Under The Stars

Wendy Versus

Coming home on a blustery, rainy Friday, I peeled off my soaked clothes. I thought about just staying in tonight, but the weather cleared up enough that I decided to head down to Sneaky Dee's for a CD release party.

The venue had blank posters and paper scattered around so you can write your well-wishes and draw something using the supplied crayons in a nod to the album entitled "Crayon Wars". The first act was Patrick Grant. He played an airy indie pop that didn't make much impression on me.

Second up was Lovely Killbots. This electronic duo played a propulsive dance pop with interesting percussive flourishes and lyrics. For the last few shows, they have a video guy on hand to sync up their video visuals with the music for a more integrated sci-fi experience. The mix was good tonight, allowing drummer Ryan's harmony to be heard clearly, interwoven with singer Lauralee's vocals.

The headliners, Wendy Versus, came on around 11:30. Composed of 2 members of Papermaps, Wendy and Dean, and a 3rd member, Owen, on drum machines/effects and bass, their music was mostly electro pop with a few songs venturing into dance territory. In contrast to Papermaps, Wendy sang lead on this project. She had a strong, rich voice in the lower register but her soft, breathy upper range got swallowed up by the live instrumentals. Dean punctuated the electronica with judicious chords and clean, ringing arpeggios. The only negative was the synth drums, which did not provide enough muscularity. Along with the dreamy feel of most songs, there wasn't enough incentive for the crowd to start dancing. Their vinyl would be perfect for a laid-back night at home, but they might consider adding some punch for live performances.