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That night, I think I experienced the fluttr effect. I don’t mean the band, Fluttr Effect, but rather: while watching their rocking performance of “Say Goodbye” near the end I saw, quite literally, every movement simply merge and flickr, fluttering into a blur of mighty idiosyncratic rock. I can’t tell you when precisely the guitar’s fists melted into the wicked marimba melted into the swinging orange hair of the vocalist, but I can tell you that this was a good, good thing.

Also: electric cello. Fluttr Effect is a quirky band, nearly to the point of feeling like art-rock or indie. And yet while listening through their songs, I’ve never once felt like they were forgetting about actual song craft. Their music pulls of some interesting things, combining some sound fusion I’d never expected before. The MIDI-powered marimba / electric cello isn’t something I’d expect to meld with power chords, but they make it work. The vocals are themselves an interesting mix. Songs like “Transmission” feel like a well-crafted balled, while otheres (”Tarantula” is a standout) use the vox as just another instrument, letting the other instruments push the song forward.

For the first half of their set, they played as an acoustic trio: vocals, cello and marimba, but minus the guitar and drums. And this was an amazing shift from the more guitar-backed songs I’d heard before. It was sort of distilled Fluttr: the three of them drove the rock to fill every nook of the Lizard Lounge with their loud, gorgeous melodies; but they also took total advantage of their acoustic setup in this more intimate venue, giving the cello or the vocals the breathing room when they needed it. For me, it felt like the first time that I could truly hear and understand the quietly moving lyrics of “Transmission”:

I’m sending a signal
Begin, please come in
Transmission for the one I have not found

(You can get a similar “acoustic trio” version of Transmission from their site: mp3)

Their performance had all the elements that a good live set should: intimately performed numbers, tuned for the crowd and the venue, but also with enough shock and awe kept in surprise so that you don’t get too comfortable. Catch them at the smaller Boston venues while you still can.