Faith No More @ Williamsburg Waterfront

Mike Patton is one of the biggest assholes around. He once taunted a New York crowd while wearing his Laker’s jersey post-9/11. He stopped an interview mid-sentence at a festival to bash Wolfmother. On July 5th at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn, Patton and a reunited Faith No More mocked the crowd between each song, joking about broken down subway service, the dirty East River, and all the dirty hipsters in the crowd. The band even did a tongue-in-cheek cover of Michael Jackson’s “Ben” just days after the one-year anniversary of his death. Whether you are offended by Patton’s insults and condescending behavior or not, there is no denying his prolific career. With nearly 30 albums with over a dozen music projects, the 42-year old Patton may be the most diverse musician of our generation. He’s worked with avant-guard legend John Zorn, Bjork, Rahzel from the Roots, Massive Attack, Norah Jones, Melvins, Sepultura, Buckethead, Dan the Automator, Handsome Boy Modeling School, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The X-Ecutioners, John Kaada, John Stanier, Dave Lombardo and dozens of others. He’s even sung Italian opera on several solo albums and voiced the howls and screams of the sick, vampire-like monsters in I Am Legend. Patton joined Faith No More in 1989 partly as a way to promote his high school band, Mr. Bungle (see Patton’s Mr. Bungle t-shirt in the music video for “Epic;” they really hate playing it).

Faith No More played a flawless set in Brooklyn, and Patton’s voice was better than ever. I’m not sure there is anyone else out there that can scream for 20 minutes and seamlessly segue into a cover of Lionel Richie’s “Easy” while hitting every note perfectly. An immediate highlight for me was the antagonistic performance of my favorite FNM track, “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies”:

The crowd of 7,500 or so fans that collected at the Waterfront on a 100 degree day were unsurprisingly lame: a mix between 30- and 40-somethings who have yet to move on from the 80s and a sea of hipsters who were there just because the show was in Brooklyn. The alcoholics were cordoned-off behind a barricaded area that employed a beer-for-tickets system. That crowd seemed slightly more motivated. One individual even started a one-man mosh pit with himself, spilling beer on hoards of fans, including myself. In an effort to avoid a confrontation that I might regret, we moved to the “tame” side, which featured local stands selling art and other “hipster” paraphenelia. Smart marketing it was not.

The band invited Rahzel on stage to beatbox during several tracks, which worked generally well. The second encore featured another favorite track of mine off of the band’s Album of the Year record. Although the band’s performance surpassed all expectations, the heat wave, the festival-like atmosphere, and the disingenuous and annoying crowd interfered with all intended nostalgia we may have been seeking. As usual, we’ll look for Patton’s “asshole” tactics and next project in an underground club in the city sometime soon. Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain would have to come back from the dead for me to attend another Waterfront show.

LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5

James Murphy and company tore a hole through the floor of Terminal 5 on Saturday with LCD Soundsystem’s third of four scheduled shows at the venue with an unrelenting set, daring the audience to sit still.  Pat Mahoney’s drums on “All My Friends” plowed through the crowd with reckless abandonment, sparing no one from the power and beauty of arguably the best song off of 2007’s “Sound of Silver.” The surprise of the night was the emphatic bass drops that shook the walls during “Pow Pow,” injecting elevated energy into the track off their latest record This is Happening.

Song after song, the set refused to bring you down and the energy level peaked with a vivacious version of “Yeah” that grew with each verse and became the exclamation point of the show. For the encore, we got a little bit of everything: “Someone Great” into “Losing My Edge” with the  city appropriate closer “New York, I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down.”

The only disappointment in  the set was the absence of the best song so far of 2010, “Dance Yrself Clean.”  That aside, it was the best dance party of the year.  See more pics and setlist (same for all four nights) below:

Setlist:

Us v Them
Drunk Girls
Get Innocuous
Yr City’s A Sucker
Pow Pow
Daft Punk is Playing at My House
All I Want
All My Friends
I Can Change
Tribulations
Movement
Yeah

Encore:
Someone Great
Losing My Edge
New York, I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down
Empire State of Mind

Jónsi @ Terminal 5

Jónsi’s performance Saturday night at Terminal 5 left no emotion unfurled.  I’m not sure if there an a word in the English language that can adequately describe the degree of emotional stimulation his music brings when fused into the visceral stage production assembled for this tour.

Jónsi decided to embark on a solo record while the other members of Sigur Rós are having children and imagined it to be a quiet acoustic record.  The sound of his first solo record go quickly grew into a much larger production.  He wanted to reflect this sound with an equally massive stage production. Jónsi enlisted Phil Eddolls and 59 Productions, a company that usually produces operas, bringing a unique stage show of film, art installation, and theater performance as a backdrop for the show.   The concept is inspired by a book featuring photos of a burned out taxidermist shop.

The show began with simplicity.  Jonsi and his acoustic guitar playing the subdued unreleased track “Stars In Still Water” in front a tan curtain covering the back of the stage.   Having seen a few online videos I waited for it to drop and give way to the elaborate set design behind it.  However, this was not the case.  Halfway through the second song, “Hengilás,” the unassuming tarp transformed into a gigantic, tea-stained piece of paper adorned with sketches of brooding animals.  Now realizing it was actually a screen, the digital image that covered the entire back of the stage began to burn away with a stunning digital fire as the strings picked up and the song came to an end.   What was left behind was a darkened forest of burnt trees in various states of decay, with two separate smaller screens in front of the stage illuminating images of a glass jar filled with an ocean of butterflies for the next song, “Icicle Sleeves.” What followed was the first of many jaw-dropping moments and an almost indescribable series of stunning images.  Animals changing form, becoming wire frames, then shedding their color while chasing one another through a dead forest of night for the song “Kolniður.”

The calm tension of  the song “Tornado” led into the thunderous drums of “Sinking Friendships,” which stood as the musical shift of a consistently rising tempo for each song.  Each one sounded louder than the previous and never let up.  Ending with Jónsi in a feather headdress, violently shaking  his head and body, while belting out the final lyrics “They, in the end, will turn and fall, You’ll know…” from the closer “Grow Till Tall.”  It left  the crowd and mysefl disoriented and overwhelmed with his almost frightening ability evoke emotion.  Full set list and a few Youtube videos below, giving a peek into the experience.

Setlist:

Stars in Still Water
Hengilás
Icicle Sleeves
Kolniður
Tornado
Sinking Friendships
Saint Naive
New Song
Go Do
Boy Lilikoi
K12
New Song
Around Us

Encore
Animal Arithmetic
Grow Till Tall

Jeff Mangum @ Le Poisson Rouge

Woke up today and remembered this incredible dream from last night. Jeff Mangum came out of 9+ years of hiding to perform five songs at a benefit show to a small crowd in NYC for his close friend and stroke victim, Chris Knox. He even opened up with “Oh Comely.” Amazingly, for the 500+ in attendance last night, that show did take place. It was real! It happened! So many were worried that Mangum wouldn’t show up. If he did, we would have been more than satisfied with his playing of the two songs that most knowledgeable fans expected, the Chris Knox cover “Sign The Dotted Line” and Neutral Milk Hotel rarity “Engine.” Instead, he did what no one would have ever fathomed by opening up with an extraordinary performance of the eight-minute epic, “Oh Comely”!

We were surrounded by fans in tears and hysterics. He played the song flawlessly, and his voice sounded identical to the incantations we remember from years past. The moment the song ended, the crowd erupted to give Mangum the loudest ovation we’ve ever heard at a live show. Keep in mind this was only the end of the first song in his set. To selfishly attempt to decipher the meaning of “Oh Comely,” my favorite Neutral Milk Hotel track, is to disrespect Jeff’s wishes to leave the meaning ambiguous. Around the time  NMH began to get noticed by mainstream audiences in the late 90s, Mangum slowly began to separate himself from impending fame. He shrugged off interview after interview and refused to answer questions mostly concerned with the meanings of his songs. Mangum has previously revealed that In An Aeroplane Over The Sea deals with his obsession with Anne Frank. And lines from “Oh Comely” hint at that fixation. His live version of the track was mesmerizing, and fans struggled to compose themselves.

As the thunderous applause finally subsided, Mangum went right into “A Baby For Pree/Where You’ll Find Me Now” off of NMH’s 1996 debut On Avery Island followed by “Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2.” As the sincerity of Jeff ’s grin grew wider with the crowd’s deafening clamor of adoration, he looked more comfortable as he adjusted his posture and took a sip of water.  Already feeling more fulfilled than I could ever of imagined, without the slightest sign of hesitation he strummed the opening jittery chord that I have heard hundreds of times in my car, in my apartment, and in my dreams, becoming more familiar than any nursery rhyme long forgotten. As he began to sing “Daddy please hear this song that I sing,” my heart sank with disbelief.   I asked myself, “Is he really playing ‘Two-Headed Boy Part Two’”? Still punch-drunk after hearing my favorite song off Aeroplane, I looked around to make sure I was not living in some silly dream fantasy. I quickly recovered from the initial shock to avoid missing one second of a song filled with words and sounds almost impossible to describe.

I rarely use the word “flawless” to describe any piece of music, as nothing is perfect. Yet Mangum’s voice, which has grown  inconceivable stronger with the passage of time, was indeed flawless.   His vocals, ripe with imperfections and subtle moments that drift off key create an irreproachable style no one has or will likely ever surpass in my lifetime.  The passion bleeds from each word he belts from some inner sanctum no one will ever find.  My legs trembled, and my eyes stared with adoration as he fittingly sang “In my dreams you’re alive and you’re crying.” While many eyes welled with tears, thankfully we were not dreaming.

The song slowed down and concluded with the final line “but don’t hate her when she gets up to leave,” I would of walked away more than fulfilled to have heard these three songs.  After all, “Two-Headed Boy Part 2″ was the last song on Aeroplane, and as the song concludes you can literally hear Jeff put down his guitar and walk away from a creaking stool in the final moments of studio silence on the record.  As the crowd screamed and the applause exploded, we all waited to see if he was going to stand up and walk back into his private world, perhaps never to be heard from again. He raised his hand slightly with a half wave and said a quiet “thank you,” but he did not get up.  This could not possibility get any better, could it?  Oh, yes it could, and it did.  The next song was another moment, which was becoming the theme of the night, when I thought, “Are you fucking serious!?”

It was the title track off In An Aeroplane Over The Sea, which is easily our collective favorite album of all-time. The song was definitely a crowd favorite, and probably the most popular song the band ever released. Mangum looked nervous throughout but seemed appreciative of the enthusiastic reaction. At one point he responded to a “we missed you” shouted from the crowd, reciprocating the love with a heartfelt “I’ve missed you, too. Don’t think I haven’t.” One got the sense that Jeff really does want to write and play more music but just isn’t capable of doing so anymore due to the emotional strain. Some from the front reported that he was physically shaking on stage before his performance but calmed once he began strumming his guitar.

“In An Aeroplane  Over The Sea” ended the set, and Jeff exited stage right. The crowd applause that would follow was deafening and shifted into a call for an encore. I’ve never heard anything like it and worried that the next band would be drowned out by the crowd or even booed off the stage if Mangum didn’t respond to the audience, who begged for one more song. And that’s what we got! Jeff walked back to center stage, sat back down on his chair and concluded an amazing performance with “Engine.” Watching YouTube videos of his surprise performances of “Engine” during the Elephant Six Holiday Surprise Tour was  a painful tease. To see him in the flesh was a revelation that we will brag to our grandchildren about.

Friends of Mangum say he’s been gradually getting better since the days of his night terrors and nervous breakdown around the turn of century that transformed him into the recluse he is today. For at least one night Jeff was able to find the strength to present the music that has haunted him for all these years. And the crowd was beyond appreciative, as you could hear the non-stop muttering of “thank you” after and even during each song he played. We all knew what a special opportunity this was and that it may never happen again. Something we’ve dreamt about for so long came to fruition, and we were happy to just be a part of it.

Kaki King @ Theater of Living Arts

Standing right in the front of the Theatre of Living Arts, I scope out the audience and see Tegan & Sara shirts everywhere I look. I laugh to myself, and then turn to see the opening band, the Good Problems, and see a cello and violin. I think to myself, “’Oh this might be interesting.” Well, I wasn’t completely wrong. This band was a six-piece southern folk rock type band. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. The lead singer and acoustic guitarist made a nice joke about looking like Justin Bieber, which was funny, until you noticed it was true… Then again, it’s cool now for girls to have the haircut of a sixteen-year-old boy. But anyway, back to the music; first opening act, not bad. Second opening act, An Horse, fantastic. An Horse is a two-piece Australian indie band. Though their music is very simplistic, they can play it well. Their entire set turned into a sound check with songs spit out here and there. During their song “Scared As Fuck”, Damon’s floor tom kept moving, so that called for some duct tape. But all in all, they sounded great. With both opening acts done, all there was left was what everyone was waiting for, Kaki King.

Right when Kaki King’s drummer, Jordan Perlson, walked on to the stage, everyone started cheering. But it wasn’t until Kaki came out that everyone really went wild. They started off by playing a song off her new album, Junior, called “Falling Day.” This already got everyone moving; the new album has a heavier feel than Kaki’s previous songs. After they finished that song Kaki started off my personal favorite, “Playing with Pink Noise.” The album version of the song doesn’t even begin to show how talented Kaki King is. Between the fret-tapping and use of harmonics, this song alone can be an entire album and I would buy it. Besides Kaki’s unfathomable guitar playing, and the drummer’s intensity, there was also Dan; he was playing the Electronic Valve Instrument, which Kaki described as looking rather “phallic.” This seemed to be the theme for the night. In between each song, there was a nice bickering of Kaki ripping on people in the audience and her phallus holding band member. Well, there were more like three themes: scrotums, phallus, and Justin Bieber, as Kaki also described herself as resembling the sixteen-year-old. But when Kaki wasn’t cracking jokes and talking about “scroti,” as she put it, she was playing fluently and ineffably.

In the middle of the set, the band exited the stage leaving Kaki alone to play. Honestly, there are no possible words to describe my experience watching her play live. Her techniques of mixed fret tapping, delay, slap, and loop set the atmosphere into a deep, overwhelming feel. Once the rest of the band re-entered the stage, they played two songs off the new album. During one of the songs, “Everything Has An End, Even Sadness,” the drums were perfect with the mock of an echo on the downbeat of the snare hit.

As Kaki and her crew walked off stage after the final set, the crowd cheered her back for an encore. She brings her lap steel and a chair, and she hooks it into her loop pedal. Kaki tells everyone in the audience that they are going to have to dance to this one and proceeds to play another personal favorite, “Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers.” Kaki loops the harmonics, the “bass” line, the slide, and then gets everyone clapping. As she finishes looping everything, she jumps into the crowd. As she finds random fans to dance with, confetti is falling from the ceiling and everyone is still clapping. She then climbs back onto the stage picks up the lap steel, plays a few chords and throws it on the ground. One of the greatest shows I’ve seen. If I can suggest one person to go and see before you die, it would be her.

Atoms For Peace @ Roseland Ballroom

We’ve been waiting four long years for Thom Yorke to take his electronic-heavy Radiohead side project and catalog stand-out on the road. That wait ended last night as Thom and company (including Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and bassist Flea) invaded New York’s Roseland Ballroom for the first of a two-night stint. The band called themselves Atoms For Peace, which is also the name of a track on Thom’s lone solo EP, 2006’s The Eraser. Written mostly on a laptop using samples, many from unreleased Radiohead tracks, we were curious to hear how the band would translate the electronic vibe of songs played from The Eraser for the live environment. With two percussionists, Godrich on electronics, Flea freaking out on bass, and Thom switching between piano and guitar, the live incarnation was stunningly similar.

The band started in grand fashion with a slow building version of The Eraser’s title track and continued to play the LP in its entirety! After the nine song set, the band walked off the stage, returning shortly for what turned out to be a seven song encore. Yorke started the encore alone on stage and played two new Radiohead songs and Kid A standout “Everything In Its Right Place.” The rest of the band joined Yorke for the last four songs, which included Radiohead b-side “Paperbag Writer” and more new, unreleased tracks. Yorke and company absolutely blew the doors of off Roseland last night. The only complaint I have was the atrocious sound, which was flat-out embarrassing during Flying Lotus’ cracking and popping opening set. The sound crew seemed to have things slightly more in order for Atoms For Peace, but audiophiles may have been wincing at times throughout the show.

Setlist:
01. The Eraser
02. Analyse
03. The Clock
04. Black Swan
05. Skip Divided
06. Atoms For Peace
07. And It Rained All Night
08. Harrowdown Hill
09. Cymbal Rush

Encore 1
(thom solo)
10. Chris Hodge/Let Me Take Control (NEW SONG)
11. The Daily Mail
12. Everything In Its Right Place

(full band)
13. Paperbag Writer
14. Judge, Jury & Executioner
15. Hollow Earth
16. Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

Fool’s Gold and Tinariwen @ Highline Ballroom

Fool’s Gold opened up for Tinariwen last night at the Highline Ballroom in New York. Though their set was shorter than one would have liked, Fool’s Gold was no less than impressive. The band started their set with “Nadine,” a perfect opener that energized the crowd. Luke Top’s vocals are one to take note of; his vibrato and tone fit perfectly in all aspects. Each performance that followed was an intriguing improvisation of their own songs; all four of the six-minute songs they played, yes I said only four, turned into ten-minute epics. Lewis Pesacove’s guitar brought each song to a new level, especially with tracks “Surprise Hotel” and “Poseidon.” Unfortunately, the shortened set came to an abrupt end with a very enthused version of “Ha Dvash.” This left the audience, and myself, wanting more.

After Fool’s Gold thanked everyone and exited the stage for Tinariwen, the crowd seemed to thin out, but not for long. Once Tinariwen took the stage, the crowd grew and found themselves re-energized. Though the only words spoken in English were “Thank You,” Tinariwen’s entire set was completely satisfying. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Ibrahim, stepped out on stage and the crowd approved as he picked up his guitar and walked towards the microphone; his vocals really go right through you. The entire band was energized by the crowd and vice versa. Percussionist, Said, was a highlight for me. The best part of each of Tinariwen’s songs was Said’s djembe. The drum really carried a powerful tone, and I felt every beat in my chest. Tinariwen finished their set, which was immediately followed by chants for an encore. Hassan came back out with his acoustic guitar and started their last set of songs. It was a perfect ending to a great show. Fool’s Gold and Tinariwen are a great combination, and I anticipate seeing each of them again soon.

Owen Pallett @ Bowery Ballroom

Most of what has been written in the past about a Final Fantasy show was straightforward and void of expectation. However, after the now famous video of Pallett playing “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” at the Canadian Hillside Festival during a torrential thunderstorm as the stage crew desperately tries to pull him from the stage mid-song, raised the bar through the roof.   His defiance and passion to continue the emotional performance as the rain pours down, is powerful enough to lift up the hair on your arms.

With last week’s release of his new concept record Heartland, Owen Pallett left his former moniker behind and now brings this new level of musical complexity and narrative storytelling to the stage. His performance is usually a one man show with Pallett playing violin and keyboards through a loop petal while singing to construct a live symphony. This time around he is joined by Thomas Gill, rounding out the sound with percussion, guitar and backing vocal harmonies. His Bowery Ballroom performance this past Monday left no room for doubt that Owen Pallet is a brilliant performer and only affirms the excellence put forth in his records. They feature compositions mixing classical music with tastefully constructed pop hooks and vocal melodies.

If you closed your eyes for a moment you could imagine a symphony of performers before you at any point of the show, while after each song Pallett softly thanked the crowd.  The sheer simplicity mixed with the complex nature of recreating his arrangements stunned the Bowery crowd. Pallet’s vocals stood out in the live setting.  Combining these elements, Pallet put on a 60-minute set with songs pleasing to new and old fans alike.  His performance of “This is a The Dream of Emma & Cam” from 2006’s Young Canadian Mothers 7″ and the aforementioned “Lewis Takes Action” from his latest record were standouts.

Owen Pallet effortlessly recreated his complex arrangements from his impressive discography. Whether it’s the pizzicato plucking or the deep bellow of low string bass lines, down to the classical drawing of the bow over the violin strings tuned to their perfect fifths — the sound is resonant and unabridged and is complemented by the perfect key of his vocals.  The charm and allure of his performance is inescapable.  This was one of only three U.S. stops as part of a seven-show ”Heartland CD release tour” before a full tour of his native Canada. With so much buzz surrounding his new record, Pallett is sure to be back in the States later this year. Below are a few videos posted from the show:

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live @ Beacon Theater

The idiosyncrasies of the Yo Gabba Gabba! universe are widely known by now. The characters are strange and likable. The show gets kids to eat their vegetables and show bravery in the dark with the use of catchy sing-along songs. However, the show is unique in that it attracts an adult audience by way of well known indie music acts and celebrities that make guest appearances on the show, including Of Montreal, MGMT, Devandra Banhardt and The Roots.

The live interpretation of Yo Gabba Gabba! was unsurprisingly entertaining for a diverse audience. DJ Lance Rock and his boom box led Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex through some of the show’s greatest hits. For each show planned on this limited tour, which only finds its way to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas, a special musical guest is planned. For the 11am Beacon Theater, New York City show Devandra Banhardt surprised and pleased any indie music fans in attendance with an acoustic offering. Unfortunately, a theater full of bored and screaming pre-schoolers didn’t approve, creating an awkward break in the action. A more suitable musical selection may have been the upbeat Brooklyn-natives MGMT with their Yo Gabba Gabba! contribution, “Art Is Everywhere.”

The show did soon recover with the release of thousands of balloons from the rafters midway through the performance, but the highlight (based on audience reaction) was a surprise appearance by Biz Markie and “Biz’s Beat of the Day.” Markie proceeded to ask kids from the audience to mimic his beatboxing styles, and the results proved to be a hit with fans. The show ended with Yo Gabba Gabba! favorites “Party in My Tummy” and “Goodbye Song.” My two-year old son gave his full approval with two thumbs way up and wouldn’t stop talking about it for the rest of the day.

Monsters Of Folk @ The United Palace

“Everyone grows old on the gold coast; it takes a lot of hope to grieve…” came soaring through the United Palace as the curtains rose to reveal the Monsters of Folk opening with their second song off their self-titled album. This super-group, consisting of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), and M. Ward, was accompanied on this tour by drummer Will Johnson from Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel.

After playing two M.O.F. songs, they played the Bright Eyes’ “Hit the Switch.”  Next, Oberst’s quivering voice accompanied Ward’s raspy tone with Monster’s of Folk track “Slow Down Jo.” Mogis’ instrumentals fit perfectly, as he played slide guitar throughout most of the set and often switched instruments mid-song. Though the album versions of these songs do not do Monsters of Folk the justice they deserve, the chilling atmosphere of “Temazcal” was a highlight of the night. M. Ward’s “To Save Me” (off his new album Hold Time) also fit nicely.  Jim James’ haunting falsettos sent chills down the spine of most in the room when he played My Morning Jacket’s “Smokin’ from Shootin.”

The encore was highlighted by Bright Eyes’ “At the Bottom of Everything,” and the lyrics “We must sing, we must sing, we must sing” were taken literally by the crowd. However, the band saved the best for last with a dramatic and intense version of “His Master’s Voice” as James’ lingering voice filled the venue accompanied by a beautiful vocal harmony and echoing drums. The song ended with a distorted Moog synthesizer cracking in and out as the curtains dropped. Everyone in attendance wanted more, and I left the show with only one word in mind, “Wow!”

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