Indie rock lineups blend together pretty easily when you live in a city like Portland; where there’s a concert happening every night with band you may or may not have heard of. One thing was certain though when Bear in Heaven played the Doug Fir Lounge, these Brooklynites know how to shake up an otherwise sleepy Sunday.
The show was opened by White Hinterland, a band who have gone through a serious shift in sound since releasing Phylactery Factory in 2007. The band, which tonight consisted of songwriter and lead singer Casey Dienel and one other guy, played music that was strongly reflective of their recent full-length Kairos. Heavily influenced by electronica and rife with distortion and echoes, Dienel has switched gears with this album, channeling a more dreamy, ambient sound than the folk tinged music of Phylactery Factory.
Music aside though, White Hinterland doesn’t work ideally as a live act.There’s no denying that Dienel is an incredibly talented and adept musician, but her stage presence is nothing awe-inspiring. This is a case where good music is suffering from a poor, somewhat lackluster presence. Even Dienel’s attempts at conversing with the audience were thwarted by her tiny, nervous voice, which was barely audible.
The crowd, which was sparse for White Hinterland, picked up a lot when Twin Sister took the stage. Seeing them play, it becomes clear why there is so much buzz surrounding the group right now. Everything about them seems to work perfectly. Their music is dreamy and it rolled through the crowd in waves, making everyone at the show sway and move.
They didn’t talk much, but Twin Sister managed to engage the audience with a riveting stage presence and amazing chemistry. At one point, two of the guitarists, who were playing next to each other, turned and faced one another. As they played, their bodies undulating, it looked as though they were almost dancing together. Their lead singer’s voice complimented each aspect of the instrumentals beautifully with it’s husky, airy quality. The band ended out their set with a song off their EP Color Your Life called “The Other Side of Your Face,” which began with a length, atmospheric intro, gradually bursting into a symphony of sound.
When Bear in Heaven finally took the stage, there was a good energy in the room and a crowd filled with anticipation. The bulk of their set seemed to come off of their latest album Beast Rest Forth Mouth, but there were a few songs like “Bag of Bags” from Red Bloom Of The Boom. All of it sounded beyond stellar.
The rich, full sound that Bear in Heaven is known for came to life on the stage, filling the room with an energy that seemed to wash over anyone present. Their music has a certain heaviness to it and distinctly epic quality in some places that is both riveting and startling all at once. Sticking mostly to a hard rocking, indie style, there were times when their sound got a little bit ravey and dancey. Watching bands like Bear in Heaven perform is almost enough to make you sad because in that moment everything feels so perfect and there is no way you’ll ever be able to replicate that feeling at that time again. Go see them.
