Indie fans gathered Thursday evening at Cholmondely's for an intimate concert with bands The Mountain Goats and Manishevitz. Organized by the Rock and Roll Club and free of charge to Brandeis students, the show was an enjoyable evening of rock and folk, with both bands captivating the crowd through their unique approaches.Opening the evening was Virginia's Manishevitz, a four-piece ensemble rooted in the post-punk and early new-wave of the late 70s, especially in the quirky style of The Cars and Television. Eager to hear The Mountain Goats, much of the audience at first seemed indifferent to its set, but Manishevitz still managed to give an energetic show. After the first song, singer Adam Busch, decked out in thick-rimmed glasses and a sports jacket, asked the crowd to stand up in hopes of invigorating them. And though it took nearly ten songs to finally muster some dancing out of everyone, Manishevitz's playful pop/rock provided a refreshing contrast to The Mountain Goats simple, acoustic style.

Echoing the falsetto teases of The Cars' Ric Ocasek, frontman Busch's vocals played well with the band's catchy guitar hooks and dreamy slide-led breakdowns. While the band's set was not diverse, it was enjoyable enough. From their recent album City Life, "Beretta" was an early highlight, complete with hand claps and an appealing "Just what I needed" riff. The similarities to The Cars seemed premeditated to the point that even partial lyrics were lifted from "My Best Friend's Girl," but at least someone at Chums caught on, too, hilariously playing The Cars' Greatest Hits from the sound booth after the entire show had ended.

"Hi, we're The Mountain Goats," announced the folk outfit's mastermind John Darnielle as he stepped on stage. Continuing the evening's indie aerobics, he told the audience they could now sit down, wittily adding, "It's a Catholic thing." His humor was characteristically apparent throughout the show, serving as an appropriate segue between his frenzied acoustic numbers. Only accompanied by a bassist, Darnielle's set also showcased a singer/songwriter at his barest, applying a sparse technique to songs ranging from his early lo-fi days to the Goats' recent band-oriented repertoire.

The duo began with "Mole," from their excellent new album We Shall Be Healed. Although a confusing choice for an opener, its light-hearted sound juxtaposed well with Darnielle's poignant lyrics, catching the crowd's attention early. Continuing with "Slow West Vultures" and "Tallahassee," he proved that he didn't need go electric to rock, often shaking his leg violently as he strummed his guitar. Changing gears, songs like "Linda Blair Was Born Innocent" proved Darnielle's equally strong aptitude for balladry, while angular bass-lines wrapped around Darnielle's guitar as he crooned lines like, "Hungry for love/ready to drown/so tie down the sails/we're going downtown."

Appropriately singing like a nasal Robert Pollard (of Guided By Voices fame), John Darnielle has built a reputation as not only a songwriter, but as a thoughtful storyteller as well. Similar to "Mole," Darnielle pondered the death of a loved one in "Shadow Song," asking, often at a whisper, "If you get there before me/will you save me a seat?" Unfortunately, the evening's most somber and low-key songs - like "Shadow" - were often squeezed between the more upbeat and the shift between the extremes sounded slightly clumsy.

But where clumsiness would make another band falter, The Mountain Goats also triumphed. Amid early tuning problems, Darnielle unapologetically joked with the crowd. He arbitrarily mused about being described by a friend as Frankenstein when having a crew cut. "So I ate him," he ended, consistently relieving tension between songs as the audience howled. Darnielle disappointingly turned down several requests during the show, but recovered while introducing "Cotton," assuring the crowd, "But this one is also about amphetamines."

Encouraging the crowd at Chum's to stand yet again, The Mountain Goats were joined by Manishevitz's drummer for "See America Right," ending its set on a high and very danceable note. And for the encore, Darnielle dusted off fan favorite "Jenny," screaming "God damn! A pirate's life for me!" as several fans excitedly shook their fists in the air and sang along.

John Darnielle's Mountain Goats have come under critical fire in the last few years for abandoning the group's original lo-fi sound. On Thursday, Darnielle proved that even his newest songs still can contain that unadorned charm, finding their places even among ones recorded a decade ago with a mere boom box. A compelling show, both The Mountain Goats and Manishevitz did their recorded work justice.