Plexus Loom

There was a time in the Dallas music scene when it seemed like bands weren't afraid to take chances and break the tried-and-true tradition of tight jeans, loud amps and drunk-rock swagger. A time when experimentation was spreading from band to band like a case of herpes. A time when you could go to a local show and see three bands that all sounded different, not only from each other, but from most of what was going on anywhere. Then the dream died. For a while, it seemed that the disease of creativity had gone the way of smallpox and polio.

But the disease has come back. There are a few local acts that are picking up the fallen banner of experimentation and running through the dirty streets with it. One of these bands is Plexus Loom. An interesting blend of late-era Swans darkness and a Tindersticks-meets-Woody-Guthrie penchant for acoustic instruments that benefits immensely from the fact that when the band plays live, the two vocalists, Jason Reed and Elicia Capehart, produce some of the tightest and strangest vocal harmonies you'll ever hear. And, on some songs, Capehart can even pull off playing a flute without conjuring any Jethro Tull jokes from the crowd. That is a huge feat in itself. Treat yourself to something different this Thursday.