The slog of winter is upon us and getting out to see a show now feels like a monumental task. Thankfully there are some sunny bands worth breaking the surly bonds of an upholstered couch for.

The night opened with Eggs on Mars. The Kansas City outfit lines up as Brad Smith (vocals/guitar), Joel Stratton (guitar), Doug Bybee (bass), & Mason Potter (drums). It’s the usual crew, though something felt different immediately. Most noticeably, keyboards have been absent from the quartet's live shows as of late. That put me on edge. A closer listen also revealed that the jangly guitar leads and solos that Smith provided to the act's early discography have given way to more expressive notey solos from Stratton on newer compositions. Less precious twee, more full-grown indie. The quartet's songs were still catchy, melody-driven pop tunes, but this new batch offered exciting side quests too. Listeners followed the slide guitar in the third number, the bending notes offering Kurt Vile-esque vibes throughout, and the drums snapping to attention with the bass in some songs but bubbling under everyone in others. In the finale, Smith and Stratton's guitars meshed brilliantly, before the latter went wild, sending the number into overdrive, to create the fullest, loudest moment of the night. The band has several gigs lined up as it pushes toward the release date of its new album Good Morning (I Love You) on March 7th. I hope to make it to all of them.

Remember The Faint Game from reviews past? In short, a performer loses The Faint Game if they spend more time setting up than it does playing. It is named after the Omaha group who frequently lost that gambit. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce our next contestant who enters the conversation with impressive setup time of forty minutes.

Comet Tide is a three-piece led in equal parts by guitarist Josh Johnson, bassist Jordan Smith, and drummer Sam Hoskins. Each has been active in Kansas City bands for twenty-five years or more. In fact, I saw this same trio perform together as part of the electronic pop act The Slowdown twelve years ago. Somewhere after that they regrouped in Wonderfuzz. Musical soulmates, I guess. This current pop project is built on the slick and smooth retrofuturism of the late '70s and early '80s. Soundtracks hold a special place in their hearts, with video projections and matching coveralls cementing that affection. Still, multiple passions were on display. Johnson's tone suggested a fondness for jazz fusion. A host of pedals connected to a high-tech amp modeler got him there. Sometimes his guitar didn’t even pretend to be a guitar. Johnson pointed out, "This one’s normally played on keyboard." I believed him. Hoskins' analog drums sounded oddly out of place with the pop sheen around him. And I hate that real drums sound weird to me in modern music. Nothing odd about the vocals though – each musician took the lead, offering varying levels of distinctive grit that kept things interesting. They overlapped smartly and harmonized well. The band's arrangement game is strong.

In the end, the fifty-something-minute set won The Faint Game by an easy margin. Many cuts came from the band’s 1984Ever LP, with a few new songs sprinkled in before two older tracks closed the set. Somewhere in the middle of the set a big guitar solo reached for an exclamation point, but the trio was at its best when drums were bold, the guitars circled each other, and unseen keyboards smoothed out the sound. Locals may find comparisons to Lyxe or even Namelessnumberheadman. Is there another comparison? Maybe, but it's a stretch, and unless the guys cover "Early Distant Warning," I'll never commit to print. But if they do, that would be something worth leaving any couch for.