Whatever you say, Verve Pipe

Saturday, May 30 at the Hemlock Tavern
Woven
Cloud Archive
Stormy Strong

The Hemlock Tavern is usually a reliable place to see shows.  Even if the bands aren't particularly good, they're very often interesting enough that you don't feel like you've wasted your time.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

The night's opener, Stormy Strong, is a solid rock band with fairly strong hooks, but there's a distinct lack of creative ambition, like prom rock.  Remember when your friend's band played at the prom that one year?  Well, they haven't changed a bit.  Alternately, one can easily imagine an announcer saying "Tonight's episode of [insert WB program here] featured music by Stormy Strong."  They're technically capable, but not particularly inspiring.  Then again, the members seemed awfully young, so maybe it's a question of finding a voice.  Best of luck to them.

Following was a disappointing set by Cloud Archive.  Previously appearing as a four piece in the vein of Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky. Perhaps a nearer analog would be Chicago's Del Rey, accompanied as they are by glitchy electronics and samples.  Like Del Rey, Cloud Archive had potential to stand out in an overcrowded genre.  Tonight's set was performed by only two of the members operating laptops, a keyboard, and a sparsely used guitar, providing a variety of ambient noise and canned drums.  They still seemed overstaffed.  Whatever the appeal of listening to this type of music, there's something underwhelming about watching a live musician peering into his screen like he's entering figures into a spreadsheet and occasionally tapping a button.  It's like finding out the giant floating head is just a little old man behind a curtain.  Even one of the band members started looking bored about halfway through, though that could have been mounting frustration from the numerous technical malfunctions.

Finally, after an interminable setup period, LA's Woven took the stage.  The bio on their myspace page says their work has been featured on the television program CSI.  It shows. 

Sacrificing pithiness for clarity, a little more detail is in order.  Woven has five members with an inordinate amount of technology.  There are two drummers; one playing an electronic kit, one playing a real kit, augmented by electronics.  There are three keyboards.  Between the two guitarists and the bass player, there may be upwards of fifty pedals, the bulk of which belong to the guitarist who insists on using three different guitars throughout the set.  Despite all these toys, the music is not too far removed from late-nineties alternative rock, with maybe a dose of Radiohead worship for good measure.  Unlike a band such as Battles where all of the gadgets and trickery are in service of creating something new and original, it's more that all the gimmicks are to disguise the otherwise unexceptional music.