High Places and Bear in Heaven take the Crocodile stage this Sunday for an epic night of fried electronica.

High Places have refined the delay-pedal nursery-rhyme experiments of their early days into comparatively rocking dance tracks. The band has a let's-all-get-spiritual-together vibe that translates beautifully live. They let their charm wash over a room, giving their audience a giddy contact high (also one time in Iowa their guitarist told me he used to eat powdered cake mix straight from the box ).

Bear in Heaven, though, is who I'm really thrilled to see. Last year, the group followed their promising 2007 debut with the beyond-spectacular Beast Rest Forth Mouth , a psychedelic take on krautrock. Key track “Lovesick Teenagers” lets singer Jon Philpot's falsetto drift in dark arpeggios. Philpot philosophizes about how the intensity of teenage love never really leaves us, breaking the ice with an irresistible melody and affecting pathos. There's heartbreak in their songs but it's strangely affirming; sure, we all get dumped but at least it gives us something to talk about.

High Places and Bear in Heaven play the Crocodile this Sunday, March 28

High Places Myspace
Bear in Heaven Myspace