Live Review: Russian Circles, Dumbsaint, Mish

On paper, Mish have all the right attributes to make a memorable performance, but in practice, what ensued was anything but. Their brand of vaguely cinematic progressive metal seemed to almost be embedded with binaural beats, but their haphazard control and jarring transitions between ferocious chugs and ambience lacked any caution whatsoever. The apparent recklessness and subsequent lack of fluidity made it difficult to keep an attentive eye on stage.

Dumbsaint, on the other hand, had the control that Mish did not. Each member seemed entirely engrossed in their own instrumental contribution – a calculated self-absorption that, unfortunately, had its occasional shortcomings. While for the most part the individual focus led to an incredibly solid amalgamation of sounds, it seemed to be the case that the four-piece weren't entirely aware of their sound as a whole; there appeared a sense of over-calculation.

Technically, both preceding acts did impress, but it was through watching Russian Circles perform – eyes locked, head mechanically bobbing – that the faults of both Dumbsaint and Mish became placeable. Unlike Russian Circles, neither felt organic. Through controlled, gentle instrumentation that would seamlessly transition into heavy, soaring, mathy post-rock, the solemn trio put forth an unsurpassed demonstration of what sets apart awe-inducing post-rock and sub-par post-rock.

It isn't overly difficult to make the progressive and post-rock genres look impressive; both genres are technically challenging, and to wrap one's head around either (or both simultaneously) at all is a large enough feat. To do it well is another challenge altogether, and though it isn't always simple to put a finger on what makes a student of progressive/post-rock better than the other, Russian Circles' chilling banterless set served as an accurate portrayal of what the top tier of said genre should sound like live.