The Hypnosis, Mandala, The Merks, Kalimur

August 8, 2015 – The Space, Hamden, CT

The Hypnosis

Last night’s show had a bit of a rough start. The first band, The Hypnosis, performed a variety of covers with slightly-better-than-karaoke arrangements. Their set would have been enjoyable if it weren’t for the dry, punching drum sound paired with heavily distorted guitars that didn’t quite suit the genres they were covering. Their few originals did embrace the heavier sound they seemed to be aiming for, but, as in most of their songs, the lead singer’s unconvincingly wanna-be-rock voice tended to get lost in the instrumentals. Additionally, the sound was far too loud for the size of the space (but that didn’t seem to improve throughout the night; it might have just been a symptom of the small performance area and rather close proximity of the speakers to the audience). Overall, The Hypnosis had a mediocre performance, giving the audience just a taste of their possible potential.

Mandala

Mandala took the stage next. Their band consisted of two vocalists, it seemed (similar to Of Monsters and Men’s dynamics). Their steady, driving rhythm—brought out in the pounding of the bass drum and the repetitive, but endearing guitar riffs—was paired with sensually delivered lyrics; it seemed like their lead singer, Morgan Fasanelli, was proclaiming her love to the audience with every line. Mandala had an even mix of originals and covers in their set. Their originals were trippy and passionate with a few surprises for the crowd, in terms of the composition, but paradoxically, the songs also had a natural ebb and flow that lulled the audience into mindless listening. Their covers, however, could’ve had better vocalization, in my opinion. Compared to the strong vocals on their originals, they were considerably weaker on the covers. The arrangements however, were very interesting and hooked the audience from the first chord, keeping their attention until the last.

The Merks

Following Mandala was The Merks. Starting off with “Now, Now Honey,” The Merks’ set had a solid beginning. The bouncy verses and sing-songy chorus drew in the crowd’s interest, easily. Up next was “Rock ‘N’ Roll Band,” a song that, lead-singer Conor Phillips informed us, was inspired by Lou Reed (famous member of the Velvet Underground). Noticeable in this song especially, the growl in Conor’s voice contrasted nicely with the sweeter spots in his register, like his crystal clear falsetto.

One of the signature elements of any Merks’ performance is the funny narratives and witty banter between songs; they were not in short supply. For example, as the band introduced the song “Spaces,” Ian Schrager (bassist), commented, “This song is out of left field for us.” This tune had discordant undertones that surprisingly meshed well with the melody. While there were some noteworthy qualities, like the syncopated polyrhythms, the tight arrangement, and the sharp ending, the song did not seem to excite the crowd (or the band, for that matter).

Luckily, The Merks slipped into a more comfortable groove with the following song, “Runaway Muse,” one of the first songs they wrote together, as noted by Conor. “Chances and Choices,” the next song in their set, was a prime example of how passionate The Merk’s delivery could be. For example, the grit and pain in Conor’s voice during this performance were clearly audible. Nick Claps, lead guitarist, used creative, yet tasteful distortion to enhance what was already a clever riff.

Leading into the song “Life-A-Lign,” Conor made the proclamation that there was supposed to be a “feeling of resentment throughout the whole thing” with a longing melody; essentially it would be a downer of a song. Like most of their songs, emotion emanated from the lyrics and the delivery of the impeccable arrangement. The Merks closed with a cover of the Drake song “Just Hold On We’re Going Home.” This was a “go hard or go home” type of song; everyone’s assets were highlighted with the Arctic Monkeys twist they infused into the arrangement; for example, Ian shredded through the bass line of this song, in particular. While it could be said that The Merks’ songs were repetitive, there were enough aspects that distinguished them from each other. Altogether, their set was cohesive and quite entertaining.

Kalimur

Kalimur, the headlining act of the night, began their set with a futuristic intro that progressed quickly into a heavy-hitting song. The crowd, which had doubled in size since the beginning of the night, reacted adoringly to the obvious charm of the group. Their overall sound seemed like a synthesis of Augustana, Carolina Liar, and Maroon 5—this may seem like an odd mix, but it worked well for the originals they performed. There was another part of their sound that seemed so familiar to me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on, which I guess meant that they’d created a sound unique to themselves.

While their set had a few noticeable mistakes, Kalimur was very well put together; they had the best stage presence out of all the bands that performed that night. The originals they performed had a decent variety that ranged from pop to middle-of-the-road alternative. Their music struck me as approachable and enjoyable to a large audience of listeners. Their Sara Bareilles and Lil Jon covers had heavy undertones that really amped up the crowd. You could tell Kalimur had a lot of energy; as they began their apparently acoustic, stripped down song about unrequited love, there was still too much noise for a supposedly soft song, specifically because of the electric guitar and rhythm section. The acoustic guitar and piano probably would’ve sufficed. But overall, Kalimur performed within a pleasurable spectrum of alternative rock with a natural charisma that had been fine-tuned over time.

Each band that performed last night had a seemingly distinct personality: Kalimur was dynamic, The Merks were passionate, Mandala was sultry, and The Hypnosis was prematurely arrogant. The bands’ unique sounds complimented each other well, making for a well-rounded night of music.

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Note: This was the first concert I ever photographed - please excuse the poor quality photos in this blog post.