The heat of the first day, replaced by the requisite layer of San Fran summer fog, brought the largest crowd of the three-day festival.
Street Sweeper Social Club Coming off a successful supporting role with Jane's Addiction and Nine Inch Nails on last year's NIN|JA tour, SSSC was easily the best dressed band of the festival. With great machine-gun style and obvious DNA from Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello and Boots Riley performed songs from their recently-released and self-titled album including "Fight! Smash! Win!" and "100 Little Curses."
Mastodon Performing with a formidable presence, fans at this live show know why this is one of the best heavy metal bands in the country. Mastodon's progressive style is intricate and monstrously powerful, drawing from metal, metalcore and jazz influences. Their immense sound is even more potent when it is radiating from an outdoor stage.
Bat for Lashes Though it was too early in the day and their stage was too small to contain them, UK's Bat For Lashes dished up wistful songs for the crowd who shoe-horned themselves into the side stage area. Less cutesy and more dynamic than I expected, vocalist Natasha Kahn's velvety voice was haunting, even in the light of the afternoon.
Black Eyed Peas Supporting their latest release, The E.N.D., the Black Eyed Peas are determined to keep their fans happy. Creating a massive dance party in the middle of Golden Gate Park is certainly one way to do just that.
Deerhunter Also coming off a supporting role with Nine Inch Nails on their Lights in the Sky tour, Deerhunter's performance was a surprisingly subdued version of their usually moody punk-art-rock shows. Maybe it was the tiny stage or the complete lack of atmosphere but only a hint of Bradford Cox's lo-fi brilliance was evident.
Dave Matthews No stranger to massive shows in Golden Gate Park, Dave Matthews brought his quirky personality and prodigious catalog of music back to the live stage. After the recent band turmoil, including the death of founding member and saxophonist LeRoi Moore in 2008, fans were happy to be dancing with the GrooGrux King once again.
This is to inform you of the release of two more bits of work shortly. They are loosely under the Thom Yorke name this time, although these days its all getting kind of blurry. “FeelingPulledApartbyHorses” is written & played by Jonny [Greenwood] and I and is a radical rework of an old tune that’s been kicking around without a home since 2001? i [sic] think. “The Hollow Earth” is a bass menace that was born out of the Eraser period but needed a little more time. Both were produced by Nigel Godrich as ever. And mastered by Bob Ludwig. They are being put out on 12″ with sliced sleeve by Stanley and Tchock. My sources tell me this will be available from the 21st of September if you’re interested…On sale in the w.a.s.t.e part of our website (with a gratis download.) Or you can go buy it in a good record shop if you are lucky enough to have one near you. Then later on there will be like a normal download thing i think around the 6th of Oct through the usual channels.
Blitzen Trapper was one of those artists I had heard of, and I knew what it was supposed to sound like, but I had never actually listened to. I knew to expect something folky and acoustic. I had visions of Iron & Wine, Damien Rice and Amos Lee dancing in my head. And boy was I wrong. It's amazing how something can meet your expectations and be completely different all at the same time.
Blitzen Trapper is indeed folky and acoustic. But in a way that I never imagined. On the new Black River KillerEP, I hear elements of Elliott Smith, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, and tastes of other southern-tinged classic rock like The Black Crowes. The record opens with the title track, a macabre tale from the view of a deranged murderer seeking redemption. Each track therein has its own distinctive sound, still keeping elements that make it distinctive enough to remain recognizably Blitzen Trapper. My personal favorite on the EP is the closing track, "Big Black Bird," a rocking march with hints of Led Zeppelin and the Beatles in addition to everything previously mentioned.
What makes Black River Killer EP stand out is the daring use of atypical instruments such as what sounds like some sort of moog, organ or melodica. The utilization of these keeps the sounds fresh and modern, leaving no sign of Blitzen Trapper going stale.
All in all, I'd call this a quite a fair effort (and introduction) for the artist. It probably helps that I've been listening to quite a bit of The Black Keys lately and their bluesy-rock sounds melt quite well with what Blitzen Trapper has to offer.
Tracklisting: 01. Black River Killer 02. Silver Moon 03. Going Down 04. Shoulder Full Of You 05. Preacher’s Sister’s Boy 06. Black Rock 07. Big Black Bird
The first time I listened to Get Color, it almost flew by too quickly for me to comprehend. The grating electronics and ambient waves of trippy male vocals washed over me, then quickly disappeared. Upon second listen, though, the rickety clicks and clacks throughout the album’s songs stood out; many times resembling the creak of an unhinged rusted gate swinging open and shut during a raging storm.
HEALTH, the L.A. band who makes noise rock sound oh so lovely, did a marvelous job on their second full length album. The CD has a mix of all out bang your head against the wall uncomfortable static, dark bass, and semi-sweet melodic moments.
The album opens with the cluttered rhythms and calm hums of “In Heat,” and quickly blends into “Die Slow.” Hypnotic disco dance beats and harmonized vocals create a haunting chorus that makes you want to either move to the jolty rhythms, or sit motionless and allow the track’s notes to resonate through your skull.
Many of the songs create an intrusive wall of noise, such as “Death+,” which begins off with steady industrial sighs and pulses, and adds sounds akin to the drones of a screaming drill. Some tunes are more structured, such as “We Are Water,” which blends a calm, cool splash of new wave melodies over the roar of raging engines, and builds into a thrash rock explosion. Other tracks, such as “In Violet,” are more subdued. The song contains high pitched tones that almost sound like electronic bells ringing over a clear mountain top. The fast paced song never gets too loud.
If you decide to buy Get Color, and receive one of the CDs in the first order of shipments, you may get a prize. Sixty-six golden tickets have been hidden throughout the albums’ cases. HEALTH is giving away a plethora of prizes to the lucky 66. Take a gander at the full list of prizes over at Stereogum.
