Dustin Wong- The Lexington, London 18/04/2011

Don’t let The Wire fool you – there’s more to Baltimore, Maryland than drug dealers, corrupt politicians and shotgun-wielding stick up artists. It’s also home to what might well be America’s most vibrant musical community, responsible for such luminaries as Dan Deacon, Beach House, and Ponytail, a brilliant, frenzied sugar-rush of a band best known for their androgynous lead singer/screamer and scintillating, intricate guitar lines. That band are currently “on hiatus” (a pretty questionable one, as they managed to release a new album last month), but the gentleman responsible for the aforementioned guitar pyrotechnics has taken the opportunity to strike it out on his own, with pretty incredible results.

Dustin Wong may seem like a humble, unassuming sort of guy, but with only a guitar and about seventeen-hundred different effects pedals, he weaves multilayered symphonies that elicit every guitar tone could you possibly imagine.

From serene, blissed-out reverb to mellow tropicana to incendiary rock interludes, his seamless 45 minute set encompasses the whole spectrum of emotions without coming across as jarring or over-ambitious. For fans of his previous band, he brings much of his their vibrancy to his own material, but those expecting the hyperactive insanity of Ice Cream Spiritual may be disappointed- on the whole this is much mellower in tone (although the last song is vintage Ponytail, complete with manic whooping and vocal effects.)

There’s also a classical influence to his looped compositions that aren’t a hundred miles away from Owen Pallett; whilst Wong may lack the melodic sophistication of The Artist Formerly Known As Final Fantasy, his creativity with the limited gear at his disposal is unimpeachable.

An absolute delight from start to finish, it’s hard to find fault with this understated but astounding performance. As awesome as Ponytail are, this side-project may be even better.