Poor Moon + Lost In The Tress @ Il Motore 04/07/12

The unexpected can also be applied to live concerts as I have come to find out when I went to Il Motore on April 7th. The lack of expectation only brought great contentedness as we were granted the double treat of having Poor Moon and Lost In The Trees playing for a devoted audience. 

It would be impossible to talk about Poor Moon and avoid comparisons with the beloved and worshiped Fleet Foxes, of which two of the founding members were also part of. Aside from the striking beauty of the arrangements, the high quality of musicianship, and common folk background, Poor Moon really do branch out on their own. The register surfs through chamber folk and dream pop with an ever-present upbeat component thriving an undeniable optimistic feel-good vibe. Vocal harmonies are the center  piece of the work for we are incapable of detecting any official lead singer on this crowded stage, which also count many multi-instrumentalists. The effervescence in the sound, the creativeness and inventiveness of the craft is not without reminder of the work of the Beach Boys. Sincere, modest and enthusiastic as these musicians were, there is simply no doubt that Poor Moon will continue to gather much and more adepts just like they were able to do in Montreal last night - or maybe I was late on the news and was actually the only soon-to-be fan in the room. For the record, the band just launched an excellent debut EP titled  Illusion last month for you to check out.  

Straight from North Carolina, Lost In The Trees were next up on stage to set a more dramatic tone to the night. This band paves its way in a genre where folk meets classical, resulting in the most surprising effect. The 7-piece band includes a string section featuring a violinist and cellist, in which the lyrical part does not try to blend in with the folk setting but rather answer the guitar-lead melodies. The result is poignant and vibrant, driven by Ari Picker’s striking falsetto voice. All of this is not without a cinematic aspect in which song lyrics drew graphic images all while building an original soundscape. The band is currently touring for their second album titled A Church That Fits Our Needs. Despite the name, this band is certainly not lost, as they have found their own direction.