By Sami Martasian
Thursday night shows at Great Scott have been consistently impressive lately, advice and Yellow Ostrich’s recent appearance was no exception. Kid Mountain kicked the night off with an unexpected bang. Being the first opener of three bands is a tough spot to be in- it’s hard to get the audience excited, vialis 40mg but Kid Mountain’s unstoppable energy got everyone’s attention within their first song. If you still haven’t seen them live, cialis get on that as soon as possible: the songs are bold testaments to what makes experimental pop/rock so gripping. There are some hints at fuzzy garage rock but fused with strong melodies and precise instrumental work that makes dancing irresistible. The band themselves brought extra energy to the room. Through every song they let loose and jumped around the stage as if they were so caught up in the music that they had no choice. Then came TEEN who had a few sound issues. Perhaps their set would have been a little more successful if not for problems with their gear. At moments, TEEN presented some interesting harmonies and moments of experimental innovation, yet something was lost between their vision of the songs and what the audience got.
Yellow Ostrich rolled out and the floor filled up. A few things struck us particularly quickly about Yellow Ostrich: the first being…they seem like such nice guys. Frontman Alex Schaaf interacted with the audience in a way that was reflective of what can only be classified as “dad humor.” He pretended to recognize people in the crowd by name and smiled more than most people ever do on the Great Scott stage. There was something very approachable about their stage presence, which let his music become even more compelling. It’s been a few years since Yellow Ostrich’s first album, The Mistress made waves in the indie rock world, but a lot of its listeners are still moved in its wake. The experimental atmosphere they started their career off with is somehow still fresh in their listeners’ ears, and they’ve only progressed from there. One thing that’s so impressive about Yellow Ostrich is that not only did they find a sound that was unique to them that they perform well, but they continue to challenge, evolve and grow instead of settling. The new album Cosmos (which made up a lot of their set) focuses on building a sturdy, indie rock foundation on which intricate details can grow.
Yellow Ostrichs’ set Thursday night made all this very clear: the band brought out some songs from each of their albums. The crowd was excited to hear “Whale” a classic off of The mistress, but equally thrilled to experience songs off the newest album, which are a little less delicate with a more full sound. It’s music to dance to, and somehow it also feels inspired and thoughtful. Yellow Ostrich lives up to their frequent, open admiration for Carl Sagen: as they are constantly evolving, transforming, and defying expectations that they set for themselves.