WHITE RABBITS
White Rabbits have come a long way from their 2007 debut, Fort Nightly, where their “honky-tonk calypso” mix of music hall influences, ska riddims and pensive lyrics recalled The Specials. Two things have happened to the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Columbia, Mo., sextet. One: The lyrics turned moodier, the message more fractured. Two: White Rabbits have fallen under the spell of Spoon. Enigmatic indie-pop superstars Spoon can hardly complain about this, since said spell is of their own weaving. Spoon’s Britt Daniel produced White Rabbits’ sophomore LP, while frequent Spoon producer Mike McCarthy helmed the band’s current effort, Milk Famous. As a result, the Rabbits sound a lot like — you guessed it, Spoon. Back-masked synths, reverberating piano and eerie near-falsettos chart a tortured journey through Spoon-ish dark lands. With intricate dual drums, White Rabbits still pack a textural wallop, but their songs — and identity — are missing. Add cut-and-paste lyrics that resonate as much as refrigerator-magnet poetry, and the Rabbits cross over from haunting restraint to willful obscurity. With Easter Island. $12-$15. Oct. 4, 8:30 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200. .