Frog Eyes

If it weren't for the between-song banter at Frog Eyes shows, you'd think singer/ guitarist Carey Mercer was a pretty fucked-up dude. It's during these conversation breaks that his awkward/ shy/Canadian/artist side is revealed, the side that is very much the Clark Kent to the Superbeast persona that climbs out while Mercer's singing. The Superbeast sounds like a vampire version of David Bowie being tortured until he projects his most personal secrets from lungs of steel. It only complicates the experience that Mercer has bandmates who play dramatic parts straight out of some dingy European cabaret. The Folded Palm, the group's first full-length for local label Absolutely Kosher, sounds similar to Frog Eyes' previous effort, The Golden River, but with more vibrant arrangements and a wider palette of melodic choices, everything from Sonic Youth-style noise-splattering to bipolar Neutral Milk Hotel grunge-pop. While stylistically all over the map, Mercer and company can always be counted on to provide energetic, dramatic entertainment that's anything but trite.