When was the last time someone used the echo effect live at Graceland? And morphed the dreamy and jangly angle so well? No one has, until the Terror Sheets. I can see why they've found a home at Sad Robot Records (incidently, also the label for Carissa's Wierd, the headliners for the evening).

They rock, in a dark and brooding way. I like the reverby quality on his deep voice. Something about this reminds me of an updated Joy Division, fast forwarded twenty years and migrated to the Pacific Northwest.

The band consists of three guys — Joe Syverson on acoustic guitar/singer, Chris Early on bass, and Brian Hoyne on drums. They're strangely intricate and melodic for such a rhythmic compilation of instruments. And when they crescendo, it really soars. Terror Sheets evoked thoughts tangential to their name, images of night-vision fears and the inexplicable hazy beauty of dreams. My mind wandered to scary hopes and dizzying imaginings, yet I felt safe, as if knowing it was all within the comforts of my own bed. This was powerful stuff!

Now we know we're fudging a little when we call them the greatest band you've never heard. First of all, they are signed (as mentioned above). But they have no officially released CD, just a brief demo EP with a huge title, Six Months Spent in the Light Hearted Part of the Dark Side of Town, sadly unavailable for purchase at tonight's show.  

 I was dismayed when I visited the merch table and realized there was nothing available for the Terror Sheets. It's not often I would buy a CD impulsively after one live listening, but they warranted this reaction. These guys sound really, really promising…

Thank goodness Sad Robot Records has promised that they will have a new release sometime soon… soon being a bit too ambiguous for our tastes.