Post St. Vincent: In Which Philly Beats Pittsburgh Because We Actually Get Concerts.

These two guys are what's left of the band Pattern is Movement. Apparently, they aren't related. Go figure. Also, contrary to the unbelievably burly and bearded impression that they leave, neither moonlights as a lumberjack. Finally, neither is related to Dan Deacon.





Anyway, this was my first time ever hearing them, and I've gotta be honest and say that I really, really enjoyed them. The lead singer has a great, great voice, a little reminiscent of Antony from Antony and the Johnsons; I guess the best comparison might be if Antony were lured into singing in a math-rock band.

For the record, it's near impossible to nod your head to the rhythm of a band that changes time signatures as frequently and as effectively as Pattern is Movement. Trust me, I tried.

Anyway, in the middle of their set, all of a sudden, their lead singer says something along the lines of "This next one is a cover song." And then, slowly but surely...

"Is that D'Angelo?"

And indeed it was. In the middle of the set, the two guys pictured above decided to cover this man:



...which was hilarious, until everyone seemed to realize at once: This is really, really good. Here's the video from a couple nights ago, at the show in NYC:



Somehow, I feel like I shouldn't expect anything less from a band whose members, according to Spin, "met at the ages of 13 and 14 while performing in a Christian hip-hop group, bonding over their sinful and secular love for Dr. Dre's seminal album, The Chronic." The point is, I highly recommend you guys listen to the chamber-pop stylings of Pattern is Movement. Besides their Philly lineage (and, of course, our city will take all the wins it can get), they're a really interesting band, a bit beyond description.

Oh, and with a few exceptions to the setlist (no "Paris is Burning?"), St. Vincent was great, but we say that all the time at this point, so hopefully, by now, you know. Enclosed are a couple of Pattern songs.

Love,
Jim