Show review: Tiny Fireflies at Subterranean, 10/3

By Gene Wagendorf III   

Tiny Fireflies

Gray, rainy days are best spent beneath a blanket with a person whose mere presence breaks your heart. Such was Wednesday night at Subterranean.

Tiny Fireflies offered the perfect nightcap to a gloomy evening, serenading the crowd with a series of luscious and touching twee ballads. The duo, comprised of Very Truly Yours members Kristine Capua and Lisle Mitnik, offered a captivating narrative of bright melodies and melting movements strung together by the former's delicate lyrical delivery. The songs were connected as much by sound as by theme- the result being a set that channeled all the serene and bittersweet moments that the story of any truly great love possesses.

The pulsing jitter of "So Sad to Say Goodbye" invited twirling keys to sway around Capua's voice, leaving Mitnik's guitar free to guide the song forward with effervescent washes. A new tune leaned on the drum machine's molasses-on-New Order beat, allowing the synthesizer to oscillate glowing, heated coils of sound. Working in near perfect harmony, Tiny Fireflies trusted their material to be affecting without adding on layers of noise and obstructing embellishments. That minimalist approach served them well throughout most of the set, though there were a few occasions that a live drummer would have rounded out their songs.

The highlight of the evening came when Tiny Fireflies drifted through the intimate "Your Love," from 2011's Change. The song found Capua's tender whisper brushing against wistful keys as Mitnik's twinkles illuminated her words. The relatively simple and restrained tune allowed the singer's voice to steal the spotlight, and rightfully so.

Suddenly, I'm hoping it rains again soon.