Curiously, there aren't ten bands playing before Baltimore's indie-darling duo Wye Oak takes the stage this evening. Maybe Emo's is paring down their marathon line-ups. Probably not. There's one, actually, and it's The Cocker Spaniels (a.k.a. Sean Padilla) whose brand of "New Power Emo" will put a smile inside your mouth and a sparkle in your step for days to come. Wye Oak will too, for that matter. Here's the lowdown: two peeps, one Andy Stack on drums/keyboards/vox (simultaneously!), the adorable Jenn Wasner on everything else. Theirs is a sometime mellow, sometime-not-so-much brand of "indie-rock", just as prone to exploding into orgasmic chorus as it might stay chilling on the beanbag in the game room during lazy verses. There's an appreciable amount of Low and Yo La Tengo, which is to say It's very good stuff - as you tentatively access their Myspace... We hope to see you there, as towheaded multi-instrumentalists making the rock is something we need to support in this world.

Supporting are Thrill Jockey's Pontiak, playing their trademark form of brutish power rock which features oozing dirging guitars, feedback and riffage. Their last effort, Sun on Sun is an incredible testament to their Goliath-influenced take on postrock. Perhaps more interestingly, their TJ debut is a split with Abouretum featuring three John Cale covers. We are very excited for their forthcoming release, slated for late 2008.

[Wye Oak Official][Myspace]
[Pontiak Official] [MySpace
[The Cocker Spaniels Official][Myspace]