I was at first intrigued by the name Nite Jewel, my imagination and interest further piqued by the sparse amount of information about the band online. The music on their Myspace sounded like a broody, surreal Heart; the dark, nebulous melodies stuck in my head long after I’d heard them. Apparently, there were many others like myself with the same problem: The Troubadour was packed, the crowd easily enveloped in the band’s opalescent, wistful universe. Nite Jewel’s crystalline feminine vocals are textured richly by R&B, disco, lounge, and dream pop, singing songs for the joyful and joyless alike that one can either strut or sway to.

The Los Angeles group features a lead female vocalist/keyboardist, a secondary female vocalist, a bassist, keys/guitar player, and a drummer playing both live and electronic drums. The female voices sounded like two sides of the same coin, mirroring the low, gorgeous tones of one another just as easily as they matched each other’s vocal peaks. There were times during their set that I could have sworn I was listening to artificial vocal loops, both singers using their vocies like woodwind and percussion instruments with just the right amount of echo and reverb to fill the room.

What really sets Nite Jewel apart from other bands of their ilk is their enthusiastic use of consistently creative bass, keyboard, and drum lines. Instead of placing the rhythm section on the back burner with that nagging, one idea lines, funk and soul edge their way into every song for a delightfully robust result. There’s no reliance on sterile electronic drum beats to fill out the bottom of their sound; instead, Nite Jewel showcases the entire section’s finesse together. Their liquid rubato beats are just as appealing to the ear as their occassional driving military pace or their grungy blues tempos. When the keyboard player switched to the electric guitar, Nite Jewel was suddenly aglow with psychedlic tones that further enhanced the astral quality of the singers’ sounds.

Recently returned from a two-week cross-country tour, Nite Jewel has been busy working on their EP Am I Real? The album is now available in both a limited release vinyl format or digital download. Alas, there are no upcoming shows listed online, but keep checking back on Nite Jewel’s website!