Week in Rock: Motionless Animals, Bird Whistling & More
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<p>Brooklyn band The National (possibly the only cd review we've ever done on this site was for their album <em>Alligator</em>) <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thenational"><em>are back</em></a>... and we hear they are playing two shows in Brooklyn next week. Hint hint: They are sort of near that whole toxic Superfund mess we've been hearing so much about lately. In the meantime, reacquaint yourself with singer <a href="http://gothamist.com/2008/02/21/matt_berninger.php">Matt Berninger</a> and drummer <a href="http://gothamist.com/2005/03/25/dear_sxsw_diarypart_2.php">Bryan Devendorf</a>. â <em>Jen Carlson</em></p>
<p><strong>Animal Collective at Guggenheim</strong></p><p>It's a testament to Animal Collective's vision of themselves and their work that even as they've gotten increasingly <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/12/21/chart.php">giddy</a> press, boatloads of young fans and top ten Billboard albums, they still make really strange, idiosyncratic music that sounds only like them. Last night they performed a one-off visual/music piece at the Guggenheim Museum, crafted with their long-time visual collaborator, Danny Perez, called <a href="http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/press-room/press-releases/3257-animalcollective-release"><em>Transverse Temporal Gyrus</em></a>. It was a cousin to their recent foray into crafting a "visual album," <em>Oddsac</em>, which premiered in NYC on Tuesday, and much of the evening was reminiscent to strolling through the psychedelic music video for their single "Summertime Clothes."</p><p>This piece was much closer to performance art than it was to a performance though; three-quarters of the group, Avey Tare, Geologist and Deakin, were dressed in long black robes and ceramic masks with long horns, standing mostly motionless for three hours while Perez's flickering visuals projected onto them and the walls of the museum. There was a particularly arctic mood to the piece, with long icicle shards and an inflated sculpture (which people were allowed to lie on) flanking the band. The music was a series of scuttling watery electronics, carnival-esque synth lines, groaning cricket noises and monster voices, with occasional snatches of percussion and vocal melody. In essence, it was like the bedrock of recent Animal Collective songs (the transitional sounds between songs on <em>Merriweather Post Pavilion</em>) brought to the forefront.</p><p>At first, the 1,500 person crowd, a mix of well-dressed hipsters, museum patrons and skinny AC devotees, seemed confused about the ambient stasis of the piece (many weren't sure if the piece had even started), but as the night continued people mingled throughout the museum and the repetitive nature of the music and visuals became comforting. Rabid college-aged fans in face paint ran up and down the rotunda hooting, hollering and giggling in equal measure. As the evening wore on, many fans sat down near the band and seemed to be absorbed by the sounds. Despite not much happening, it was another sign of how far Animal Collective have come as an entity; where once they kept people actively at bay with their sonic experiments (ie, the screechy treble of <em>Here Comes The Indian</em>), they now invite everyone to come on in, canvass the scene, and lie down next to them.</p>
Akron/Family at Music HallAkron/Family started their sold out Wednesday night set at Music Hall of Williamsburg, the last of their recent tour, compelling the crowd into a chant of "Fuck the weekdays." The plea was met with enthusiasm, which aptly got an evening of bird chirping and dancing underway. Akron/Family started off as another solid Brooklyn bedroom-band, recording back catalogs worth of (sometimes precious) experimental folk and noise songs; over the past six years, they've morphed into an intimidatingly tight live trio, with a joyous party vibe slowly coming to dominate their sweaty sets. Clothed in beards and sweatbands, and surrounded by strobes, flags and plenty of tinsel, the three members of the group swung between multi-part harmonies, slide guitar and percussive extensions of their songs. The majority of the set was taken up by brand new tunes, and it was a credit to Akron/Family's evolving musical chops that the crowd was immediately won over by them (and singing along at times). The night was topped off by a rousing version of "Ed is a Portal," which brought the exaggerated fist pumping and collecting whoop-ing to a high point.
<p><strong>Tibet House Benefit Concert</strong></p><p>It was a packed night and a packed house at Carnegie Hall last Friday for the <a href="http://www.tibethouse.us/calendar/view/30836/4">20th annual Tibet House Benefit Concert</a>, curated <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/02/04/tibet_comes_to_carnegie_hall.php">as always</a> by the inimitable composer Phillip Glass. The line-up featured over ten artists, each getting 2 or 3 song sets, ranging from Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery chanting in orange to Regina Spektor. The highlights of the evening included a raucous acoustic set by Gogol Bordello, who inspired the first wave of stage-rushing and shrieking, and Patti Smith and her band (who served as the backing group for the entire night) causing a sing-along with their cover of the O'Jay's "Love Train" and finishing with an energetic "Gloria." But the absolute killer of the night was <a href="http://gothamist.com/2007/04/10/iggy_pop_and_the_stooges_play_united_palace_theater.php">Iggy Pop</a>, who roared onto the stage bringing the whole house to its feet, before ripping off his black shirt during a rollicking fun "The Passenger" (with Patti Smith on backups). He proceeded to dance up a shit storm during his closing set, spasmodically pushing his leather-like body into slinky poses and contortions. And he destroyed during closer "I Wanna Be Your Dog," jumping into the crowd, and ultimately slamming the mic stand into the wood-floor stage repeatedly to great cheer.</p>
<p><strong>Truck America Festival Arrives</strong></p><p>The Truck family has been putting on festivals and gatherings in the UK for the past 13 years, and for the first time this year they're bringing it to America. <a href="http://www.thisistruck.com/about-truck-america-festival.aspx">Truck America</a> is a 3-day festival, held from April 30-May 2, in the Catskill Mountains, at the <a href="http://www.fullmoonresort.com/">Full Moon Resort</a> in Big Indian, NY. <a href="http://www.mercuryrev.com/">Mercury Rev</a> (with full orchestra) will be the headliners; also playing at the fest will be White Rabbits, Here We Go Magic, Ida, The Joy Formidable and Neal Halstead. In addition to the live music, Truck America promises there will be workshops, kids activities and "campfire singalongs."</p>