Dora Alexander at the Silver Dollar

It wasn’t game night at the Silver Dollar on Thursday night – or, at least, the NHL had to make do with only one side of the bar. Despite a late start, Paint tore up the stage and Dora Alexander put it back together – and here’s how it went down.

An energetic set by Paint proved that this band is more talented than their opening position implies. Managing to balance pop hooks and indie melodies with a harsh, grungy edge, this four-piece put on an awesome performance that merited more of an audience. Not that it seemed to matter to the band, who played a relentlessly tight set that – and it doesn’t hurt that they ended with a guitar solo. I’m making a point of seeing them again.

The following act, Tundra Fun, was disappointing. Their set started out tedious and ended that way too. Perhaps the absence of their keyboardist hindered the band, but repetitive and uninspired guitar riffs didn’t help either – nor did the vocalist’s jump to a falsetto voice.

Dora Alexander rounded out the night with a bout of atmospheric experimental rock. If their goal was immersive ambiance, I’d consider them successful. Their sound is deeply layered and richly textured. They tend to strike a leisurely tempo, but they endlessly play with the dynamic between silence and all-encompassing volume.