I love this city. |
Round two. Let’s do this.
Philly five-piece Sun Airway may get comparisons to the previous night’s headliner. Drum pads, reverbed vocals, arppregiated synths: it’s all there. The band is only one album deep though and shows a lot of promise. Not to mention they nailed the synth sound: it washes over you, soaking your whole body in it. As I reflect now, I recognize how dumb this is, but the sound of the synth’s all-encompassing metaphorically-bathing powers led me to decree Sun Airway the Garnier Fructis of indie rock. It’s what makes tracks like "Oh, Naoko" and "American West" shine instead of getting tangled with all of the other AnCo ripoffs.
Philly five-piece Sun Airway may get comparisons to the previous night’s headliner. Drum pads, reverbed vocals, arppregiated synths: it’s all there. The band is only one album deep though and shows a lot of promise. Not to mention they nailed the synth sound: it washes over you, soaking your whole body in it. As I reflect now, I recognize how dumb this is, but the sound of the synth’s all-encompassing metaphorically-bathing powers led me to decree Sun Airway the Garnier Fructis of indie rock. It’s what makes tracks like "Oh, Naoko" and "American West" shine instead of getting tangled with all of the other AnCo ripoffs.
G-Side brings Dirty South to the North |
A midday swath of indecision led to a bunch of bits and
pieces around the fest. Wandering aimlessly can be advantageous, though,
serendipitous. Aside from even the music factor, what a relief to hear the
words "free water" nearby where I was walking. Not a huge fan of theirs but caught
a bit of No Age’s noise and was treated to a cover of Black Flag’s "Six Pack,"
I’m sure a move more than conscious on their part considering OFF! would be
playing no more than an hour later (more on them in a few). Reminded me of
Titus Andronicus covering "Common People" a few years back before Jarvis Cocker
performed. Can’t imagine how great of a feeling it would be to not only play a
festival with an idol, but have the balls enough to perform their songs in
front of thousands of people. I often mourn the lost art of the cover song. It’s
the perfect way to express gratitude while simultaneously add a creative twist
to produce something new. So No Age, looks like I’ll give you a second chance.
Despite rave reviews, I still haven’t given the new Gang Gang Dance a proper listen. So sitting in the shade directly between the Green and Blue stages, I heard the melding of their oft-incoherent noisescapes mashed with the Smiths pop of Wild Nothing. Someone tell Greg Gillis to get on that.
Despite rave reviews, I still haven’t given the new Gang Gang Dance a proper listen. So sitting in the shade directly between the Green and Blue stages, I heard the melding of their oft-incoherent noisescapes mashed with the Smiths pop of Wild Nothing. Someone tell Greg Gillis to get on that.
Not the insect repellent |
So I guess this is where it gets weird: when after
performing the song "Fuck People," Keith explained that the people he means are
those that get in the 15 items or less line with 20 items or people that talk
on their cell phone and drive. Ummm…yeah, I guess those things are slightly
annoying, but maybe, I dunno, a bit on the mundane side? Not that I’m expecting
elegant and poignant prose but maybe just something a bit more socially forward
to show the wisdom the bald spot surrounded by his dread locks represents. Why
not fuck homophobes? Why not fuck guys that beat women? The hardcore scene, to
me at least, was always about community and progressive, counter-mainstream
ideas. Certainly these ideas still exist in the music, as is shone in the
anti-religious fundamentalism "Killing Away." But I can’t help but think of the
conflict with the lyrics “There’s no progress if we keep on repeating the past.”
Do I want to keep hearing the same three-chord hardcore forever? Is there
progress in it?
Despite the bass problems at the end, OFF! definitely had the best set of the day. I may sound critical, but it’s what I liked about their set, the flurry of thought that enters my head. Despite that it’s just minute bursts of noise and screaming and with my hardcore punk days eons behind me, it’s still the most inspiring set I’ve seen so far this weekend: there’s a reason I’m committing the time to writing these words. Some music you’re meant to get lost in and just "feel it." As much as I love the sensual and fleeting pleasure of a good melody or combination of chords, this lasting cognitive rush is more rare and that much more personal and meaningful.
Anyone who knows me, knows my love of Swedish pop. Nothing tickles me more than the triumphant sounds of the Tough Alliance, the clever and cheeky Jens Lekman, the irresistible Peter Bjorn and John…the list goes on. Considering some of the less popular bands don’t make it to Chicago too often, I was psyched that the Radio Dept. was playing this year. Needing a bit of a cool down after OFF!, I found some shade planning to creep my way back up when they started. Apparently a lot of people had this plan though, even more assertive than me. Before I realized it, the Blue Stage was packed with people. Damn. Figuring though that the sounds would be good enough over the visuals, I opted to keep the shady spot and just listen. The melancholic dreampop was good background for the sun heading west. I found myself distracted from my thoughts every now and again, sounds stealing my attention from myself, the near opposite feeling of OFF! A great juxtaposition of music.
Despite the bass problems at the end, OFF! definitely had the best set of the day. I may sound critical, but it’s what I liked about their set, the flurry of thought that enters my head. Despite that it’s just minute bursts of noise and screaming and with my hardcore punk days eons behind me, it’s still the most inspiring set I’ve seen so far this weekend: there’s a reason I’m committing the time to writing these words. Some music you’re meant to get lost in and just "feel it." As much as I love the sensual and fleeting pleasure of a good melody or combination of chords, this lasting cognitive rush is more rare and that much more personal and meaningful.
Anyone who knows me, knows my love of Swedish pop. Nothing tickles me more than the triumphant sounds of the Tough Alliance, the clever and cheeky Jens Lekman, the irresistible Peter Bjorn and John…the list goes on. Considering some of the less popular bands don’t make it to Chicago too often, I was psyched that the Radio Dept. was playing this year. Needing a bit of a cool down after OFF!, I found some shade planning to creep my way back up when they started. Apparently a lot of people had this plan though, even more assertive than me. Before I realized it, the Blue Stage was packed with people. Damn. Figuring though that the sounds would be good enough over the visuals, I opted to keep the shady spot and just listen. The melancholic dreampop was good background for the sun heading west. I found myself distracted from my thoughts every now and again, sounds stealing my attention from myself, the near opposite feeling of OFF! A great juxtaposition of music.
DJ Shadow addressing the crowd before the orb |
Heading back to the Red Stage for the first time in a while
for DJ Shadow (Josh Paul Davis), I was getting pretty excited. A giant white
orb greeted us on stage…this should be interesting. Davis comes out on stage
before the set, says how excited he is to play and that he’s not just some
wedding DJ. Awesome. This should be good. The music starts, building up,
building up, the lights start to hit the orb, something’s gonna happen.
Something’s gonna happen right? Ehh, not so much. When the first piano notes of "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" hit, the crowd lost it, Davis throwing in
some absurd scratches and new samples over the distinguishable beat. The sound
was great, the bass was powerful, but I couldn’t help become way too
self-conscious just looking at a white orb on stage. As it wasn’t that dark
out, the light show was almost meaningless. Eventually the orb would open up to
give a glimpse of what Shadow was up to inside, but I decided to move on to the
Blue Stage by that point.
Zola Jesus gettin' funky |
Gotta give credit to Zola Jesus for the most use of stage
presence. Running from one end to other almost constantly and totally humbled
by the crowd that chose her over DJ Shadow, you could see the energy emanating
from her. Which was a bit of a contrast considering the synth based new wave /
industrial sound of her music. Despite her excitement, it didn’t transcend much
to me. The crowd was dissipating a bit, which may have had something to do with
it; it was probably the least crowded the Blue Stage was all day. More than
likely, everyone was trying to make sure they had a decent view for Fleet
Foxes.
I was really bummed when I found out Fleet Foxes were
headlining. Yeah, they make generally pretty, inoffensive sounding music, but a
headlining spot? At the end of the night, I want spectacle. LCD Soundsystem, the
Flaming Lips, those made sense. Close out the night with a bang. So it was a
bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy that I was getting pretty bored by the end of
the night. To their credit, they nail it all live. Never heard a missed harmony
or off-timing. It just wasn’t anything too enthralling and certainly not enough
to keep me interested in staying for the full set. Oh well.
The finish line’s in sight. But don’t want it to end!
The finish line’s in sight. But don’t want it to end!
Click here for the day 1 recap.
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