Friday night, the Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton welcomed Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra onto their stage with a compact, but eager crowd. The five-piece orchestra played a long, powerful set that engaged the audience while still maintaining their sprawling dissonance. With support from the viciously friendly math-duo, Giraffes? Giraffes!, the night packed a punch that engaged the crowd with contrast and conviction. Both bands emitted a sense that the night was pressing, an important struggle that they seek to finish by their own standards of excellence.

The two members of Giraffes? Giraffes! communicated with each other and with the crowd solely through their own electricity. Both members played fast and loud, but guitarist Joe Andreoli built musical landscapes through loops and delays. Several songs called for the use of violin bow to create unfathomable sounds. The whole time he shot smiles at both the crowd and at drummer Ken Topham, through a thick beard that made him look like some sort of punkish Henry David Thoreau.

The crowd, which seemed to be familiar with the band’s catalog already, excitedly welcomed their more popular songs such as “I Am S/H(im)e[r] As You Am S/H(im)e[r],” the face-melting classic from their 2007 full-length, “More Skin With Milk-Mouth.” This song was a perfect microcosm of their set – a brisk and demanding shred-fest that falls apart into tranquil dream-synth, reminiscent of 80s new wave. This rewarding musical journey was heralded by a playful thumbs-up given to the crowd mid-set. Their entire set lasted a mere 30 minutes of disorienting cohesion. They exited the stage to roaring applause without ever having said (or sung) a word.

Then came the main act, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. The orchestra set up with two violins, a stand-up bass, a guitar, organ and drums, with the drummer manning both his kit and the organ. Their maximal instrumentation could not have been any more the opposite of the two giraffes.

They started by introducing themselves to the audience and expressing their cheer to be in Northampton: “We haven’t played together since ’77 in Mexico City, so we’re excited to be here … and we’re sorry we’re not as ‘loose’ as we normally are.” This, of course, was a rather farcical comment for a band that formed in the late 90s; however, it set the tone for the night. Efrim Menuck, the band’s reluctant leader, often broke between songs to ask the audience questions such as “who here is a grad student?” or “who studies material science?”

As for the music, the band performed with superb quality. Mt. Zion is well regarded for their musicianship, and the reputation was well-earned Friday night. While on the foreground the sound seemed to stagnate under the hums of violins and electric guitar, the background was much more nuanced. Switching from 5/8 to 4/4 to 7/4 almost secretly, it was clear that Mt. Zion was a band that did not beg for your attention, but rewarded you if you gave it.

Not only were the violins playing in lush harmonies, but so were the singers. All screams, shrieks and stutters aside, these vocalists knew when to drop the punkish aesthetic and flaunt their gifts. Even if Menuck is the band’s least talented singer, he sings with such earnest distress it’s hard to not swoon at his lisping passion.

Their opening song, “BlindBlindBlind” from their 2008 album “13 Blues for Thirteen Moons,” was a 20 minute long beast that brought elements of grunge, folk, punk, and drone all to the forefront. For the next hour and a half, this only intensified. “This song is in two parts,” said Menuck before the band started their most epic tune, “so if you’re uncomfortable or preoccupied, now is the time to smoke that cigarette.”

For those who stayed the whole show, and resisted the urge to be “preoccupied,” there was a catharsis to be found amidst the epic sprawl of sound. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra work like a force of nature, both provocative and hard to understand in full – much like the name of the band.

Brian Folan can be contacted at [email protected]