Conveyor Bring a Ray of Sunshine to McGann's

In my Mid-Year Report, I mentioned that Conveyor’s debut effort, Sun Ray, is my favorite EP so far in 2011. The young band finally made their way out onto the road and I was excited to be able to catch them at McGann’s Pub in Boston on August 26. I had not previously been to the venue but the space seemed like a great place for the show and the staff was friendly which always adds to the experience. Conveyor sat curiously amongst a lineup of post-rock/emo bands but they were still ready to deliver a captivating show.

The band opened with an atmospheric song which I was unfamiliar with. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of material they had. Throughout the course of their set, they interspersed all four tracks from the Sun Ray EP with new tunes. One of the more captivating aspects of their live show was their willingness to experiment onstage. They sampled vocals and feedback for unique loops and layered all the various instrumentation to keep it interesting. This brought to mind Animal Collective especially in songs like the bouncy, upbeat “Sun Ray.” The laidback indie rock tunes sounded more like a band of Local Natives’ caliber. No two songs sounded alike and the band used varied elements to keep the audience’s attention. A great touch was having lights that would brighten the stage during the more dynamic parts giving it a look that it had been set ablaze. Thankfully, they had the energy to match such an effect.

The performance definitely had the feel of a band that had put effort into creating an experience for the audience. The result was a show that seemed like it was coming from a more experienced and mature band instead of one that was just getting their footing. It was the night before hurricane Irene was set to hit the northeast so Conveyor had to return to New York immediately after the show. I spoke with the guys briefly before they left and I am happy to report they were incredibly nice. Expect big things from them in the future. You can purchase the EP on vinyl at their bandcamp site. I was fortunate enough to pick up a copy before they left the show and the orange vinyl pressing sounds just as good as it looks.