When the now-legendary Archers Of Loaf appeared at the Bug Jar in 1996, in attendance that night was none other than Darren DeWispelaere, leader of the local indie rock quartet Veluxe. "They're still one of my favorite bands," DeWispelaere said shortly before hitting the Bug Jar stage to perform a set of Veluxe material, followed by his band's take on the classic EP "Archers Of Loaf vs the Greatest of All Time," "but at that moment in time they were my favorite band. It was so great to see them here."

Clearly, DeWispalaere's unorthodox-yet-catchy approach to songwriting dovetails with the Archers' aesthetic. "They didn't beat you over the head with melody," he says. "You kind of had to dig through the songs and listen to ‘em a bunch to understand why they were good songs."

The evening opened with a quintessential example of subdued power in the form of the Ashley Pond Band. Bandleader Pond's combination of jangly, heavily-reverb'd electric guitar and husky, quavering voice projected a haunted, bluesy quality that offset her bandmates' indie chops for a striking contrast. Bassist Sarah Clark and drummer Scott Smith made perfect use of dynamics, growing even more powerful and absorbing when they brought the volume down. And the crawling pace of the songs created a pocket for Pond's voice, which seemed to hang in the air and linger in your ears long after the band was done.

In a fine example of booking complementary acts, next up was the industrial-tinged throb of Craig Marlowe. From one song to the next, Marlowe and his wife, Kathryn (full disclosure: Kathryn is a City Newspaper employee) were able to glide across an impressive range of keyboard/beat-based music, effortlessly welding the ominous feel of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and Devo with shades of gospel and chant.

Rock bands like to make big entrances, but Veluxe seems to revel in its lack of pretense. Rather than slam right in, the band's set unfolded in a majestic, mid-tempo wash of bright guitar chords. Winding patiently through its own material, Veluxe showed mastery over the art of building tension, a sure reward for fans who've kept up since the band's more angular early work. Veluxe also favors density over excessive loudness, so the band brought some heft to the more chaotic Archers covers (capped by a Blonde Redhead encore).

When DeWispelaere screamed the first lines of "Greatest" opener "Audiowhore," it was obvious that the audience was in for yet another well-executed contrast. But Veluxe didn't let the climax resolve there. In a fitting end to a night filled with steady intensity, the band was able to sustain a feeling of cathartic release for six entire songs. There's no point in doing covers unless you can put on your own stamp, or even try to improve on them. Veluxe did both.