When the Dodos last visited D.C., we were so impressed that we had considerable difficulties keeping our excitement down to one paragraph. The group’s youthful exuberance was just barely outmatched by their technical skills, and they excelled at making surprisingly full-bodied sounds using primarily drums and guitar. But their flourishes with additional instruments (trumpet, vibraphone, extra percussion) pushed were what pushed that set over the edge, providing an accurate mirror to last year’s excellent Visiter.

This year’s Dodos release, Time To Die, brought in a full-time third member, Keaton Snyder, on vibraphone and additional percussion. Despite the added depth, the album streamlines some of the barely contained maniacal tendencies that had made jaws hit the floor with their previous release. So the Dodos were perhaps wise to begin their show Friday night with a rollicking song from Visiter, “Paint the Rust,” before launching into new material. Once they did, though, the Rock and Roll Hotel crowd was confronted with the fact that a live Dodos show has punch even when their recorded material does not.