The release party of Tyranahorse’s debut LP, Ghostwolfmotherhawkprairieunicornlionlioness at the Cobalt featured a mostly complementary lineup. Though they were the group of honour this night, the evening had many stars.

First up was a drum-guitar duo Narwhal. Frontman Issam’s guitar was so out of tune it had to be intentional. Strangely enough, it nearly worked as an artistic statement. A guitar can be simple and needn’t be a weapon of virtuosity.

After this mayhem came Red Hot Icicles Burning on Fire, whose gold-glittered grooves and Flea-esque bass lines kept us in their pocket. Many agreed that the venue-provided drum kit sounded deadly. This, combined with the co-vocalist’s synth, had me loving the B-52s all over again.

Then came misbooked misfit Vincent Parker, who prompted in me a need for some fresh air. I’ve seen many things on the stage, but the DJ was one of the most annoying. The rest of the bands were well chosen, though, and members of Tyranahorse could be seen grooving out to the groups from amongst the crowd.

Tyranahorse’s call and response vocals had me thinking yet again of the B-52s, but now crossing flight paths with the Talking Heads. Tunes like “Joy Wolf” and “Teenage Girl” impressed me. Overall, it was just plain fun–it’s been a long time since I’ve heard a kazoo. And then there was the unforgettable theremin that swept the PA’s limits, locking us into the band’s wavelength. Seeing the freaky workings of this instrument, played by PrOphecy Sun– who was tangled in mic cabling– made for good show. They played loud, looked proud and left the crowd demanding an encore. With one band left to go, they didn’t get one.

Aunts & Uncles then took the stage and compressed their set into whatever time they had left, finishing a six-minute song in double-time. We only heard a couple songs from them but the violin playing layered over a Strat was a refreshing end to the concert.