Bell Gardens and Eluvium at The Bootleg Theater, 5/5/10

Bell Gardens

A miniaturized
Symphony, but not without
Jangly rock swagger.

Eluvium

The ghost of Glenn Gould
Caressed his keys as we sat,
Mouths agape, spellbound.

Shearwater with Wye Oak at Spaceland, 4/24/10

Wye Oak

With a voice so text-
Book beautiful, her earthly charm
Befriended my ears.

Shearwater

Justin's fearlessness
And Thor's creativity
Sliced stereotypes

Earth, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Lori Goldsten at the Echoplex, 4/20/10

Lori Goldsten

Cello challenger
Painted ominous forests
With each stroke of bow.

Wolves In The Throne Room

If they're poseurs, I
Fear legitimacy. Those
Wolves amply shook me.

Earth

Like a wakeful dream,
SO precise, SO elegant
Subconscious seduced.

Young Hunting at the Echo Curio, 4/17/10

The line up shuffle
Served to underscore their vast
Vocal improvements!

Author and Punisher at Vacation Records, 4/16/10

An industrial
Revolutionary both
Rare and impressive

Ramona (Nite Jewel) and Stellar Om Source at The Show Cave, 4/10/2010

Ramona (Nite Jewel)

Surprisingly and
Delightfully Enya-esque,
but with fangs, of course.

Stellar Om Source

Lots of "Look what my
Machines can do!" Less "Look what
I can do with them!"

The Wedding Present at the Troubadour, 4/2/10

With so much grace and
Dignity, he ripped the strings
Off that brave guitar

Bill Orcutt, Peter Kolovos and Nevai/Wolcott at Synchronicity Space, 3/27/10

Nevai/Wolcott

Sparks of sheer genius
Intermingled with playful
Self-aware banter.

Peter Kolovos

Climactic without
Melody, the sheer force of
Sound purged our tear ducts.

Bill Orcutt

Constructed brambles
Inside our ears and then drew
Us through them, gently.

Deakin at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, 3/21/10

Personality
Distinct, his sounds, while long, were
All familiar

Jucifer at Vacation Records, 3/11/10

Deliciously hard
And viciously loud, they shook
Us all to nausea.