Splashdown

at The Middle East
by Katy Shea

It’s the Grammy Showcase. Swarms of industry big wigs and hierarchical wannabes from the Boston scene fill the audience as Splashdown takes the stage. The lights dim as muddled transmissions a la Cape Canaveral come through in all their sampled eerieness beneath which the synthesizer hesitatingly leads us into the ethereal voice and entrancing vocal line of singer Melissa Kaplan. The arrangement is sparse with the melody taking precedence and bringing the audience into the ambient groove backed by the steady trip-hop rhythms produced by Kassan Crooker with the help of modern technology a la Macintosh and band leader Adam Buhler supporting the groove amply and effortlessly on bass.

The band is dressed in rubber and latex with soulful front woman Kaplan cutting a fierce figure in a latex cat suit Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt would scratch each others eyes out for. Kaplan’s vocal lines captivate the audience as the crowd sways trying desperately to dance in the over-crowded stage front area. After the opening song, “Paradox,” the band leads into “Deserter,” both songs, and most of the rest of the set, taken from their album Stars and Garters (Castle Von Buhler). Here, the bass stands out, only emphasizing the laid-back waltz groove (being capably held down by Kassan Adam and live drummer Lex Marburger) and allowing Kaplan’s melodies to spin and twist around enchanting and entreating us. “Beguiled” brought the intensity up with the addition of electric guitar and Melissa’s heavier vocal stylings transforming the crowd into writhing, panting devotees caught up in the band’s hypnotic weaving rhythms and hook laden melodies. Although plagued with technical problems for a part of the performance, Splashdown put on a extraordinary live show evident from the angry and disappointed wails of the entranced crowd as the band left the stage after a far too short a set.