Headless Horseman played Cameo Gallery

Halloween glitch-pop duo shared the bill last night as part of a Stadiums and Shrines showcase at Cameo Gallery. The performance last night was light years ahead of their debut show this past summer at Glasslands and are fully geared up for their residency at Pianos every Friday of February. The pair paid homage to thier direct influences mixing the post-rock build ups of Sigur Ros with the electronic frenzy of Aphex Twin and the lo-fi stylings of the Microphones. Connor and Fareed stand face-to-face along a row of drums and various objects as they pound away to pre-recorded loops and shrunken vocals allowing for an intimate exchange of vocals through cleverly arranged electronic blips and reverb. Chirps and Tweets were washed over fuzzy guitars and erratic beats. Steady pre-recorded sound collages allowed for smooth transitions between songs, something that definitely plagued the group in the past, and allowed for witty banter as the two switched between taped together acoustic and electric guitars.

Headless Horsemen / Crocodiles played Glasslands

Although plagued by equipment failure and the debut performance by Headless Horsemen showed nothing but promise from the young duo. The post-rock/lo-fi inspired sound displayed the knowledge and skill behind this songwriting pair. Perhaps more at home in a recording studio, or under the embrace of headphones, the mesh of textured sounds and focused thought throughout each number showed large aspirations of great things to come.

As San Diego noise rockers Crocodiles took to Glasslands on Saturday night, I was greatly surprised upon first impression. The clean cut greaser punk and Clash inspired demeanor juxtaposed the harsh noise-pop/post-punk sound imposed by the expanded quintet. Based off the dense sound layers and heavy bass on Summer of Hate and their recent, just as exhilarating, record Sleep Forever the polished appearance did not seem to coincide with the intensity pumped through the speakers. While the Jesus and Mary Chain influences lashed out in every song, the band failed to acknowledge their crowd and plowed through their set with such fervor it appeared as if they were simply at work. Despite a lack of connection, each song sounded spot on and was met with the highest approval of the night.