Annuals, Jessica Lea Mayfield & What Laura Says @ Varsity Theater

“So, I heard it was even colder here last week,” Annuals guitarist Kenny Florence quipped at the beginning of the Raleigh, North Carolina band’s set at the Varsity Theater last evening, “That’s fucked.” And indeed, warming up was a bit of a problem for the band during their uneven but enjoyable kick-off show of their Winter tour.

Granted, I am a bit more familiar with the six-piece’s debut record, Be He Me, than I am of their new record Such Fun, so the older songs were bound to resonate slightly more with me, especially when the band tried out somewhat different arrangements of their earlier tracks that really seemed to breathe new life into the songs, like a fervent, propulsive “The Bull And The Goat,” and a stellar “Complete And Completing.” And that is part of the appeal of the Annuals—that they are so diverse and wide-ranging in their songs and structure that they remain a tough band to peg. But that can also make for a bit of an erratically paced live show, with one song sounding so different from the next that it becomes hard to build any consistency.

The show kicked off with a decent version of new track “Hot Night Hounds,” but the night really began to pick up for me with the second song of the set, the bouncy and entertaining “Carry Around,” though it was a bit muted compared to the cacophonous recorded version. The band seemed to take a lot of risks with the production of their debut album, and that recklessness is what makes them so appealing to me, but their live performance last evening was a bit too tight and refined at times for my tastes. I missed hearing the seemingly incongruous parts of their songs fit together somehow. But there were highlights, in addition to the songs already mentioned above, like “Confessor,” the Paul Simon-ish “Hardwood Floor,” and “Sore” from the Wet Zoo EP, and a lovely version of “Sway” that really allowed for the band to experiment musically.

The highlight of the set for me was always going to be “Brother,” the song that first got me into the band, and the track that continues to be my favorite of theirs. It’s a song guided along slowly by the Annuals always emotive frontman Adam Baker (as are most of the band’s songs), and it builds gradually in both rhythm and emotion, before it all spills over into a raucous finish that hooks me every time. It’s a track that initially caused the blogosphere to invoke (somewhat unfair) comparisons to Animal Collective and Arcade Fire. And, while there are elements of each of those bands in the music of Annuals, such as the somewhat tribal drums of Animal Collective and the emotional bombast of Arcade Fire’s music, Annuals have paved their own path. While that works brilliantly on some of the band’s more distinctive tracks, other songs that are more benign lose me just as easily. The band obviously took a more organic approach to their sound and the recording of their new record, hinted at by the serene mountain landscape pictured on the cover. Although some of these songs fit easily alongside the best tracks from Be He Me, some never quite coalesce fully for me, and that transfers to the band’s live show, where I found some of these new tracks a bit bland and conventional. With six members on stage, there are times when the Annuals make one hell of a splendid racket, creating distinct sounds that take the listener along with them on the song’s journey, but it’s when the band leaves the listener behind on much more mundane musical territory that their songs begin to suffer. Here’s to hoping that Annuals return to the more experimental leanings of their first record, for that is where their strengths lie, and it is that sort of innovation that truly makes them unique.

Also on the bill was Jessica Lea Mayfield (I unfortunately missed openers What Laura Says, who I heard were fantastic), who played a passionate, spirited set filled with songs about relationships and walking away from the ones you love when they deserve it. She’s a gifted songwriter that reminded me a bit of a feistier Beth Orton, and her music is filled with soul and yearning, which was given a jolt by a drummer and electric guitarist who joined her on stage after a few acoustic solo tunes. Jessica is quite talented and poised on stage, especially when you consider she’s only 18. She has already sung on The Black Keys most recent release (Dan Auerbach also produced her record), and I expect tremendous things from her in the future. If she comes back to the Cities, probably as a headliner next time, don’t miss her. She is the real deal.