Mother Mother at the Gramercy Theatre

Vocalist/guitarist Ryan Guldemond was in music school in 2005 in Heriot Bay, British Columbia, Canada, when he conceived a band based on his vocal-driven pop songs. He recruited two keyboard/vocalists -- his sister, Molly Guldemond, and a college friend, Debra-Jean Creelman. The trio played under the name Mother as an acoustic act before adding a bassist and a drummer. By 2006, the band was renamed Mother Mother to avoid legal complications with other bands named Mother. Although little known in other countries, Mother Mother albums charted high in Canada. Now based in Vancouver, Mother Mother presently consists of the Guldemond siblings, keyboardist/vocalist Jasmin Parkin, bassist Mike Young, and drummer Ali Siadat. Mother Mother released its seventh and most recent album, Dance and Cry, on November 2, 2018.

Still under the radar in the United States, Mother Mother headlined the 500-capacity Gramercy Theatre tonight, showcasing songs from all its albums but with a focus on the most current. The band's evolution was evident, in that some of the earlier songs, like "Dirty Town," harkened to a somewhat quirky folk foundation while later songs were generated from layers of electronic sound. The commanding consistency was found in the sweet three-part choral harmonies that anchored many songs. Mother Mother capitalized on glossy pop vocal sounds while injecting bombastic instrumental bridges and melody crescendos. The songs were seldom played straight; instrumentation escalated from melancholy to explosive, melodies shifted from simple to complex, and a vocal volleyball further juiced the intrigue, transitioning some songs into epic productions. This was a sophisticated pop, both clever and curious.

Setlist:

1. I Must Cry Out Loud
2. Dance and Cry
3. O My Heart
4. Let's Fall in Love
5. Monkey Tree
6. Get Out the Way
7. Bottom Is a Rock
8. It's Alright
9. Body of Years / Creep (Radiohead cover)
10. The Drugs
11. Family
12. Dirty Town
13. So Down
14. Get Up
15. Hayloft
16. Bit by Bit

Encore:

1. Biting on a Rose
2. Ghosting
3. The Stand