The Lovely Public is a band of many surprising juxtapositions. To define the sound and feel of the Lovely Public’s music would be a Sisyphean task indeed: as soon as you think you’ve got them pegged, they’ll escape you and take off in a whole new direction. They are at times layered and dense, at other times sparse and minimalistic; some times you might be tempted to describe them as a pure experimental noise-rock band, but there is simply too much melody going on…

You see what we’re getting at. The Lovely Public's music engages mind and body on many different levels all at the same time.

With vocal stylings that range from whispers to chanting to singing by guitarist Jason and bassist Nacera laid over their dark, sometimes dancey, sometimes atmospheric, always melodically exploratory music, the Lovely Public is as charming as it is hypnotic. The band's energy is simultaneously as subtle as it is overt, gently cuddling you with a choke-hold.

The songs themselves have a post-punk feel and would be right at home with the sounds you hear on Rough Trade and, to some extent, DFA records – except when they’re atmospheric and other-worldly and would fit right in with Syd Barrett-era recordings by the Pink Floyd. Though they obviously take their craft seriously, there is an adventurous and playful side to The Lovely Public, too.

Their album Burning Tape at the Mystery Dinner (self-released; 2006) has the band’s many sides on full display. Pop and indie rock are most certainly at the heart of it, but there’s also a ton of expansive soundscapes that take you on a sonic journey peppered throughout Burning Tape. "Pick Your Noose" reminds us of a mash up of Firehose, Mesoptamia-era B-52's, and The Cure, with some spacey organ flourishes that would make Ray Manzarek proud thrown in for good measure. On “Dinner Chatter” they seem to channel a bit of At the Drive-In, but with beautiful, choral-esque vocal parts and some random, almost child-like guitar and bass harmonies thrown in here and there.

Their songs, which make great headphone listening for those audiophiles out there that like to catch every little note, also demand to be consumed live. The band’s many emotional states – which are both right up front and at times masked by their exploration and noodling – demand to be explored in the intimacy and immediacy that only live shows can provide. Sounds that are merely trippy on tape become immense and glacial in the live setting, as if the Lovely Public has suddenly become a post-rock band. Passages that are angular and likely to induce head-nodding when heard through your headphones become gloriously chaotic bits of composition that will leave you breathless – probably because you’re moving your body so much.

So many references, and yet we haven’t even touched the complexity of this band. For instance, we fully intended to mention that the bass lines are groovey and bouncey and catchy as hell, reminding us of Eric Judy’s basslines for Modest Mouse, but we haven’t even gotten around to that. That’s because The Lovely Public have created a sound unto themselves – all the references to existing music cannot begin to describe it. They stand alone as a unique band that is crafting some of the most creative, entrancing music in the Bay Area.

[Mike G. and Jen Chochinov]

[STREAM] The Lovely Public: Various Tracks