POP MUSIC REVIEW : Curve Breaks Sound Barrier at the Palace

“We don’t want much--just to be the loudest band in the world,” Curve vocalist Toni Halliday once said. So the London-based duo, whose white noise and power chords have earned the respect of dream-pop connoisseurs, must have felt pretty close to perfection Wednesday night at the Palace. But it was more than just mindless sonic assault.

Shimmers of feedback from one guitar escalated into dinosaur-sized distortion before being sandwiched between even more layers of manipulated noise by the band, which includes Halliday’s partner Dean Garcia and, for the tour, two additional musicians.

Halliday’s low and drifting vocals sank deep into the noise, only to pull out and float upward in more ethereal moments. Her stage movements were fluid and minimal as power jets of smoke blew her black hair about, creating picturesque moments to match the dark music.

Though the massive sound was sometimes overwhelming, it cast a hypnotic quality over the colorful audience, which consisted of followers of styles as distant as gloom, metal and alternative/college rock. After the sonic barrage subsided, the audience stood by cheering, eager for more sonic punishment--then held their ears as the band obliged.

There is a seductive edge to Curve’s exotic pop sound that is captivating in places--though there’s narrowness to the group’s overall approach that needs to be addressed if it is to live up to its potential.