It was a busy night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last night; bands Pepper Rabbit, Active Child, Braids, and Weekend performed to an enthusiastic crowd of CMJ-goers. The bands covered a broad spectrum of musical genres from Active Child's choral post-dubstep to Weekend's (extraordinarily loud) noise pop.
Pepper Rabbit, an upbeat band from Los Angeles, opened with an unusual setup: a drummer, two keyboardists, and no guitar. It turned out that this wasn't permanent: as the set progressed, band members switched instruments to include guitars and even a ukulele. The loping music was folk-inspired and imaginative in its range of instrumentation, culminating in a unique brand of orchestral pop. Xander Singh was good-natured when his microphone wouldn't stay put, and made an excellent save between verses that nearly cost him few lyrics.
Active Child stole the show with their 9pm set. Pat Grossi, the mastermind of the Active Child project, juxtaposes his chilling, choral falsetto and delicate harp-playing with the sonic intensity of electronic drums and keyboards. Reminiscent of How to Dress Well's deconstructed R&B with thundering electronic percussion, the band is ultimately difficult to categorize -- Active Child is an experiment in sonic contradiction as much as anything, and a compelling one at that. Songs were expansive, even grandiose affairs with the air of traditional choral music. The performance was finely-tuned, down to the apparent decision on the part of the band to wear matching scoop-neck t-shirts in slightly different neutral shades.
Braids, from Alberta, Canada, is an indie rock band whose debut "Native Speaker" came out in early 2011. Raphaelle Standell-Preston's voice was alternately breathy and powerful, and between the songs, the band delved into ambient soundscapes. Songs were densely textured, with all members contributing vocals. While clearly influenced by folk music, Braids' arrangements pushed into the experimental, and were well-received by the crowd.
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