Treasure Island Music Festival, September 21

So I attended my first concert as a California resident, heading up to San Francisco for the awesome Sunday lineup at the Treasure Island Music Festival. I'm not really one for concert reviews, so I'll simply provide a few fleeting thoughts on the various bands:

I showed up just as John Vanderslice's set was ending. However, since I saw him at a small show in Hanover just a few months ago, I don't feel too bad about that. Next up on the list was Port O'Brien, who played a very loose, jangly folk rock set.

Next came Tokyo Police Club, with a short but sweet indie rock show - lots of two and a half minute pop songs with keyboards and guitars. Nothing out of this world, but they were good enough to convince me to actually go out and pick up a copy of Elephant Shell - something I've been meaning to do for awhile but had never gotten around to.

The Morning Benders were next, and while I did want to see them, it was much more important for me to stake out a place right at the front of the main stage for Okkervil River. It was a wise decision. Seeing them again only further cements in my mind the belief that they are the best band on the planet right now. A full review of their new record is coming, but for now I'll just say that while I don't like it as much as their past few records, it's still likely to be among my top 5 albums of the year.

And that's almost the most impressive thing. That they can produce a new, unique, fantastic album that blows most of the rest of the competition out of the water every year or so is frankly astonishing. It's like they're playing a completely different game from the rest of the bands right now.

One other thought: I wasn't a huge fan of "A Girl in Port" last year, until I saw it live. And it completely transformed the song. I'm not usually one for believing in the idea that most songs are better live. But this one, at least, is absolutely transcendent in this context. I took a video with my dinky little camera - which results in very poor sound quality - but maybe you can still get an idea of what I'm talking about:



The next act was Fleet Foxes, who also have an album in need of review. Imagine My Morning Jacket (back when they were good) with a lot of CSNY and you'll have a pretty good idea. Their ability to harmonize is quite impressive. Still, the one negative thing I'll say is that occasionally the vocal work felt a big indulgent - when they would go through the same short line a dozen times or more with slight variations. In the same way that I get bored with guitar jams, I can appreciate the talent necessary for stuff like this without feeling guilty for just wanting them to get on with things. "White Winter Hymnal" was by far their best song - unsurprisingly.

The next band was Spiritualized, who were WAY WAY too loud. I was getting some food, far away from the stage and it was still impossible to have a conversation over them. They've actually got some songs I quite like, but most of the set was premised on the idea that loud feedback is cool, which made it difficult to hear any of the more delicate songs underneath them. Even their best song "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space" was very nice to hear, but still might have been just a little too intricate to be pulled off in that context.

After that was The Dodos, who I enjoyed, but didn't leave me with a huge lasting impression.

And then there was Vampire Weekend. I have to admit I never really "got" what all the fuss was about them. But neither was I ever in the backlash camp either. They have some nice songs, and I appreciate music that makes an effort to sound smart. I'm not all that worried about any particular kind of authenticity. It's far more important to me that the band simply enjoy making music than for them to fit any particular kind of mould. With all that in mind, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I still can't understand why people went so completely nuts about them, but they put on a good show. Many of the songs which always sounded a bit flat to me on the album were giving more scope and breadth here.

And, they definitely should write more songs like "Walcott."

I was mildly curious to see Dr. Dog, but not nearly enough to sacrifice a prime position for the next main stage act: Tegan and Sara.

Now, regular readers will now how much I love them, but I was still a little bit apprehensive about how well it would translate to the environment of a big outdoor stage. Turns out there was no reason to worry: they were awesome. It helped that they played substantially more of Tegan's songs (I enjoy Sara's stuff fine, but the reason I'm a huge fan is really because of Tegan). And while they are the most technically proficient act in the entire world, they put a nice spin on some of the songs. And the version of "Living Room" they played was really top class.

Finally, some banter highlights.

A great, terrible joke from Tokyo Police Club:
Q: Why did the scarecrow get an award?
A: Because he was out standing in his field

Oh man, that's some good stuff.

And somehow Tegan and Sara got on the subject of whether vampires were going to come and attack us all. Both agreed that this sounded kind of hot, and Sara in particular seemed pretty enthusiastic about becoming a vampire. So in case you were wondering, Sara Quin: into vampires.

And while I'm on the subject...can you imagine how awesome it would have been to have a Buffy episode where Tegan and Sara are vampires?

MP3s:
The Con - Tegan and Sara
Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe - Okkervil River
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Spiritualized
Five and Dime - Port O'Brien
Juno - Tokyo Police Club
Walcott - Vampire Weekend