FLOATING POINTS with NOT THE WIND, NOT THE FLAG at Mod Club, Tuesday, May 10. Rating: NNNN
It wasn’t surprising that Sam Shepherd’s live interpretation of his Floating Points project focused more on his post-rock influences than his deep house roots, but few could have predicted just how prominent the rock elements would be. Occasionally the fuzzed-out guitar riffage took things into psych rock territory, though there were still plenty of the delicate synthesizer passages and elegantly intricate rhythms heard on his standout 2015 debut album, Elaenia.
Rather than the horns and strings of the nine-piece band he toured with in Europe, Shepherd played a Rhodes electric piano and electronics alongside two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, with some members occasionally taking turns on a synth. The songs were reimagined and deconstructed, keeping only elements of the recorded versions.
Shepherd’s constant reinventions didn’t make the songs completely inaccessible, though. Despite the experimental noodling, the rock elements brought his melodic ideas into sharper focus. It may not have pleased fans who came for his quirky dance singles, but the packed club seemed more disappointed by the lack of an encore than by the new sounds.
Local openers Not the Wind, Not the Flag primed the crowd for what was to come, though initially their free-jazz-influenced performance was abrasive over the big-room sound system. The duo used electronically mangled feedback, wailing sax, manic drumming and guitar shredding, moving between instruments over one continuous composition. Probably a little noisy for at least half the room, but it made Floating Points’ more aggressive moments seem gentle by comparison.
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles
