Eulogies

Los Angeles, California – Not many bands would have both guitar players ditch their strings in favor of a tambourine and maracas, but then not many bands could pull that off. Fortunately for L.A. boys Eulogies, they don’t have that problem.

Touring in support of their second album, Here Anonymous, the band opened for The Dears at the Echoplex Saturday, May 23rd. Aside from opening number “Under The Knife,” from their self-titled debut album, and Walker’s “What Do I Know,” the band stuck to material from their latest release.

The punchy “Out Of Character” picked the pace up early in the set, but the band stuck mostly to more demure fare. Incorporating additional percussion throughout the night kept this rock quartet interesting, despite the relatively commonplace nature of their setup.

Walker describes the band’s music as “simple” and the lyrics as “straightforward,” but there is definitely a creative edge to this band. This can be heard on “Stranger Calliope,” a flute- and synth-infused track off Here Anonymous that didn’t make it onto the night’s set list, probably due to the additional instrumentation.

With just the guitars, bass and drums, Eulogies creates music that maintains an even keel, for the most part, preferring to explore the subdued space around which Walker plaintively sings his heart-on-sleeve lyrics.

The sound was very solid throughout the nine-minute set, the Here Anonymous songs tighter than those on the previous record. As for Walker’s emotional words, he says it’s about letting someone know how you feel.

“Here Anonymous is basically about communication, and it’s just important to be heard and to be seen –- not for a singer on stage, but in a relationship,” he said.

Eulogies has more than one speed, however, and they seem to have the most fun on slightly more up-tempo numbers, like the unforgettable “Eyes On The Prize.” It was surprising that they decided to keep this song at the middle of their set.

“The Fight I’ve Come To Like” was the climax of the set, another catchy tune with fun rock riffs and dynamic shifts. From there, the set wound down — “How To Be Alone” and “Bad Connection.” The former grooves on a slightly syncopated beat; the latter closed the show amid a sea of shaking maracas and overdriven bass fuzz. Not many bands could hang such a catchy chorus on nothing but a bass line and some percussion, but then…

The band will play KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” on July 1st before taking the stage at The Echo later that night.