Under the Same Stars

RESTOCK. With one full-length release and a three-song follow-up under their belts, The Prom is one of the finest and most talked-about young combos in Seattle. James Mendenhall’s piano-based sad pop songwriting (which has been variously compared — not unreasonably — to Blackheart Procession, vintage Elton John, and Grandaddy) is supported perfectly by the looping McCartneyesque bass of David Broecker and Joel Brown’s fluid harmonies and drumming. On stage, the trio is extraordinarily engaging, carrying off their generally somber material while never taking themselves too seriously, and somehow balancing the songs with often hilarious and always witty stage patter.