Underage Annuals Rock Socks

Last week's Vista ramblings...

If you weren’t at the Casbah on Sunday night, you are now officially a latecomer to the Annuals' indie takeover. I sidled up to the show, looking forward to seeing headliner Aqueduct, synth-based indie-pop outfit who hails from Seattle by way of Tulsa. As I walked in, a bunch of kids with shoulder length hair were walking off stage, and I took them to be the first opener, Inberst. I have a feeling I didn’t miss much.

The six-member pop outfit, Annuals, donned a hodge-podge wardrobe of Texas baseball cutoff shirts, American Eagle prep-ware and boho-chic as they took to the stage cramped by the large number of instruments. Underage and entirely unpretentious singer-songwriter Adam Baker led the rest in most songs from their first full-length album, 2006’s “Be He Me,” out now on Ace Fu records.

“BHM” draws parallels with indie powerhouses Broken Social Scene and Animal Collective, but once you’ve seen the band live, you can’t deny the Annuals' original sound and vibrant energy. Baker’s vocals vault between screams reminiscent of Brand New circa 2003 and indie-tastic harmonies with band mates. The band, though squeezed on stage, found plenty of room to pump their rhythm-addled tunes into the veins of a highly appreciative crowd. Baker, drummer/rhythm guitarist Zack Oden, and pianist/synth siren Anna Spence danced around each other from song to song, switching instruments between each piece, and even in the middle of the song.

Drummer Nick Radford provides the backbone of most tunes, and he is even supported in his efforts on some songs when Oden joins him at an adjacent kit. At points, like the end of “Bleary Eyed,” Baker and lead guitarist Kenny Florence hop on a pair of extra toms to join Oden and Radford and drive the song home with a fine cadence. On “Fair,” Baker, Florence, Spence and funk-worthy bassist Mike Robinson harmonize for a vocally-centered track. Each song left me turning to my friend with expletives of excitement and incredulity. There was something entirely pure about their energy, and their music was endearingly earnest. After 40 minutes, the band manically struck their set so Aqueduct could try to follow this act.

As the Seattle headliner, Aqueduct, walked onstage, I couldn’t help but feel their age gave them an air of haughtiness that juxtaposed the Annuals magnificently. A good chunk of the crowd had abandoned the venue, but a handful stuck around to shake to the synth sound. Largely a one-person effort, front man David Terry brought some friends on for this tour in support of 2007's “Or Give Me Death.”

The band opened the show with a cover of the theme song to 80s detective series Simon & Simon, a tribute that largely flew straight over the crowd’s heads. Terry led the band through a lackluster set of new songs where his trademark sneering vocals have given way to that of a generic tenor. Highlights included songs from 2005’s “I Sold Gold,” including “Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights,” “Heart Design” and “The Suggestion Box.” Terry and company closed the show with a “non-core” where they didn’t leave the stage, played the theme to "Walker, Texas Ranger" and “Growing Up with GNR.” All in all, youth prevailed, and Annuals proved to be the most talented group in the room. I can’t wait to see what they do at Bonnaroo.