is musical excellence that's unparalleled and unmatchable. Throw in a couple of light-up drums and you've got quite the live experience. Donzel Radford treated us to explosions of neon with every beat. Fun in a drum!

Their new EP, Sweet Sister, is scheduled to come out March 30th. I'm pretty excited about it, especially since they've returned to an independent label after briefly signing with a major label. You can download the fun, slightly electronic opener "Loxtep" here. It's a promising little taste, courtesy of Stereogum.

They played a lot from their last album Such Fun and some old favorites as well. I caught their amazing performance of "Brother":

Feels so good when he screams.

More pics from the night:

The lovely Anna Spence on keyboards.

Zack Oden playing an accordion!

Key component to any show=maracas.

...But You've Always Been the Caretaker

Photo Credit: Carly Bennett

I'm a sucker for suspenders and strange instruments. So clearly I enjoyed The Silent League show at the Local 506 (2/2/2010). Frontman Justin Russo brought out a pretty awesome melodica midshow. You don't see those often. But it's not uncommon to see the orchestral-pop group with an array instruments.

The big band from Brooklyn started their tour just one day after releasing their third album ...But You've Always Been the Caretaker on January 27th, and lucky for us, Chapel Hill was one of the first of the stops.

Here's their performance of one of my favorites from the album:





And here's a FREE Forcefield PR sampler you can download, featuring Neon Indian's remix of The Silent League's "Here a Star."