I have seen them at least once before. I know they are one of St. Joseph's most popular bands. But there is just something about the local female-fronted rock trio Alice that I can't put my finger on.

I caught a show of theirs at Magoon's on a normally boring and uneventful Wednesday night. For the 90 minutes that they played, they managed to mystify me even more.

First off, there music has a unique creepy swing to it, especially on "Spies and Spiders." A lot of the tunes jump in and out of alt-rock ("Highway Hypnosis") and a touch of surfer punk with vocalists Rachel Hoffman and Erika ????? (sorry, the last name escapes me) occasionally switching instruments and interlocking their leaning harmonies. It's also nice they throw in the occasional, dramatic and abrupt tempo change, giving drummer Bobby Dean Floyd the chance to bang fast and furiously into his comfort zone (and play a few of his own solo songs on guitar during a short intermission). The instrumentation is for the most part simple. They never play any more notes than what they have to to get a hooky riff and get you hooked.

After leaving Magoon's, I left with little understanding on what Alice actually is, except original, good and local. That was enough for me to sleep on.