Show Preview: Temples w/ Spires at Cat's Cradle

2014 boasts a strange musical landscape to say the least. The internet is currently exploding over a cat-centric remix of a snarling hip-hop album, and those that aren't may be slyly soaking in the new Taylor Swift album or something of that ilk. Basically the spectrum of possibilities for a "buzz-band" are endless, and thanks to folks like Tame Impala it's kind of become cool to harken back to the simplistic psych-rock of old. Not to say that acts like Temples are blasé by any means, but there's something about the band that feels far less niched than their contemporaries. There's no strange oddities or tweaked out, pitch changed oscillating vocals, just straight forward pop-tinged psych-rock. And frankly that's what has become so enjoyable about this band.

Temples released their debut full-length, Sun Structures,  back in February and since then have been gradually building acclaim as one of the "best new bands out of Britain," according to folks like Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher. Temples take what feels like an old sonic trope, the swirling guitars, simplistic melodies and soaring synths of yore, but puts a contemporary twist on them. While their musical pallet may not rival the likes of the aforementioned Tame Impala or the personality found within acts like Foxygen, Temples still do a damn fine job of capturing the nostalgia of Revolver-era Beatles and spitting out new subject matter for a generation of fans that may not be as privy to the music from decades past.

Sure one could say that Temples isn't the most original act around, there's not a ton of defining factors within their music that makes them characteristically them, but just because their tracks may be devoid of an outstanding personality doesn't make them bland or uninteresting. Frankly artists like Temples are essential, their songs are aesthetically pleasing and certainly lend themselves to a live setting, where lyrical content may not reign supreme but the melodies that carry those lyrics make all the difference. Which is truly where Temples shines, they can write a memorable hook and make it mesh brilliantly with their wistful instrumentation.

Spires will serve as an awesome dip into the psychedelic pool as well, following in a similar musical trajectory, Spires draw upon the psychedelic rock of the 60s to churn out a fresh sound that's all their own. This Brooklyn based band will provide an interesting dichotomy to see how region effects influence, they're making remarkably similar music to Temples but are doing so from an entirely different area, thus drawing upon a wide array of influences that Temples may not have delved into.

The show starts at 8:30 pm with doors opening at 7:30. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Check out the video for Temples' "Shelter Song" below and purchase tickets here: