At the beginning of their early evening Saturday set, Pandaléon played some very tight post-rock with dreamy vocals injected here and there. For their end, they did a pretty similar thing — the tunes were tight, dramatic, and completely engaging.
In the middle though, was a special sort of monster. For a good ten minutes, Pandaléon rolled through the kind of cinematic masterpiece that either triggers a deeply embedded existential dread or soundtracks a murder mystery. Their mid-set slow-burner rolled through abandoned cityscapes and darkened, empty alleyways, evoking the danger of the unknown with eerily subdued but troubling guitar and anxious keys. It gave you the feeling that, as the protagonist in the story, you were destined to come out on top, but you had to face a brutal darkness you didn't yet know.
The band masterfully built this anxiety-ridden atmosphere from nothing into a faux climax, back to uncomfortable calm, and into a massive, punishing waves of feedback. They could've seriously played this one song and floored the entire venue and that would've been enough. Any other forays into beautiful and brooding tunes were just the icing on the cake.
In the middle though, was a special sort of monster. For a good ten minutes, Pandaléon rolled through the kind of cinematic masterpiece that either triggers a deeply embedded existential dread or soundtracks a murder mystery. Their mid-set slow-burner rolled through abandoned cityscapes and darkened, empty alleyways, evoking the danger of the unknown with eerily subdued but troubling guitar and anxious keys. It gave you the feeling that, as the protagonist in the story, you were destined to come out on top, but you had to face a brutal darkness you didn't yet know.
The band masterfully built this anxiety-ridden atmosphere from nothing into a faux climax, back to uncomfortable calm, and into a massive, punishing waves of feedback. They could've seriously played this one song and floored the entire venue and that would've been enough. Any other forays into beautiful and brooding tunes were just the icing on the cake.