After having an excellent time at the last seaport show I went to with Animal Collective, I was very much looking forward to catching Black Moth Super Rainbow and Fujiya & Miyagi. I'd been digging on this one track from BMSR I'd downloaded somewhere, and I'd heard excellent things about them at SXSW. Fujiya & Miyagi put out a record that I liked well enough back in 2006; I can't say that I expected them to gain the buzz and fans they currently have when it came out in the US earlier this year, but good for them. And I was quite curious to find out if all the hype about their live show was justified.

After waiting around and drinking a 40 (open container at South Street Seaport is pretty excellent), Black Moth Super Rainbow went on a little bit later than I expected, as shows at the port usually run on a very tight schedule. I didn't know what to expect at all, and when the foursome came out and everyone but the bass player immediately sat down on the stage and started fiddling with keyboards and drum machines, I didn't have high hopes. But the band sounded great, anchored by an underlying groove and melodic sensibility that I love finding in electronic music. I was close enough to the stage to actually see everyone, and they seemed interesting enough. The singer was wearing one of those cat hat/mask things, that basically made him look like he was going to a furry club after the show. He sang using a heavy effect on his voice that gave it kind of a robot sheen; normally this would make me want to go to the bar and wait for the next band, but it really works with the soundscapes they create. The bass player was by far the most visible of everyone (actually standing up!), and he did a good job of locking down the groove and giving hope to the crowd that there was something interesting on stage. Indeed there was, if you ignored the fact that you couldn't see anything and listened to the music. It was an excellent set, and their record has been in heavy rotation ever since. But they really ought to consider finding a way to make their concerts something people can watch, instead of just hear.

There was a large crowd by the time Fujiya & Miyagi went on. They faithfully recreated the sound and feel of the record, and it sounded good, but honestly it was pretty boring. The crowd never really got into it apart from a few kids bopping when their jam came on, I was surprised, and I was expecting more. It's not that I think F&M can't put on a good show, indeed I believe they can. But I think that the kind of music they make really needs a room to give the oomph that bring people of out compliantly hanging out and gets folks into the show, ideally, getting their hips moving a bit. They would do well to not play outdoor venues, or to turn their bass up to eleven when they do. All in all, it was a decent concert that started an enjoyable evening.

Labels: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Concert Reviews, Fujiya and Miyagi

Thanks to a friends birthday party the night before, I somehow made it to this show in the midst of what may have been the worst hangover of my life. Ouch. But that does speak to how much I like seeing both Man Man and Illinois. In entirely different ways, both bands can really bring it on a good day. And I have yet to catch Man Man on anything but a good day.

Due to my headache and general distaste for life at the moment, I didn't make it into the pool in time to see Illinois play. However, I did get to listen to them as I was waiting in line, and from where I was, it sounded pretty good. Several of my friends confirm that they played a good set, and I know that I'll be seeing them again soon enough.

I don't know if it was just my hangover or if they deserve my scorn, but I thought that Dengue Fever were terrible. I didn't feel it at all, and not so secretly wished they would stop playing.

Man Man, however, temporarily helped me forget how much my body hurt, and played with the tight energy and wonderfully eccentric sound that make them one of the best live bands currently touring. It was impressive, and everyone of my friends basically said the same thing to me after the set. They did play some new material which sounded good, I'm much looking forward to their new record. Go see Man Man if you haven't already, it's a spectacle you won't soon forget and will likely enjoy.

Labels: Concert Reviews, Illinois, Man Man

This show was likely the one circumstance in which I would (and did) find myself at an Animal Collective show; I, like many, found Sung Tongs to be a pretty excellent record, though I hated it for some amount of time before repeated forced listenings by one of my roommates made me come around. But I never really clicked with Feels, or got into anything else that they've done. Coupled with several friends telling me that AC were a terrible live show, I've not been in much of a hurry to see them. However, I am a fan of the free shows at South Street Seaport which allows me to check out bands I wouldn't likely see otherwise in a pleasant outdoor venue.

So I went, and I now I'll eat crow. Danielson opened the show, and they looked peppy in their matching forest ranger uniforms. They sounded pretty peppy too, I would say that I passively enjoyed their performance. Then Animal Collective came on, and started building delicate, expansive loops of sound that effectively hypnotized me, and rather quickly. It was intriguing and beautiful in this abstract kind of way. Sometimes it became rhythmic in a sense that reminds me of how it feels to see Liars (without really sounding like that band), and other moments focused on these very disjointed melodies and chants which were far more pleasing than I would expect them to be. I'm told that most of the beginning of the set was material from their forthcoming full length; if that's what their new record sounds like, I think I may become a big fan of this band yet. They did get into some older material later in the evening which pleased the rather large audience, but even though I like the older tracks they played, I'd take a concert just full of the new stuff. And perhaps I will.

Labels: Animal Collective, Concert Reviews

I was anticipating this show for several reasons: one, I'd heard nothing but good things about Beach House, even though their record never caught a hold of me. Two, the Clientele put out a quite lovely record in 2005 which I've been fond of for some time (Strange Geometry), and this year's follow up, God Save the Clientele, is similarly pretty good. Three, I had a date. That's at least two more reasons than I normally have to look forward to a show, so I had high hopes for this one.

Things started off on the right foot: Beach House created a big, warm sound that appropriately enough, kind of reminded me of waves in an abstract sense. I still sometimes find myself surprised by how just two people can really envelop a room in sound, and this was one of those occasions. Even better, after a kind of slow start I found myself really getting into it. I could've listened to a lot more of them. Current indie rock royalty Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear is also a fan, as he was standing next to me for part of the show, which isn't that surprising considering the similarities between what he's up to and what Beach House does.

Initially, I was very underwhelmed by the Clientele. They opened with my favorite song that they play, Since K Got Over Me (which is amazing if you've not heard it), but it sounded really thin and the vocals sounded kind of throw-away. A band like the Clientele need sincerity to sell their music, and they have it on record. Live, I wasn't quite feeling it. However, they did fix the sound as the show went on giving it more of that dream-pop atmosphere that I was hoping for (and that Beach House nailed), and I came to like the band a little more. Also, it was the keyboardist's birthday, an adorable blond catch from England, and the crowd singing happy birthday to her was actually pretty fun. All in all, the Clientele are a decent show, and a good date show if that's what you're looking for.

Labels: Beach House, Concert Reviews, The Clientele