Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys

Despite the atmospheric experimentation and dark lyrics that dominate much of their work, Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys are really a pop band underneath the layers of noise and blips built around their otherwise sunny, R&B-influenced synth-pop. Taking cues from the Sea and Cake, Arthur Russell and Silver Apples, the Oberlin, Ohio, band's focal point is the falsetto of frontman Matt Mehlan, who acquired the services of a full backing band (the Girl-Faced Boys) while recording his most recent album. The resulting sound is brimming with complex percussion and loose soundscapes that are strange enough to command attention but cohesive enough to maintain it. And in a live setting, the band's pop tendencies make their songs easier to enjoy than their obscurely tasteful influence list might imply. Even better, entry is free with a Belle and Sebastian ticket stub from their show at the Granada earlier in the evening.