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Luckily, “Live on H Street” dodges certain stigmas that come with live albums. Its recordings are clean, missteps are few, and it gives off at least a fairly professional vibe. People in Cars give the impression that each member is almost obsessively literate when it comes to his instrument. It’s apparent in the wild guitar noodles that jump (mostly accurately) from scale to scale, or the slap bass licks that collide with their fuzzy effects. When all components sync up harmoniously, the band ventures into more captivating territories, but when the three pieces seem scattered, it’s tough to gather an identity. Sometimes the product is quite proggy, other times it seems like they’re aiming for more of a tempered, post-rock sound. To channel their obvious talent more clearly, People in Cars could use to narrow their focus, but without trimming the energy from their live performance.
