Daughter and Vancouver Sleep Clinic show the grandeur of quietude in Florida debut (The Beacham)

THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND
For their first and only Florida date, 4AD/Glassnote band Daughter (Nov. 9, The Beacham) debuted in Orlando. And apparently, a whole legion of people has been in wait for this because a thirsty and robust reception met the historical occasion.
The London act identify as a folk band, though that heritage is vague because their underpinning is really the kind of folk born only of contemporary indie abstraction. The result, especially once all their considerable hallmark embellishments come into play, is a stylish brand of drama-pop. There’s a twilit minimalism at its heart that leverages mood and relief. But when the music strikes, it can be oceanic with swells of guitar, drums and electronics. Add to that the presence and serious-ass lyrics of frontwoman Elena Tonra and things get thick.
Although Daughter’s music is often more atmosphere than resolution, it played effectively in show with a professional stage production of appropriate lighting and projections that connected the dots and drove it all home. If anything, the band proved the power of monolithic restraint when done with purpose.

A similar gentle-but-big dynamic goes for young support act Vancouver Sleep Clinic, which is the vehicle of Tim Bettinson, an artist not actually from up north but rather Down Under, map be damned. Just as momentous as Daughter, this Orlando debut was part of the band’s first tour of North America.
Bettinson may ride the tender frequency in the modern tide of ether-breathing crooners with his fragile, ghostly falsetto but he’s no window-gazing whisperer. This guy’s got clear widescreen pop ambition, often streaking the canvas in grand sweeps and scaling crescendos. Though his music is slow, indie-ish bedroom pop at its core, he and his full band render it with impressive scale and color it with modern flourishes of R&B and electronic. It’s soft, straight and earnest but solid and epic.

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This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly's music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city's music scene.

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