The Annuals @ Iota

The Hymns rocked the small stage with their country-tinged garage/roots rock and got the crowd warmed up. What they may have lacked in sonic creativity they made up for with sweat - a great band for a bar. The Annuals followed, pulling sounds from all over indie rock history, from hand claps and harmonies to discordant guitars and screaming. The music consistently sounded great, sprinkled with tempo changes and rhythmic breakdowns, although the vocals were sometimes a bit rough. Their best songs were their poppiest. Overall, it was a lot fun, even if some of the little details that made their album great were lost when they rocked out.