Paramount Styles/Loxsly/Ivana XL
Union Hall, 5.26.09

Austin quintet Loxsly quietly came into town, played a pair of shows and continued their merry way on the road to play other cities where no one is yet familiar with them. This happens to bands every day, but few of them are as good as Loxsly.

On the day that their new record “Tomorrow’s Fossils” was officially released into the wild, the band made the first of their two NY stops with a gig at Brooklyn’s Union Hall, which seemed all too fitting given the complimentary visual aesthetics of the band and venue.

Combining the folk influence and voice of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy with the playful electronic pop of Grandaddy, Loxsly performed an incredible set, while oddball scientific video projected onto them. Pedal steel was their greatest asset during the set, adding a special touch to a few songs. The addition of a Neil Young cover made it even more delightful. Loxsly put on an equally awesome performance at Pianos on Thursday.

Headlining the Union Hall show was Paramount Styles. Mystery remains as to how they’ve been unable to get much of any attention here, despite it being the new project of former  Girls Against Boys singer/guitarist Scott McCloud, and featuring other accomplished musicians in the band. This was my third time seeing them play, and once again riding the strength of Scott McCloud’s unique vocal delivery and excellent lyrics, they were nothing less than impressive. When will the rest of NYC finally realize?

The young and beautiful Ivana XL opened the night alone on the stage with her acoustic guitar. Not just another singer-songwriter, Ivana XL possesses an incredible voice that contains a fantastic dream-like quality, not unlike Mazzy star. With those hazy vocals about boys and American Idol layered over nicely structured songs, the results were breathtaking. Her name is just beginning to pop up these days, but expect  to hear it a lot more—especially after she plays a show with the much ballyhooed Ólöf Arnalds on June 11 at Union Pool.