Army Girls

A two-piece setup has its perks -- more room in the van, high-yield payouts, etc. -- but it typically calls for plenty of extra effort, whether it be bravura guitar work (the White Stripes), sheer bombast (Japandroids), or some other special talent. Army Girls' punchy sound comes from a deceptively sophisticated place. Throughout their set, frontwoman/guitarist Carmen Elle and drummer Andy Smith played assuredly off one another. Still, the real draw is Elle's use of negative space. Rather than spend the whole set compensating for a lack of bass or other accompaniment, the singer wasn't afraid to ease back on the guitar in favour of impassioned vocals. Professedly heartbroken, her voice ranged from wry to ardent, especially on cuts like the spry "Twice" and grower "End of Days." It was a kinetic, wholly engrossing outing.