Live Review: Friendo, Yourself & the Air at the Drunken Unicorn, June 8

• Michael Wallace and Nicole Brunel of Friendo played dueling guitar riffs

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If alcohol was all Chicago trio Yourself & the Air had to banter about, at least they had more to offer musically to their crowd. ("This song is ... a song," lead singer Erick Crosby quipped. And later: "This is alcohol," holding up his drink.) A swizzled mix of the assuredly disco with the sort-of hardcore, the band's set seemed tailor-made to fit the seemingly younger assembled audience. It proved soaring and upbeat, equal parts The Killers and The Postal Service (and Cursive, maybe?), mixing power pop with something heavier. They used anthemic vocals over plenty of keys and hand percussion to perform a set primarily composed of tracks from their recent EP Friend of All Breeds.

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Speaking of friends, though, all I wanted was Friendo. The Calgary, Canada trio seemed almost too creative for its own good as it rehashed kinetic guitar influences, from The Pixies and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to all the lo-fi kings of today; I heard Kurt Vile and Woods and Women and Abe Vigoda in their assuredly original work.