Crystal Antlers – Live at Emo’s

Prior to seeing Crystal Antlers live there were still factors about the band that I was pretty much blind to. I had no idea to what the members looked like. In my head I kept picturing the band from The Muppet’s Show. More precisely I kept thinking of the drummer Animal and his wild demeanor as he banged feverously on his instrument. Actually I pictured Animal tripping down the stairs as he carried the bands equipment. Yes that’s what Crystal Antlers sound like; a screaming unkempt Muppet falling down the stairs with a band’s worth of musical instruments.

In that I was indeed familiar with the music of Crystal Antlers. Their full-length debut album Tentacles is an over-the-top barrage of noise. And even if it does conjure the vision of a wild animal, the Antlers themselves have crafted that noise into an almost symphonic ride of melody and emotion. Thundering drums, shattering cymbals, screeching guitars, stuttering keys, and screaming vocals have collided into beautiful orchestral arrangements. If all I knew about Crystal Antlers was their sound, then that is enough. The music speaks for itself.

To the contrary of my active imagination, the Crystal Antlers took the stage of Emo’s and they were not Muppets. They are actually normal looking fellows. And while the sound they produce is huge, they are the average looking band. The organ and the percussion sit on opposite sides of the stage while the drums take the traditional backseat, leaving guitars and bass at center. The stage, much like the rock of the Antlers, was crowded.

There was no easing into it when “Dust” ripped through the Austin crowd. It’s probably the best way to introduce the sound that continuously attacked for their 30-minute set. The screaming vocals of Jonny Bell rode the rapid drum licks as the organ provided a choir-like effect. The calculated noise coming from the band may have been a shock to some at first, but as the show progressed you could visibly see the crowd being won over.

As vocalist/bassist Bell peaked through the shaggy hair that covers his face, I suddenly get a picture of the Muppet Animal again. It’s really not that far off. But even more assuring to my comparison was percussion man Damian Edwards, who undoubtedly is the most animated of the band and would be entertaining if its was just him alone on stage. Whether it was the onslaught he was dishing out to a symbol or the gyrations that could make him a finalist in Austin’s next air-sex competition, Edwards embodied the rowdiness that I expected from the Antlers.

The performance bounced between their EP and full album. Tentacle’s blues tainted “Andrew” was introduced as a dance-number and slowed down the pace half a step. “A Thousand Eyes,” a highlight from the earlier release, provided a great moment of instrumentation in the middle best displaying the dramatic feel of their music.

A surprise came with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Its All Over Now Baby Blue.” A risky step in choosing a song seemingly too subdued for them, but by injecting their riot sound it came across as natural. From there the Antler’s closed with “Parting Song for the Torn Sky,” a song that rode high on the melody of Bell’s moans and some viscous guitar work.

There were no Muppets on stage at Emo’s for this performance. What we did get was far more entertaining⎯a display of the mechanics behind the noise that is Crystal Antlers. Sometimes it was angry, other times it came across as tragic. But for the most part it was very loud. As the Dylan cover showed, even when they try to tone it down, they still have a deafening and fervent bite.

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