July 22
Lord Huron w/ Escondido
The Slowdown, 729 North 14th St.
9 p.m., $10, theslowdown.com
Lord Huron has separated itself from the current crop of folk-rock influenced indie rock acts by smartly layering their sound in a way that feels modern and not a mere exercise in Beach Boys-aping nostaglia. They step into a realm where cooing backing vocals pair with strings, keys and a busy, but not overly complex tumble of drums. The lush soundscapes supporting the structure of the songs keeps the proceedings from drifting or skewing towards obvious hooks. There’s no simple choruses here, which puts them an artistic cut above chart-topping “Ho Hey” sloganeers the Lumineers. Singer Ben Schneider achieves a delicateness in his sound, while letting the band’s fuller orchestrations buoy the songs above wistful, but thin solo strumming. This is where you need to go if you’re desperate for the next Fleet Foxes or Band of Horses.