Last night was a good night. Two bands on the cusp. Two bands from markets a lot like Madison (Norman, OK and Champaign, IL), where college sports reign supreme. Evangelicals were the first to take the stage at the High Noon Saloon, though their sound is nothing like Of Montreal, the cape donning by front man Josh Jones certainly evoked that imagery. In fact, their sound crosses between glam and up front rockers, channel (or at least depicting) haunted dreams, perhaps nightmares - a soundtrack to the darkness if you will (though not in a Black Sabbath sort of way). We’ve already praised The Evening Descends, but seriously kids, this record is something else. The highlight of their set was when Headlights joined the group for a set closing take on Evangelicals “Skeleton Man.”

If you enjoyed the Evangelicals check out their take on Björk’s “You’ve Been Flirting Again” from Stereogum’s recently released Enjoyed: A Tribute To Björk’s Post. Then, since you’re in Björk land, do yourself a solid and watch (repeatedly) her new video for “Wonderlust” which might just be one of the best bits of cinematography I’ve seen in some time.

The Headlights set was a change in direction with their sunny sound and top-notch harmonies. This Champaign based group, including former Wisconsin residents is just as good (if not better) live as they are on record. At the conclusion of this tour, I fully expect Some Racing, Some Stopping to be one of the most talked about albums at year’s end.

I closed out the evening with a wonderful conversation with Josh Jones in continuation of our recent 5 Questions with Evangelicals feature. We discussed the future of labels, music, music blogs and the audience they reach, the importance of a local scene, and the duty of local record stores to anchor and support the shows coming to town. It was one of those conversations that stays with you for awhile, my head swimming with thoughts the entire drive home and most of today. Big props to Josh, who’s definitely one of the nicest guys I’ve shared words with in some time.

Myspace: Evangelicals
Myspace: Headlights
MP3: Evangelicals - “Skeleton Man”
MP3: Headlights - “Cherry Tulips”

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