Innocence Mission: Dreamy Day at the Fair

Poetry-- real poetry--is a rarity in pop music lyrics. But Karen Peris, of the young Pennsylvania quartet the Innocence Mission, writes with economical grace and romance harking back sometimes to Elizabeth Barrett Browning. And Peris has a stunning voice (halfway between Kate Bush and Natalie Merchant) and melodies to match.

Some of that was lost in an echoey mix at Cafe Largo, where the band opened a three-night engagement on Saturday, but the music, centering on Peris’ gauzy keyboards and her husband Don’s guitar, took on more dynamics than on the band’s new debut album: a sound track for a dreamy day at the fair. The set was stingy (just 45 minutes) and perhaps a tad too low-key, but then it was just the band’s first show of its first-ever tour.

Peter Himmelman--last seen doing “Hava Nagila” on the recent Chabad telethon with his father-in-law Bob Dylan and Harry Dean Stanton--proved more seasoned as a solo acoustic opening act, reporting, in his best songs, on his search for eternal truths in a transitory world and imparting simple wisdoms between songs with an effectively offhand, jocular manner.

The fine pairing concludes its Largo stint tonight, while the Innocence Mission is scheduled to perform live on KCRW-FM’s “SNAP” program Wednesday evening.