Live Review: Featureless Ghost and Black Lodge at Noni’s, December 29

Review and photos by: Stephanie Roman

The evening began as one of the ladies from Black Lodge, clad in black lace, casually swirled a glass of vino during sound check. Meanwhile, I settled in at a booth with my tasty mushroom and leek bruschetta app (gratefully breaking a three day detox fast). This authentic Italian deli and bar on Edgewood was a suitable backdrop for the quartet, who could have stepped out of an antique lithograph themselves.

Black Lodge’s set was short, loud, and bass-heavy – with two of them at war. The vocals tended to compete instead of complement each other, and the band definitely shines on the faster tempo songs. From what I understand, they have only played out a few times, and I’m eager to hear them again. Someone also pissed them off about halfway through the show, and my waiter rushed in to oust the fellow. (That waiter appeared dressed and ready for a fencing bout, so probably the best man for the job.) Adam, the drummer, tells me that all of their songs are numbered with Roman numerals. My inner ancient culture nerd rejoices! Here’s hoping that the killer closer, “Number VI,” is available as a single soon.

Featureless Ghost had about 50 people packed into the doorway and surrounding stage area. Duo Matt Weiner and Elise Tippins hit the synths to create danceable, atmospheric layers of sound that had the crowd rocking. The two have a bit of a  Human League thing going, and on the upbeat tracks, Tippins’ vocals harken back to Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons.  Slower songs evoke the minimalism of ’90s British electronica outfits such as The Orb or Meat Beat Manifesto.

Featureless Ghost also pays homage to formats of the past, as they offer their recordings on both vinyl and cassette tape! Visit their website www.featurelessghost.com for some videos, too.