THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND
Oginalii, Jaialai and Sad Halen, Will’s Pub, May 19

In both sound and approach, Nashville band Oginalii – who recently headlined a strong Orlando bill presented by Montgomery Drive – are a call back to the changing of the musical guard in the 1990s when tribal lines were being given the big “fuck off’ almost wholesale.
In their case, we’re talking a faithless sound that makes bedmates of sludge, indie rock and psych. Instead of some forced Frankenstein fusion, though, Oginalii achieve a charged and vivid synthesis that weaves dark allure with big alt-rock flair.

The big discovery of the night was Jaialai. In case you couldn’t divine from their name, they’re from Miami. Most importantly, they’re yet another powerful force to rise from Florida’s virile nethers.



They’ve been a band for at least a couple years but haven’t yet made much of a mark this far north quite yet, having played only one other Orlando show a year ago at the Henao Center. From what I just saw of them, though, serious fans of psych-rock should pray this changes soon because they landed here as an astonishingly finished act.

Like a diving rush of guitars down a long, echoing rabbit hole, Jaialai’s set opened as a shadowy vortex of bad, sexy energy. But those storm clouds eventually parted for moments of gorgeous, dreamy lightness. And back and forth it went from sun-bleached zephyrs to swirling heat gusts like their native weather.



Through it all, Jaialai kept it effective with clarified power and a degree of sonic craft usually reserved for much more seasoned bands. They’re about to release their debut album Say So on May 29 on new Miami indie label Public Works Records so watch out.

And it was nice to see new Orlando favorites Sad Halen appear on another good bill. I call them that because my introduction to them only came last January, but they’re not exactly new. Still, they don’t have a huge footprint yet, though it looks like they’re aiming to change that with a notable jump in visibility this year. That’s a great thing because their strapping blend of shoegaze and indie rock adds some nice and needed texture to the city’s music tapestry.

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Email Bao: baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com