Peter Wolf Crier is a band that you probably haven’t heard of…yet. But after watching the duo (trio during live performances) immobilize the audience of Los Angeles’ Bootleg Theatre, I am confident you will be hearing this name more and more as we roll into 2012.

The Minneapolis-based outfit encompassed a peculiar dichotomy in its music. It simultaneously sounded like it belonged in a stadium and yet an intimate setting as well, like radio singles and indie gems. This contrast seemed to stem from vocalist/guitarist/pianist Peter Pisano, who, himself, dripped of contrast, exuding the confidence of a rock star, while stopping in between songs to tell the crowd how special the night was. I know that rock stars say this too often, but here’s the catch, the look on Pisano’s face showed he was serious.  This honesty made it that much more powerful, and believable, when the young musician belted out heart-wrenching, albeit melodramatic at times, vocals in his beautiful, Chris Martin-esque tone.

The band played tracks from both its 2010 debut Inter-Be and recently released sophomore effort, Garden of Arms, which made it clear that Pisano and percussionist Brian Moen shifted their sound between albums. Where the selections from the first album rang of vintage folk, the new tunes were riddled with experimentation. Pisano made use of the sea of effect pedals surrounding him on stage, looping and stacking his vocals to create ethereal harmonies that echoed through the theatre’s walls, while Moen vivaciously pounded on his drum kit, seamlessly switching from drum sticks to mallets to whisks during songs.

This was best exemplified during the Garden of Arms opener, “Right Away,” a jarring, disconnected song that not only featured word-less vocal loops, but eerie reversed-delay lyrics that sent a chill down your spine. Accessibility resurfaced when the Midwest boys performed “Settling It Off,” the first single off the new record. This song was stripped down to vocals, a clap track, tambourine and soft percussion, slow-strummed guitar, and simple keys.

It is apparent that Peter Wolf Crier is still trying to pin down its sound, but that mesh of accessibility and experimentation is what will get this band to the next level—it’s catchy and mainstream, but weird enough to hold interest—and if this live performance was any indication of what this band is capable of, it will go far.