Unexpect

Every Unexpect show is a dramatic experience, somehow more feverishly complex and precise — as well as livelier — than the band's recordings. Their Heavy MTL set continued this pattern, seeming extra vivid for its condensed (30 minute) format. Visually, their performance mirrors the intensity of their sound, most of the band (violinist aside) looking irresistibly like carnival characters or vagabond marionettes. And even though there are only six performers, the intricate interactions of each part (including three singers and nine bass strings) and the band's avant-garde approach make titles like "The Quantum Symphony" seem uniquely apt. With so little time, Unexpect focused their efforts on their newest material (songs from 2011's Fables of the Sleepless Empire), leaving, as always, a lasting and incomparable impression.