Twin Shadow @ Pitchfork (7/16)

Twin Shadow was one of the biggest surprises for me at this year’s Pitchfork Festival. It took a few listens for me to warm up to the synth-pop band’s debut album, Forget, but I was immediately captivated by their exuberant, albeit short performance. In contrast with earlier performers Cold Cave’s dark, grandiose take on 80’s-era new wave, Twin Shadow’s tunes are clean, effervescent and extraordinary poppy, and even more-so live. You could easily see refreshing pop songs like “Slow” and “I Can’t Wait” soundtracking 16 Candles or The Breakfast Club (or really any John Hughes-directed 80’s film). Frontman George Lewis Jr. was extremely fun to watch, whether he was passionately singing or shredding on guitar, his performance was never short of magnetic. After their dynamic, head-bopping set, I’m hoping to catch them again soon.

MP3 I Can’t Wait

Follow the jump for more Twin Shadow pictures. Click here to see the full set.

Destroyer @ Pitchfork (7/16)

Destroyer‘s transition from eccentric, glam-tinged art rock to the sophisticated 80’s-style baroque pop of his new album has not gone over well with everyone, but I, for one, believe Kaputt to be absolute genius and I was greatly anticipating hearing the album performed live. From the opening bars of “Chinatown”, it was clear the enchanting tunes that made up the album, with their whimsical orchestration, airy synths, and soulful backing vocals, were meant to be heard in a live setting. Dan Bejar has a very unique performance style. He seems completely unconcerned with showmanship, often seen closing his eyes, reading off a lyrics sheet, or crouching on one knee to take sips from his beer, letting the gorgeous music take all of the limelight.

The seven-piece band Bejar assembled is absolutely one of the finest I’ve had the pleasure of watching. The densely-layered songs were performed flawlessly with meticulous attention to detail. The interplay between the saxophone and trumpet was particularly incredible on “Suicide Demo For Kara Walker”, with each instrument adding it’s own colorful embellishments to the breathtaking arrangement. It all led up to the epic closer, “Bay of Pigs (Detail)”, which bathed the crowd in expansive synths and delicate electronica, before launching into the all-out disco finale with a danceable beat, handclaps, acoustic guitar strumming and plenty of Bejar’s usual “la la la” backing vocals. It was a phenomenal climax to what was easily my favorite set of the afternoon.

MP3 Chinatown
MP3 Suicide Demo For Kara Walker

Follow the jump for more Destroyer pictures. Click here to see the full set.

Video: Fulton Lights – Staring Out The Window

This video for Brooklyn’s Fulton Lights proves that a great concept can take you a long way. Director Ninian Doff ingeniously uses footage of crows scampering around in a park and with help from some video effect wizardry, gives them human arms. As it turns out, crows with arms is hilarious! The birds dance, sing into a mic, take pictures of each other, beat on drums, conduct interviews and high-five. Definitely worthy of one or two LOLs (and maybe even a ROFL). The tune, a driving folk-rocker with a well-placed saxophone solo, ain’t too shabby either (it even made Said The Gramophone’s 100 best songs of 2010 list). Watch the clip above and download “Staring Out The Window” below.

MP3 Fulton Lights – Staring Out The Window

Get Fulton Light’s 3 Songs EP at iTunes.

Gang Gang Dance @ Pitchfork (7/16)

Gang Gang Dance have one of the most bizarre stage set-ups I think I’ve ever seen. Lead singer Lizzi Bougatsos is front and center behind an expansive drum set which includes bongos and wind chimes, keyboardist Brian Degraw has a drumstick in his mouth and is encircled by three full keyboards and various other technical doohickeys, there’s another full-time drummer in the back, some guys with guitars to the left, and a full-time incense guy / “vibe manager” who’s burning sage and dancing around with a flag made out of a garbage bag. The peculiar format seems to be working wonders for the band though, and it matched up perfectly with the experimental tribal psych sounds blasting out of the speakers. Bougatsos oozes with charisma, dancing across the stage and even crowd-surfing at one point as the band grooved on the technicolor space-age jams like “Glass Jar” and “Mindkilla”.

MP3 Mindkilla

Follow the jump for more Gang Gang Dance (including incense guy) pictures. Click here to see the full set.

No Age @ Pitchfork (7/16)

No Age‘s Pitchfork set was one of the most insanely high energy shows I’ve seen in some time. After messing around with their samplers for a few minutes the LA-based noise-rock duo exclaimed “F**k electronics. F**k technology. We’re No Age!” and then ripped through a blistering set of tracks from their two LPs as well as some well-placed covers of punk rock icons Misfits and Black Flag. Guitarist / vocalist Randy Randall was an unstoppable force roaming all around and off the stage playing the furious riffs as drummer / vocalist Dean Spunt pounded the life out of his drum kit while screaming into the mic.

The only small qualm I have with No Age’s set was the sound mix, the vocals were turned way down causing the duo’s incendiary choruses to be barely audible. The kids in the crowd certainly didn’t mind though, forming a huge mosh pit and gleefully rocking out to the raucous punk anthems. The band played off the audience’s energy making tracks like “Fever Dreaming” and “Teen Creeps” far more explosive then their album counterparts. Simply put, No Age came, they saw, and they conquered at Pitchfork Festival.

MP3 Fever Dreaming

Follow the jump for more No Age pictures (and some insane crowd shots). Click here to see the full set.

Cold Cave @ Pitchfork (7/16)

After sleepy (but still pretty decent) sets from Julianna Barwick and Woods, I think everyone was ready for some aural stimulation to knock them out of the crippling heat and Cold Cave delivered just that. The NYC synth-pop band didn’t seem to mind or even notice the 90+ degree weather as they came out in black leather coats and black denim and danced the entire set without breaking a sweat (how this is humanly possibly, I can not fathom). The lead singer/songwriter Wesley Eisold got his start in hardcore groups and he brings that intense sensibility to their sound, a darker, post-industrial take on mid-80’s new wave like New Order and The Cure . The massive synths, commanding vocals and wicked beats incited a full-out dance party among the crowd that I couldn’t help but joining. I didn’t know much about Cold Cave going in, but breathtaking tracks like “Confetti” and “Icons of Summer” left me a convert.

MP3 Confetti

Follow the jump for more Cold Cave pictures. Click here to see the full set.

Video: Motopony – King of Diamonds

Motopony – King of Diamonds (dir. Josh Forbes) from More Media on Vimeo.

“King of Diamonds” by Motopony was one of my favorite discoveries from Cheryse’s Summer (Or What It Sounds Like) Vol. 2 mix and now the track has a great video to go with it. The clip shows a different side to the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas. Amongst beautifully shot images of the city, director Josh Forbes peers into the lives a few residents resulting in simple, melancholy and genuinely human portrayals. Watch the video above and download the excellent track below.

MP3 King of Diamonds

Animal Collective @ Pitchfork (7/15)

I’ve heard very mixed reviews about Animal Collective‘s live show and the band is notorious for performing new material almost exclusively so my expectations were not very high going into their Day 1 headlining set. Despite all that, I ended up being very impressed with their performance (as well as the top-notch light show). It’s always a bit of a risk to play unfamiliar material, especially in a large-scale festival setting, but the tunes sounded excellent, with a huge emphasis on tribal, afrobeat rhythms and vivid electronic elements. The melodies weren’t as potent as the ones on Merriweather Post Pavillion, but they still shone through and if you like your Anco with plenty of wild scream/singing, you won’t be disappointed with the new album.

Even with the new songs going over very well, it was the old favorites played that still packed the biggest punch. The first one the band busted out was warbly freak-folk jam “Did You See The Words”. The easy highlight came mid-set when during the outro of new track “Know You Down”, the band weaved in the opening note of “Brothersport” sending the crowd into a dancing frenzy as they transitioned into the epic track. The band closed with a sublime performance of another crowd favorite “Summertime Clothes”. In the end, while I probably would prefer a set filled with singles like “My Girls” and “Fireworks”, Animal Collective delivered a solid performance and achieved it’s apparent goal of getting me psyched to hear their new album.

MP3 Did You See The Words?
MP3 Summertime Clothes

Follow the jump for more Animal Collective pictures. Click here to see the full set.

MP3: Loney dear – My Heart

One of my favorite Swedes, Emil Svanangen, aka Loney Dear will release a new album this year, Hall Music and “My Heart” is the first taste of his new material. The song has a fragile beauty that’s been a constant presence in Loney dear’s music,  but with the orchestral flourishes and church bell chimes, “My Heart” feel more grand and majestic as it reaches it’s breathtaking climax. Emil’s intimate, bedroom pop beginnings are felt in the introspective lyrics as he passionately sings about loneliness and heartbreak. It makes a spectacular first impression on what’s sure to be a wonderful new album.

MP3 Loney dear – My Heart

Pre-order Hall Music at Polyvinyl Records.

Neko Case @ Pitchfork (7/15)

This was my first time seeing Neko Case live so after I took my photos I made sure to find a place to let the gorgeous alt-country tunes emanating from the stage wash over me. Case’s voice is one of the most beautiful instruments you’re ever bound to hear and in a live setting, her vocals are even more powerful and mesmerizing then on record. She was backed by a group of skilled musicians that embellished the graceful songs with banjo, steel-pedal guitar and cello.

Case opened with a trio of exquisite ballads (“Favorite”, “Maybe Sparrow”, “The Pharoahs”) that perfectly showcased her stunning vocals before picking it up with one my favorites “Hold On, Hold On”. The striking gothic country track features Neko singing “Now it’s the devil I love / And that’s as funny as real love” over chiming guitar arpeggios and Kelly Hogan’s haunting backing vocals. The best moment for me came towards the end of the set when they played exuberant single “People Got A Lotta Nerve”, the profoundly catchy melody sparking a mass sing-a-long against the setting sun.

MP3 People Got A Lot Of Nerve
MP3 Hold On, Hold On

Follow the jump for more Neko Case pictures. Click here to see the full set.