Josh Ambrose

Live @ Messiah College, Jan ‘08.

They were great, btw. I was surprised that so few people were initially there for a live show, but by the end, the student union center was pretty much filled. Kudos to Messiah for the free show–PSU thanks you.

I first saw Anathallo at Purple Door a few years ago. I had thought they were going to be an instrumental band (getting them confused with Saxon Shore, I think), but they blew my socks off, regardless. Think Arcade Fire with less swaggering and more pop sensibilities, or Polyphonic Spree with less pop sensibilities and more meaning or Sufjan with less pretension and more energy.

Then, as this time, I was perhaps most impressed with their onstage demeanor. They gave off a cheerfully exuberant attitude throughout most of the show, even when dealing with an extremely laid-back crowd.

Indeed, my chief complaint was that the crowd was sitting down…and the show was a tragic mere hour long.