Seattle band The X-Ray Eyes put on a solid show recently at Chop Suey, adroitly playing songs that were clearly familiar to the audience while still making time for newer material. Their sound grounded solidly in straight-ahead rock with just a tinge of folk, the three-piece act put on a polished show.
While rarely charting unfamiliar territories, lead singer and songwriter David Lavin showed an intriguing vocal range, generally staying in higher registers but occasionally venturing lower – though never seeming forced. Clearly influenced by predecessors the likes of Bob Dylan, Lavin’s songwriting is lyrically intriguing and intellectually engaged. The band made too-infrequent use of vocal harmonies, an area in which, it seemed obvious the few occasions they ventured into it, they clearly excel.
Playing to a fairly small crowd, Lavin commented that this was The X-Ray Eyes’ last local show for a few months; in the eyes of this reviewer, far too few people were there to witness it. Their engaging performance was a great sign of things to come for this young band.