So there’s this band called The Forms, and their new self-titled album is really good.  They have a decidedly simplistic indie/math vibe, with some cool dual-guitar interplay over quirky odd-time beats.  Sort of like a sullen Minus The Bear, but simultaneously stripped down and progged out.  I definitely recommend that everyone check out their album.

The thing is, Jeff and I saw them at Union Hall last night, and it was altogether very disappointing.  The show got started almost two hours late, and I was already in a bad mood from the subway struggle I had getting there, but I still think I was in a reasonably receptive state, ready to hear some good music.  Maybe my expectations were just to high.

When they eventually took the stage and frontman Alex Tween told the sound guy that they were ready to get started, drummer Matt Walsh interjected that they couldn’t begin until someone brought him drinks.  Once those drinks (one of which he would dump on his head later) were balanced on a guitar amp, they began their underwhelming half-hour set with “Red Gun,” my personal favorite.  Tween’s voice was much more tentative and unsure than on the album version, and the vocal harmonies were inconsistent and mushy.

The delicate dynamic balance of the album was also lost in the live versions of their songs, as the band rocked out almost every section in a droning monotone.  An ill-advised cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies” in the middle of their set was dull and unnecessary.  Still, the band played tightly together, particularly solid bassist Jackson Kenny, despite Walsh’s sporadic over-playing and Tween’s shaky vocals.

It’s just hard to fathom how a band that clearly strives to be such perfectionists in the studio, could come across so sloppy and unpolished live.  Still, the venue was a cool place, and at least it’s the album versions of their songs that end up getting stuck in my head.  And you know, I’ve been pretty lucky with my live show experiences in New York thus far, so I can take the occasional disappointment.