The Color Turning make beautiful indie music

On the whole, I'm not a big fan of American indie bands. That's because I am a big fan of hooks, and this is a specialty most of the aforementioned outfits don't seem to have the hang of. I also have a problem with aesthetically challenged musicians, of which there is no shortage among this particular scene. (Enough with the facial hair already!)

Having said all that, imagine my joy at discovering The Color Turning, a five-piece hailing from the Sunshine State by way of earlier-this-decade England. Given their trial by fire on May 18 at the Commodore in front of a CFOX-bred crowd that was clamoring for the main attraction, Scott Weiland, the boys pulled themselves off admirably and doubtlessly created a few converts in a demographic that seemingly only came out on a holiday Monday to hear "Sex Type Thing".

Now comes the hard part of this review: classifying their sound. Honest to God, I don't have a clue. At times I heard Radiohead and at other times, especially when vocalist Steve Scavo was whaling on his guitar, I couldn't get the Wilson sisters out of my head (in particular the song "Barracuda", which was kind of annoying because I was trying to pay attention to their songs). This is a band that definitely has to be seen live to appreciate the emotion that goes into their songwriting—plus you get an awesome drummer to boot.

They've released a couple of EPs, but their first full-length album is due for release on August 4, so I have a feeling they'll be hitting our 'burg again in the near future. It would be great to see them in a smaller venue (Media Club, are you listening?); while I don't begrudge the boys their moment of glory in front of the Commodore's bouncy floor, I'd like to see them tear off the walls someplace more intimate. The tinkly bits in "Me Versus Me" would sound especially sweet when not lost in the muddy sound mix that the Commodore seems to specialize in.

Songs like "Sleeptalker" and "New Hooligan" were given the amped-up treatment live (I almost didn't recognize the former from its recorded version), but the band really endeared themselves to the crowd when they enticed Mr. Main Attraction himself to take a seat mikeside so he could tambourine along to "Doppelganger". By all accounts, Weiland is a big champion of the band, having signed them to his record label Softdrive Records and taking on producing duties as well. Still, with this much talent and commitment, The Color Turning doesn't need to rely on star power alone. The next time they come to town they should be able to fill the house strictly on their own fine merits.