When you spend a fair portion of your time trolling for music news, show reviews, and up-and-coming new bands, you can quickly lose perspective on the definition of “obscure.” Late last fall, when I caught wind of Justin Kinkel-Schuster’s new music partnership with Mississippi multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bryant, it wasn’t through the normal local music channels. Misra Records (out of Dayton, OH) had just yank-started a publicity machine, churning out unhedged praise for this sludgy blues-folk-rock outfit that sprung fully-formed from 3-days’ seclusion in a house in Mississippi. After I caught their only show of 2011 at The Billiken Club, it became clear that whatever went down in 2012, this duo wouldn’t stay in St. Louis.

Friday marked the first night of Water Liars’ month-long tour and the official release of their debut album, Phantom Limb, at Off Broadway. It was a weird night; the show started wicked late and the audience was a little impatient, but Water Liars came correct and were flawless.

Who can pull off a suit jacket over a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over a ball cap? Andrew Bryant.

My favorite moment of the night was the performance of “Fresh Hell/Is It Well?” The album track features a recording of Aleister Crowley reading his poem, “The Pentogram,” but live, Kinkel-Schuster recited it instead, humbly apologizing to the original author at the end of the song.

Fresh Hell/Is It Well? (Video shot and generously shared by Abby Gillardi).

The isolation and raw introspection of Phantom Limb should make it a difficult sell for a live show, but the guys’ default kindness and gratitude, and obvious respect and affection for each other, make up for the sadness of the subject matter. The songs are smart, the voices sweet, and there’s plenty of noise to complicate the simplicity of a guitar-and-drum duo. If you get the chance to catch them on their tour, please do, and keep an ear out for their upcoming set on Daytrotter (recording on March 2nd). With NPR mentions, SXSW gigs, and a shit-ton of blog attention, Water Liars won’t stay obscure, in any sense of the word, for much longer.

Be sure to read Eleven Magazine’s review of the show, with Tara Pham’s far superior pictures.