Interlude: Summer Make Good

A fantastic August - and a pretty decent summer - came to an end last Friday. Although obligations are a wonderful thing, I'm sure I'll be longing for a vacation soon enough. Fittingly, the night coincided with the final show at the South Street Seaport, which has been my destination throughout the month. The city really is fortunate to have such a great series all summer long, and I definitely plan to attend for many summers to come. But it hasn't just been about the incredibly solid list of headliners; the festival has also given numerous lesser-known openers a chance to play to huge audiences. This night was no exception...

Deerhunter

I learned afterwards that Deerhunter's guitarist had left just prior to the show. Although my unfamiliarity with the group prevented me from discerning anything out of order, apparently Deerhunter shows are generally more manic. While not much of a visual spectacle, the group was interesting enough, playing pretty abstract songs that were, dare I say, downright shoegazey at times. Bradford Cox's vocals were occasionally obscured, but in any case, the band was more compelling with its instrumentals. In retrospect, an opener that fit nicely with Battles.

Blog: Deerhunter
MySpace: Deerhunter
Official Site: Deerhunter

Battles

There is simply no band quite like Battles right now. The band embraces technology to the point where they become cogs in an incredibly complex machine, anchored by John Stanier's furious drumming (complete with towering hi-hat) and Tyondai Braxton's alien vocals. Their live performance was the coalescence of the organic and mechanical, one of the most distinctive - and downright cool - sets I've seen. The crowd's energy was high throughout the performance, particularly up in front, and it peaked with a spectacular rendition of "Atlas." Tyondai gesticulated incoherently while the band smashed any preconceived notions of what a song should consist of, as the crowd saluted...with skateboards.


My entrenchment as a pop fan prevents me from completely adoring Battles, and I could've used a little more vocoder (the frantic "Ddiamondd" would've hit the spot), but I can't help but admire this band. If you get a chance to see them live, definitely go for it. They return to NYC on November 13th at Webster Hall.

MP3: Battles - Atlas
MySpace: Battles


I was planning on taking a break, what with school and all, with "only" one show this week - that's Editors tonight - but then things got out of hand. So, there should be an excess of all things concert over the next few posts. Enjoy your weekend.