'Burghers: Ennui riding a rising tide

Formation of Tides will be released April 5.

About three weeks ago I saw Jim Doutrich at karaoke. He gave me shit about liking folk music and then sang some song from the 80s. Neither of these things came as much of a surprise to me; I had it coming and I knew Jim's style. What did catch me off guard, though, was his singing. I can't remember if it was Wang Chung or the Thompson Twins but I was dumbfounded. I then, like an idiot, went around with a stupid grin on my face saying stuff like "Who knew?" and "Jim's got a voice!" Nobody said anything. The night drove on and, after a couple of beers, I nailed "Someday" by Sugar Ray, had a couple more beers and put another Thursday behind me.

I ran into Jim the next night and he blew my mind when he said one of his songs had been downloaded, like, 3,000 times that day. Turns out Jim has a band--he has since 2004. Not only that, but they had an album ripe for the shelves. This explained why no one was as surprised as me that night at the Cantina.

The band, Ennui, is a two-man operation. Jim sings and writes the songs, plays guitar and keyboard. Sam McUmber, a classically trained pianist, takes on the rest. What results is a whirlwind of vintage synths and waves of harmonies, all under a blanket of reverb. It's some dense, sticky stuff and they are going to show it off live Friday night at the Brillobox in Lawrenceville.

The past seven years have seen several incarnations of Ennui. They started as a four piece that criss crossed the country. A couple of years went by and a three piece released a well received LP. The band has only recently had to adjust to playing as a duo.

"There's more concentration involved," Doutrich said. "If you have four people in a band and only two are really motivated or involved, it's pointless. For Sam and I, when we get together, we're both fully motivated--it's great."

"It's more likely that we can get on the same wavelength," McUmber added. "Our creative goals are easier to reach."

Even though the new formation has allowed them to focus on a more electronic sound, something Doutrich and McUmber were both interested in, the band also tried to make the album sound as organic as possible.

"We recorded it all on tape, using vintage synths," Doutrich said. "We wanted a live feel to it. Our last album was really studio heavy, it was conceived in the studio. For this one, all the songs were hashed out. We knew we wanted it to have a '70s ambient rock feel to it."

In all, 15 different synthesizers were used in the recording including a Yamaha CS80 and Vangelis Prophet 5. While the album has drawn sound comparisons to Berlin and the Top Gun Soundtrack, the songs fit naturally alongside more contemporary acts like Cut Copy and Grizzly Bear.

The results so far have been telling, as the band recently opened up for Deerhoof and have been featured on a slew of blogs. They even appearing as the soundtrack to the making of a dessert. For the first time, Doutrich has given up the promotional duties, allowing him to focus more of his attention on the music and artwork.

"I hired someone because I don't want to waste my energy," Doutrich said. " In the past I spent too much attention on promoting and setting up shows, too much attention on making it big instead of the music. It's kind of paying for a luxury."

They're hoping that cooperation will lead to bigger and better things.

"I think this album should be heard," McUmber said. "We're unique in Pittsburgh and musically I think we're on par with any other indie music out there. We have the musical skill and the creative voice and I think that's unique."

The show starts at 9:30 p.m.