Audrye Sessions @ Hawthorne Theater

How many concerts have you seen where a band plays an orange traffic cone? Ska bands and Stomp don't count. None? I win. Although I couldn't really discern what it sounded like in the midst an epic climax. But that's the kind of creativity and energy that Audrye Sessions displayed at the Hawthorne Theater this weekend. This Bay Area band also incorporated a washboard and violin bow (for the lead singer's electric guitar) into their soaring alt. rock anthems. They sound a lot like early Radiohead with a more optimistic outlook, although the way the lead singer's voice turns the corner mid-word reminds me more of Travis' Fran Healy, especially on tracks like "New Years Day" and "Where You'll Find Me". I enjoyed the whole set, but the standout track was definitely the "Turn Me Off". It's just a sweet single.

The Broken West - Now Or Heaven (2008)

If I heard this without knowing the artist, I never would've guessed that this was the Broken West. Their last album was full of future power pop classics, but that sound seems to have mostly been discarded. They've exchanged the hook driven and punchy riff and harmony structure for a more laid back approach to melodic pop. It's still catchy, just mellower. Some of the songs remind me of British pop bands like Travis, especially "Embassy Row". Luckily, they still write some great songs, "Perfect Games" for example. "Gwen, Now And Then", "Terror For Two" and "Ambuscade" are also good. Overall, I don't think they quite hit the highs of the top singles off their last album, but power pop can grow stagnant and this new direction sounds promising.