THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Horse Jumper of Love, Daisy Chain and Future Ghost at Will’s Pub, Feb. 6
The featured import of the latest
Ugly Orange concert was Run for Cover Records band
Horse Jumper of Love, who were making their Florida debut. Heroes of the Boston house-show scene, they’re a
slowcore band who are more than just bummer strummers.
Their songs are overcast emotion rendered in slo-mo, occasionally rising from the torpor in swelling crests of guitar fuzz. It’s music that comes over you like codeine and, well,
Codeine. Although certainly very atmospheric, they do more than just hover. Their sleepwalking features twists and left turns that evoke some choice 1990s indie rock.
Somewhat more stripped than their recordings, HJOL’s live arrangement gave particular emphasis to their interesting melodic detailing and the vocal emotion of singer-guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos. It was a juxtaposition of mood and sonics that cast a state of
hypnotic suspension that works the dynamic between light and heavy. And for a generally quiet band, the applause came loud.
As the forward-looking promoters at Ugly Orange are laudably wont to do, the rest of the night’s bill was a showcase of
fresh local talent with looks at a couple new notable acts.
Particularly promising were young Orlando band
Daisy-Chain, one of the most distinctive new prospects to sprout up lately. Steeped in the aesthetics of classic alternative, they’re an arty blend of jangle-pop and post-punk, even looking the part like a living snapshot of the early
1980s UK underground. Watch for them.
Also playing were indie rockers
Future Ghost, another brand-new local act – so new, in fact, that they didn’t yet have enough band material to constitute an opening set. Even though they performed as a big sextet, the band revolves around the creative duo of Jake Ellis and Kat Albanese. Their set was a grab bag of Future Ghost songs and their individual material under the respective names
Jake Ellis and
Coach Kit. The Future Ghost material benefits from their combination of melodic sensibilities and coed vocal chemistry. Live, they paint their airborne songs with richness and dynamism in full rock arrangement made widescreen by keyboards and sometimes even a second percussionist.
Follow Bao on Twitter (@baolehuu)
Email Bao: baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com This article appears in Overruled.
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