Monday, July 8, 2013

SRVVLST, Peace Be Still, Maumelle, Prize the Doubt

July 5, 2013 • The Summit, Columbus, Ohio

It was a bit weird to learn that The Summit is actually distinct from Café Bourbon St.—two equally tiny, grimy bars sharing the same building. Can't say it's not good for an emo show, though. While this was probably the lowest-attended show I've been to yet (top five, at least), I gotta say it was a pretty good time.

Prize the Doubt

These guys were really interesting for sure. It was a weird combination of dissonant screamo and hard-as-shit metalcore, with the occasional grindcore and post-rock segue thrown in. I thought they were too weird to enjoy at first, but they really grew on me during their set. Performance was middling, but the music was very neat. Worth seeing.
7Best Power Stances Award

Maumelle

I've got conflicting opinions on Maumelle. First off, the music is awesome—kind of typical midwest emo, with the stereotypical twinkly guitar (albeit very well-done, some really great licks) and excellent songwriting. The vocals seemed really out-of-place though, nothing but full-on screams the whole time; it was a weird juxtaposition that didn't make a lot of sense to me. It didn't bother me enough to not enjoy the hell out of the band, though.
7Best Mullet Award (aka Worst Mullet Award)

Peace Be Still

Even though Peace Be Still had probably the most generic sound of all the bands that played, they were still quite good in their own way. Horrible vocals, but in the satisfying emo way; well-played guitar and drums; above-average bass grooving (probably one of the better parts of their sound). I could have done without the between-song "stories" or whatever. Still, good stuff.
7Most Frequent Unnecessary Tuning Award

SRVVLST

These guys had a much more math-rock oriented sound, kind of like an emo Battles, with a similar focus on instrumentals instead of vocals. Lots of 5/8 time and things like that, which was a nice change of pace. The complexity made for a slightly sloppy performance, though, but I guess that is understandable. I did really enjoy how for their last song, they invited everyone up on stage (maybe a dozen of us) to watch. It was a very cool experience, definitely they show's highlight; made everything seem a lot more special. Recommended.
7Best Fingertapping Award

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