Last Friday found me up at North Star Bar, again, to see The Canon Logic and Plushgun. They were the middle of an interesting line up also featuring opener Pants Velour, whose excellent cover of the Jay Z/ Alicia Key’s “New York” was all I caught, and the geektastic synth band Freezepop.
The Canon Logic
Hitting town in support of their fantastic new release FM Arcade The Canon Logic were the main focus of my night. On their album the group’s sound is very polished; lead Tim Kiely’s voice is smooth, the guitars, bass and piano are all well balanced and spot on. All of which make FM Arcade a deliriously catchy pop album but I was curious how they would present it on stage. A few short minutes into their set it was clear we were going to see an unfiltered side of the five guys from Brooklyn.
At first I was a little worried they would simply stand their and play the music just as you hear it one the record. Their stage presence was a little timid and although they brought on some powerhouse sound there wasn’t anything fresh. About 2/3 of the way through their first song though they started getting loose and tearing into the meat of their arrangements.
As Kiely’s energy level started to rise his voice stretched and flexed some major sonic muscle. By the third song they were all moving around the stage, not only rotating instruments but simply getting into their music. For a bunch of fellas in plaid the real glam pop nature of their songs was on full parade. Particular lines carried more wight in their live form; like the manic guitars on Villain In America, when interplayed with Kiel’s wail and the interspersed harmonies they become the heart beat of the song. The piano and percussion lines also contributed more audibly to the richness of The Canon Logic’s sound.
All the members filled out the harmonies throughout the set and, especially once they reached maximum comfort levels, their solid vocals pushed the entire show to unexpected heights. I can confidently say there are few new groups out there right now that can hit their harmonies as absolutely as they can. Listening to their record now that I know the fullness that really lies within their arrangements I am left wanting more. More of the energy and passion that they all have for this project. Buying the album is a good intro but do whatever you can to get a dose of The Canon Logic live.
Plush Gun
Next to take the stage was Plushgun in all their studded skinny jeaned glory. Further amplifying The Canon Logic’s glam pop cred was the awesomely dancey electro pop that Plushgun has mastered. If you don’t already own some Plushgun get on it. They could pump even the squarest of squares up and out of their chair with their relentlessly up tempo beats and live it gets that much more fun.
Trio keep their stage set up simple because lead singer Daniel Ingala needs a lot of room to dance around. The energy their putting into their music is multiplied 10 fold when run through their synthy percussion driven treatment. At one point they took advantage of the crazy lighting scenario at the North Star trying out the red lazer disco ball effect. Ingala never slowed down always having a total blast while singing his heart out.
Honestly I wasn’t sure what more they could add to their music to make it even better live. I walked away realizing they didn’t need to add anything. Recorded or live Plushgun are able to rip you out of the deepest of funks and get you dancing around like a crazy person. The crowd was totally feeling it and I openly admit I joined in the frenzy. It was a perfect pick me up set to end a long week.
[MP3] Avenue Of Criminals – The Canon Logic
[MP3] A Crush To Pass The Time (Don Diablo Remix) – Plushgun