Fishpork: I read the notes you guys wrote about Vic Chestnutt on your web site. It wasn’t hard to tell that you guys really embraced your time him. What was it like working with Vic in the studio and on tour?

FP: What influence has your relationship with Vic had on the band moving forward?

FP: Are there any unreleased tracks from the Dark Developments sessions that may ever see the light of day?

FP: I’m such a big fan of your last album, In A Cave. We’ve only just received the review copy of your new self-titled record. Did you guys take a similar approach for the new record?

FP: Did you guys work with a producer or did you self-produce the record?

FP: Are there any guest collaborations on the record beyond the usual suspects in and around Athens?

FP: The Major Organ and the Adding Machine DVD finally gets a proper release on the same day your new album comes out. What were your contributions to the album and film?

FP: The release notes for the DVD say there is some rare unreleased Elf Power videos on the DVD. Is there anything you can share about those?

FP: We’re happy to see a supporting tour scheduled this Fall to support the new album. Are you bringing anyone on the road with you?

FP: We were lucky enough to see Jeff perform at the Chris Knox Benefit show in May. What was your reaction to his performance?

Elf Power have dedicated the new album to Vic Chestnutt, who committed suicide last Christmas. You can download their first single off the new record, “Stranger In the Window,” here or stream it below:

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.

The album tends to quiet down a bit after that; the next two songs are slower songs that are still worth the listen. When I first heard “Vivian,” I thought I was listening to a previous release. The use of harmonica gives the track a nice bluesy feel that I’m glad they decided to keep on this record. The eight-minute outro, “Ballad of Vitality,” is a terrific closer. The last two minutes are just ambient, but good, noise. Everyone seems to try to end albums dramatically and sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, the former is true. The band is currently touring the U.S. I was lucky enough to catch the July 2 show in Philly.

For fans of Failure, don’t forget that Greg Edward’s former band recently released 1996’s Fantastic Planet on vinyl. You can pick it up at Amazon.

Here’s To Now:

Lay Me Down:

“The Suburbs”

“Month of May”