PHOTOS BY JACKIE ROMAN

With the mercury rising on a strangely balmy January evening, Ravens & Chimes' whimsical performance at Mercury Lounge Monday night (Jan. 7) was particularly pertinent. Led by earnest frontman Asher Lack, the indie pop six-piece served up a set of danceable and frequently ethereal tunes from their debut LP, 2007's Reichenbach Falls. With a raven stuffed animal perched over the stage, courtesy of bassist Abe Pollack's Mom, set opener "This Is Where We Are" showcased the band's penchant for haunting vocal harmonies and psychedelic synth arrangements. Justifiably, Ravens & Chimes' sound is frequently associated with the Arcade Fire, but the band finds their element somewhere in between Leonard Cohen and Vampire Weekend.

Audience members delightedly sang along during "January," and Nora Kelleher's lilting flute added depth and richness to the song's vibrant, riffage-induced vibe. The band downshifted later in the set with the more subdued and melancholy "For m," which allowed Lack's lamenting lyrics to shine through brightly. Closing their near hour-long homecoming set with a revved-up rendition the Cohen classic "So Long, Marianne" was a wise move as the crowd bobbed their heads giddily straight through 'til the end. This marked a solid finale to the band's recent tour, and for now it's back to the drawing board. "We're heading back out [on tour] at the end of February/beginning of March," Lack shared with SPIN.com pre-show. "If we're lucky, and all signs point to yes, we're going to start writing some new material [in the interim]." Given Monday night's gig, New York eagerly awaits what's next for Ravens & Chimes.

We asked: Ravens & Chimes' album title for Reichenbach Falls was taken from the classic Sherlock Holmes short story, The Adventure of the Final Problem. Which book should Ravens & Chimes use next for inspiration?

Name: Heidi Schmidt
Age: 23
Hometown: Ridgewood, NJ
Occupation: Retail
"Anything by Tom Robbins."

Name: Johnny Lancia
Age: 32
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Occupation: Musician
"'The Little Prince.' I think that'd be a great concept album."

Name: A.J. Benson
Age: 27
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Occupation: Arts administration
"'Finnegan's Wake' by James Joyce."

Name: Bree Arsenault
Age: 31
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Works for an education non-profit
"Jane Eyre."

Name: Rachel Brauser
Age: 24
Hometown: Queens, NY
Occupation: Teacher
"The Golden Compass."

Name: Ava Collins
Age: 26
Hometown: South Bend, IN
Occupation: Grad student/teacher
"'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel García Márquez."

Name: Drew Houser
Age: 27
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: UPS man
"'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller."

Name: Aliza Smylie
Age: 23
Hometown: Mesa, AZ
Occupation: Restaurant hostess
"'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card."

Keyboardist Avery Brooks with Kelleher on tambourine / Photo by Jackie Roman

Kelleher and Lack bring it back home in 'January' / Photo by Jackie Roman

Bassist Abe Pollack and keyboardist Brittany Anjou / Photo by Jackie Roman

Ravens & Chimes are all smiles at the Mercury Lounge / Photo by Jackie Roman