A haunting, long-lasting „Ouuuuuuh“ resounds from the roof into the greening courtyard and fills the air of this mild spring evening. Eli Mardock and his five band members have gathered on the eaves of the concert venue, Szene, where they will perform later that evening. The band from Lincoln, Nebraska, brings some stylish blur of color and moving tunes to the suburb of Vienna while strolling around the still empty area. The songs about hapless love are swirled by upbeat cries of the whole group and Mardock’s catchy whistling. While Eli speaks deeply and sonourously, his singing voice is kind of femme-fatale: magical-demonical from amatory disastrousness. Too keen that people would really bother about their – “damned stupid name for a band” – as eagle*seagull themselves claim on their myspace site. Too keen that we could bother when Eli gets confused – “forgot the words” – while playing their new song “The Year Of The How-To Book” from which their second album title derives. They know how to improvise for the acoustic session. For the show, however, there is still enough time left so that Eli can focus on the missed lyrical part as the supporting band has just started – in contrary to his uncertainty about their time schedule – doing the soundcheck.

eagleseagull.com