Baltimore drone outfit Teeth Mountain lead off the night with a good 40 minutes of chaotic noise. An interesting cross between Burning Star Core and Fuck Buttons the 7 piece band made fascinating soundscapes. It hardly would match the energy produced by the rest of the night, but did bring out the same complex musical arrangements that we would see later in the evening, as well as a few familiar faces as far as drummers go.
Future Islands
Next up were retro/electro pop outfit Future Islands, who certainly were a band that that are hard to categorize. The heavy bass and electro lines are modern, but the vocals brought on a distinct 80s feel. With a voice that was a cross between Jack Black and my high school math teacher. He wailed his lungs out and bought an energy that got the crowd both energized and by the end had them eating out of his hand.
Dan Deacon & Ensemble
I had not see Dan Deacon since 2007, bringing his solo brand of electro madness to the Avalon opening for Girl Talk. Two years back he was in a packed Middle East Downstairs with a massive ensemble of drummers, synth players, guitar/bass players and the such. After a lengthy and involved soundcheck, Dan broke into the epic closer "Get Older", whipping the group into an absolute frenzy. Paddling Ghost was next and then Surprise Stefani, with interludes featuring Dan acting like a crazed pre-school teacher. To his credit he has the carisma to get people to sit, stand and generally fondle the people around us. The latter reared it's head with "Snookered", with people's hands going onto my head and happy memories being shared left and right.
"Of the Mountains" and the following song brought the madness to an absolutely remarkable degree. The former jam brought the room into a giant circle for lap running for the club and then a dance off between the roughly 500 people jammed onto the floor. Then the goofiness hit it's peak with a giant jam and Dan Deacon's gauntlet reaching an amazing peak. A tunnel of arms lead people running up the club of the stairs, out the side door of the club and up the sidewalk and through the Middle East's restaurant. Running it was a one of a kind experience, one that I wish I had a video to capture. After the massive jam the jumpsuited brigade dove into extended jams of "Crystal Cat" and I lead the crowd in "Silence Like the Wind" which had the sweaty mess that was the floor singing in beautiful unison. Dan Deacon remains in my opinion one of the great showmen of indie music and puts on, without a doubt, the most unique live experience in live music. His new album "Bromst" is out now on Carpark, and he will be in Boston again next month at the Mass Institute of Fine Arts, but that is a secret show ;D
All photo and video credits to Amy Dermont as always
"Of the Mountains" and the following song brought the madness to an absolutely remarkable degree. The former jam brought the room into a giant circle for lap running for the club and then a dance off between the roughly 500 people jammed onto the floor. Then the goofiness hit it's peak with a giant jam and Dan Deacon's gauntlet reaching an amazing peak. A tunnel of arms lead people running up the club of the stairs, out the side door of the club and up the sidewalk and through the Middle East's restaurant. Running it was a one of a kind experience, one that I wish I had a video to capture. After the massive jam the jumpsuited brigade dove into extended jams of "Crystal Cat" and I lead the crowd in "Silence Like the Wind" which had the sweaty mess that was the floor singing in beautiful unison. Dan Deacon remains in my opinion one of the great showmen of indie music and puts on, without a doubt, the most unique live experience in live music. His new album "Bromst" is out now on Carpark, and he will be in Boston again next month at the Mass Institute of Fine Arts, but that is a secret show ;DAll photo and video credits to Amy Dermont as always
No comments:
Post a Comment