New York Musicians Bring Out Art-Rock

Although New York-based singer-songwriters Chris Lee and Christina Rosenvinge shared a patron and a drummer in Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, their performances Tuesday at the Fold at the Silverlake Lounge had little else in common, other than the introversion, limited accessibility and quirky musical aesthetics of East Coast art-rock.

Both singers have current recordings on Smells Like Records, the independent label run by Shelley, who co-produced “Chris Lee Plays & Sings Torch’d Songs, Charivari Hymns & Oriki Blue-Marches” and played on Rosenvinge’s debut, “Frozen Pool,” with Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo.

During their sparsely attended Tuesday show, the pair also shared bassist Jeremy Wilms and guitarist Tim Foljahn (also part of Shelley’s group Two Dollar Guitar).

Rosenvinge’s mostly languid, 35-minute set didn’t exactly reflect her past life as a Spanish pop star, but it revealed her passion for willowy folk and offbeat yet classic song craft, from ‘60s French pop to Nico-era Velvet Underground to PJ Harvey’s more sexually thunderous moments.

Despite the variations, neither Rosenvinge’s breathy, sometimes wistful singing nor her drifting songs were very memorable.

Lee crooned of unrequited love in a more distinctive falsetto--one that’s been compared to those of Tim Buckley and the Zombies’ Colin Blunstone, but proved to be not so singular.

Rooted in R&B; and punk, his 40-minute set meandered from mid-tempo, primitive soul balladry to driving near-blues-rock, and included material by Buckley as well as Neil Young. Like Rosenvinge’s, his approach was so understated that his charms proved elusive.

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Chris Lee and Christina Rosenvinge play tonight at the Knitting Factory Hollywood, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 8 p.m. $8. (323) 463-0204.