Oh, Berbati’s! We have grown so close this past week during MusicFest NW. You sheltered me from the rain, you let me sit on your couch, you offered me a pen when I lost mine, you opened up your kitchen full of liquor, and even gave me a colorful stamp every time I walked through the door. But best of all, you let me listen to all your fabulous music. John Vanderslice and Beach House were a particular treat. I know you were a bit distracted and overwhelmed with all those kids running around inside you, so I’ll give you a recap:
Vanderslice started his set with “Too Much Time” - a heartbreak song about camping on the beach alone, walling yourself from happiness, and generally having too much freedom.
Driven by sober lyrics, rich poetic imagery, and an impressive use of metaphor, Vanderslice’s material is highly relatable; “Exodus Damage” being an apparent favorite as affirmed by the countless early twenty-something females lining the front row and mouthing every word with their eyes closed. I refrained from such behavior (and Oh, it was difficult!), but was nonetheless happy to see some genuine displays of emotion.
Soon the fresh-faced Vanderslice-adoring ladies dissipated and the crowd was transformed into a flock of tattooed thrift-store junkies (myself included) eager to see dream-pop stars Beach House. They began their set with a mesmerizing performance of “You Came to Me,” but only after an agonizingly long set-up and sound-check session, during which they positioned a giant white cloth triangle near the back of the stage. In fact, black and white stripes and triangle patterns appeared everywhere, surrounding the band like some optical illusion fortress.
Unfortunately, not until they played the upbeat “Master of None” (about five songs deep) did the crowd (and the band) recover from the grueling stage set-up, and finally a pair of eyes peeked out from behind a sheath of shaggy bangs and the somber faced Victoria Legrand addresses the audience: “Can anybody feel anything?” And after a few uninspired “woooooos,” Legrand responded, “I feel like a library book.”
Old and forgotten? Full of information and heavily circulated? I’m not sure. Either way, things livened up again and the crowd was amped. Well, except for the two guys behind me who left early, describing Beach House as “sleepy dance music.” Can’t win ‘em all, I suppose.
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he is amazing bro his style can not be touched....some people dont know what he is talking about caz u dont do what he does he is sickkk bra
by dylyn on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 11.59 am from the entry: Wiz Khalifa: Burn After Rolling (Mixtape)
Wow,Great post.Thanks for sharing with us. land wi
by wisconsin land on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 09.53 am from the entry: of Montreal + Gang Gang Dance - Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Oct. 30, 2008)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
