St. Pete trio Gleaming Amoebas offer visceral indie rock that winningly recalls such '90s standouts as Dinosaur Jr., and the Pixies (sans the strict loud-quiet-loud dynamic). Lead guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Douglas alternates between melodic chord progressions and powerful distorted drones such as the ones that dominate the six-minute freakout "Siren." Douglas' singing vacillates from detached cool to an impassioned yelp. Bassist Dustin Pogan throws down thick potent riffs while Erik Doren bashes away on drums, nailing interesting fills even if on occasion his flourishes come at the expense of keeping strict time. This gig is to celebrates the band's new full-length, which has yet to be named but will include such song titles as "Breedin' like a Bum Railroad," "Don't Make a Waste of the View" and "I'd Flatten a Thistle in a Book for You."
Gleaming Amoebas w/Jukebox Graduate, Fri., Dec. 21, 10 p.m., The Emerald, St. Petersburg, $5
This article appears in Dec 19-25, 2007.