Banter’s tough – too little and you come across as boring or stagnant or uninterested in the crowd. Too much and you’re wasting precious musical time. The lead singer of the Elsinores, a local indie rock quartet from Champaign Illinois, spent his stage banter time on Friday evening at Schubas telling the crowd how good they smelled and trying to pinpoint the fragrance. It was definitely unorthodox but it worked and was rather flattering – in a quirky way that deviated from “oh man we love Chicago”.
The Elsinores stand out simply for the quality of the lead singer’s voice. A lot of indie rock groups have catchy songs, tight chords, a vast array of musical instruments and good synth-work, but it’s a rare few that have a lead singer with a truly strikingly beautiful voice – and the Elsinores have that.
So Many Dynamos headlined the night. I had heard about them from a couple of people because they produce “math rock.” The spectrum of how this was explained to me ranged from “I don’t really know what it is” to interpretive dance. According to Wikipedia it is “a rhythmically complex, often guitar-based style of experimental rock or indie rock.” I think if I were to sum it up for myself I’d say it’s surprising – the beat is just a little different than what you expect it to be. However you would describe it, it spurred on one of the better dance parties I’ve seen at Schubas – a lot of delightfully surprising moves to go with the delightfully surprising beats. Give it a listen: