28 April 2009
Brooklyn duo Mountains put on a fantastic and cerebral live show last night at The Music Gallery on John Street in Toronto. The venue is actually an old Anglican Church, made of wood and stone, airy and open, so the acoustics were amazing. They couldn’t have played in a better spot. The small but enraptured crowd sat in the pews as the duo played a one song 45 minute set. Using guitars, synths, accordion, melodica, voice, two Powerbooks, and lots of other neat toys, they created a whitewash of looped introspective ambience.
It had me reeling in the pew, thinking about more things at once than I have in quite a while. Made me feel high on shrooms as samples of sound swirled upward to the peaked ceiling and deep bass rumbled the church floor. My friend Stewart next to me brought a note pad and was feverishly jotting down notes in the dark, my friend Mat on the other side, seemed antsy, plagued by grim yet ambitious dreams. I couldn’t sit still. I felt enlightened and confused at the same time, as their set reached a cacaphonous yet beautiful climax, ending with the moans of a dying accordion. Brilliant stuff. Nice guys too. I wish them well on the rest of their tour.
INAUDIBLE 