Energy. There is no other way to describe every vibrant moment of this duo’s heartfelt and boisterous performance. From effortlessly leaping atop the drum set, sticks in the air, to running down the center of the crowd throwing balloons, Kim was a grinning ball of vivacity. As the sun set behind the crowd, the pair marveled at the ever amazing view of the Gorge, and the infectious happiness spread from the couple out into the crowd. When the song “Daylight” started playing the masses erupted into a sea of jumping bodies, while colorful balloons bounced atop the crowd in the glowing light. The melodies light-hearted, the dancing abundant, the scene surreal, it was a perfect way to end the afternoon.
It isn’t easy being the first show of the day at admittedly one of the smaller stages at Sasquatch. Most of the partiers from the night before have yet to emerge, and only the die-hard music fans and media roam the relatively empty grass.
This being said, Pepper Rabbit was surprisingly memorable. The lead singer Xander Singh managed to pick up a different instrument almost every song, lending variety to the tones rolling over the crowd. Singh once worked at a vintage music store, and each week would take home an instrument and learn to play it with help from videos on YouTube. Playing anything from a keyboard to a Ukulele, this talent and practice was evident. The eclectic haunting music was entrancing; his high and powerful voice did not compete with the music but added depth to Luc Laurent’s drumming. An organic experience, I imagine one could attend hundreds of their shows and not hear the exact same thing twice.
The first band to take the stage was Los Angeles’ own Twilight Sleep. Their contribution to the night was moody, noisy pop backlit with blues and purples to set the mood. “Broken Record” stood out as a leading track for the band, as if Silversun Pickups paired with White Sea’s synth. Their aesthetic certainly translated well live, with the front woman sporting a hood and a slinking around stage.
Sleeper Agent
Sleeper Agent took the stage next and looked much younger than their songs let on. They had to prove themselves to the rest of the audience, but already being a fan I got to sit back and enjoy. They opened with the noisy and riotous “Sugar Cane” and singers Alex and Tony dominated the stage along with the rest of the sextet. “Get It Daddy” was a stand-out of the set and by the time time they played it, the audience had started to warm to the garage pop dominating the Music Box. They kicked ass, took names, and certainly won over many of the Manchester Orchestra fans. They put on a show that lived up to their album Celabrasion and I cannot wait to see more from this band. (Check out more in my interview with the band).
Manchester Orchestra
The headliner began quietly, opening to a near-black stage. Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra was illuminated as they opened with the title track of their newest album “Simple Math.” With full power behind each note, Manchester Orchestra spoke little, letting the music say everything. They played a brand new minute-and-a-half song “Bananas” along with “100 Dollars,” “Mean Everything to Nothing,” “Virgins,” “The Only One” and “Pitsacola” (which he seemed surprised that the crowd liked) among many many others. They played a perfect balance of new and old tracks and the whole audience seemed to know the words to every one. Somehow Manchester is a band that has managed to retain their cool factor as they’ve gotten bigger and they draw in fans from all walks of life. Being a part of that crowd was quite an honor.
As the band wrapped their set, after so few words between songs, Hull hushed the whole crowd (very adamantly) and gave the most sincere thank you I’ve ever heard from a rock band, thanking the fans for their support in seeing the show. The band closed with “Now That You’re Home” from Like a Virgin Losing a Child and it was clear that the music means everything to Manchester Orchestra. And that’s why the music means so much to so many people.
It’s always a pleasant surprise when you have no plans on a Saturday and you get invited out to a show last minute. Friday afternoon I was quickly introduced to Chicago’s sextet Scattered Trees. Their recently-released LP Sympathy was quickly added to my iTunes and I was all set.
Scattered Trees draws comparison to other Southern-tinged indie rock bands, leaning towards Wilco with hints of The Fray meets Snow Patrol. Their set was driven by the beautiful electric guitar melodies, layered with piano, percussion, and four vocalists. Their sound was tight and the tone was somber. It was only after seeing their set did I realize that the songs from Sympathy were written by lead singer Nate Eiseland in response to his father’s death. The songs held a certain sad beauty that captured this sentiment.
That being said, I felt like the band was lacking a certain luster. For as many musicians were in the band, I expected the show to be more dynamic and intricate and the harmonies to be more prominent. While I found the songs to be well-written and certainly on point with the trend in indie rock, the energy and spark was a bit lacking. Although they have been playing together for many years, I see Sympathy as a step in the right direction, in preparation for something hopefully bigger and better.
MP3: “Four Days Straight”
[audio:http://addicted2shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/04-Four-Days-Straight-2.mp3|titles=Four Days Straight]
Devine is playing his whole new album BetweentheConcreteandtheClouds at Hotel Cafe tonight and will soon be joined on stage by Morgan Kibby (White Sea, M83). His way with words and a simple riff never ceases to amaze me. So excited for this upcoming release.
We’re going big for Cinco de Mayo when The Fling head to home base for The Rumble LA at The Echo with Apex Manor and The New Division.
Long-Beach-bred, The Fling hark back to the glory days of those infamous Laurel Canyon jam sessions of the 70’s with their brand of psych-infused alt-country folk rock. They’re joining us for the entire West Coast run of The Rumble Tour in support of the re-release of When The Madhouses Appear (Dangerbird Records) on May 3rd.
Ross Flournoy has risen from the ashes of The Broken West, with Apex Manor, who dropped their debut, The Year of Magical Drinking (Merge Records) this past January. Resident LA blogger and purveyor of amazing taste Surfing on Steam has already included it in his Best of 2011. Aquarium Drunkard boldly claimed, “It’s going to be a tough race to craft a better pop record this year.” Perfectly-crafted SoCal sun-flecked power pop at it’s very best; this is the chance to catch Apex Manor before they hit the road with Jonny this summer.
Riverside’s THE NEW DIVISION puts a new spin on 80’s styled beats and synths,
à la New Order. The Rookie EP landed them a Forkcast nod from Pitchfork in November. Their single, “Starfield” is a crisp new wave gem that NME called, “a symphonic swath of synths fit for regal ceremony.”
