Jonny Leather has fled the country to Montréal, and will probably return on Monday August 25th.

I gave The Walkmen’s new record You & Me a good 30 spins before writing my recent story for NY Press in which I boldly called it the “Year’s Best Album.” The record has been in such heavy rotation on my iTunes that I’ve been listening to it more than once a day on average. It’s very rare that an album can be devoted such attention, especially with so much great music coming from publicists every day, but it’s really just that good. (If you don’t believe me, just ask Pitchfork.)

Last night’s show at Bowery Ballroom (the band’s 2nd of 2 sold out nights) was my first chance to hear the new songs live, aside from watching their Good Day New York performance on Monday morning. On stage, The Walkmen always seem to find a way to bring an extra something to their songs, and it was no different with the new tunes from the album released earlier  in the day.

Opening their set with “New Year,” singer Hamilton Leitheuser crooned along with lone accompaniment by guitarist Paul Maroon. The song set the chill mood for the rest of the night, with the other three members sitting back before joining the band on “On The Water.”  After a solid start, the band really hit their stride with “In The New Year.” As he’s been known to do, Leitheuser brought his vocals to that next level and continued to do so for the rest of the night. The set initially focused on You & Me, but the band gave longtime fans a real treat by playing a block of songs off their debut Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone. Walter Martin’s keyboard playing sounded particular wonderful on these songs, and “Rue the Day” may have been the highlight of the whole night (though no song got the crowd more excited than “The Rat”).

From the sublime “Long Time Ahead of Us” to the accelerated rock of “Thinking of a Dream I Had, The Walkmen keep proving to be even better live than on record.

We’ve had a lot of fun together. Friends since day one, I’ve given you nearly every one of my summer Sundays since that first one in 2006, and you’ve given me some really great times. As good as they all have been, nothing quite compares to our first day together.

With the sun beating down on the hot concrete,Tim Harrington ran wild, getting beaned by dodgeballs, flopping around in puddles, and soaking himself on the slip’n’slide—all while rocking out. It was fun, fresh and free, without all the hype that now brings in the masses of scenesters.

Scrawny indie kids walked around trying to convince everyone to put themselves in the trajectory of flying rubber balls. Back then it was just a casual game, more fun than competitive. Now it has become battlefield where musclebound studs go to vent their physical aggression. They come with a game plans and unwillingness to lose, in front of nearly as many spectators as the bands.

The lineups are just as good, if not even better. Well-known indie bands share the stage with up-and-coming acts on the verge of blog attention. We’ve seen Deerhoof, Of Montreal, Blonde Redhead, TV on the Radio, Liars, and so many other great bands. Back in 2006, we never had to worry about lines to get in or the massive space to reach capacity, but two years later MGMT wrapped a never-ending line around the block, with hundreds unable to gain entry.

As is the case with many locals, the Pool Parties have been a major part of my summers in Brooklyn, and will be sorely missed. Yo La Tengo’s performance this Sunday should be the perfect close for a great run of shows that perfectly exemplified what makes summers in New York so enjoyable. But alas, I will not be able to go, so I have sadly already seen my last Pool Party.

In many ways, the last two Sundays were throwbacks to the Pool Parties of ‘06. With an un-hyped lineup of Felice Brothers, Langhorne Slim, and Eli “Paperboy” Reed, and a bit of rain, hardly anyone showed up two weeks ago, reminding me of the Sunday in ‘06 when The Walkmen, Dr Dog, and Elvis Perkins played to a small crowd sheltered under the protection of umbrellas.

This Sunday was about as perfect as they get with beautiful weather, and though not empty like the week before, it wasn’t anywhere near as uncomfortably crowded. One of hip hop’s greatest treasures, Aesop Rock, commanded the stage and gave a crowd used to hearing indie rock a little something different.

It may be time to say goodbye to the McCarren Pool Parties, but we know that JellyNYC will be back next year to bring us more fun summer times—just not in McCarren Pool. And having a public pool really isn’t all that bad, is it?

Brian Heater interviewed the JellyNYC crew responsible for all these fun times for this week’s edition of NY Press.

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Back in 2001, I was lucky enough to catch The Faint on consecutive nights at Bowery Ballroom and North Six. Each night, they took forever to set up, but it was well worth the wait. Both shows started the same way—keyboardist Jacob Thiele stood front center on a dark stage singing the slow-moving “Sealed Human.” Fog, strobes, and the thunderous metal guitar playing of Dapose all ignited with perfect timing to make for the perfect start to two of the finest live performances I’ve ever seen. This was The Faint at their peak. Danse Macabre had just been released, and with the addition of Dapose on guitar, their live sound had been given an extra boost.

Following the release of Wet From Birth, I saw them at Webster Hall. Though the band had implemented the element of video into their performances, the concert wasn’t quite as moving as back in 2001.

Then, until releasing new single “The Geeks Were Right” in June, they seemed to have disappeared. Spending nearly four years between Wet From Birth and 2008’s Fasciinatiion, The Faint took the risk of being forgotten, and a lot has changed in these last four years, while people have grown to have less and less of an attention span. Plenty of bands have come and gone under the hysteria of hype, and the ’80s retro dance revival scene that The Faint helped create is no longer what it was. So, it was interesting to see the band booked at Terminal 5—the largest venue the band has ever headlined in New York City (which singer Todd Fink acknowledged during the performance). Though they didn’t sell it out in advance, and the club seemed to be almost empty until after the two opening performances, they did manage to fill the place.

Just like the old days, The Faint took forever to finally take the stage. Nearly an hour passed between the severely under-appreciated performance by Anti Pop Consortium and The Faint’s first note, but with Joel Peterson’s first rumbling bass-line on “Agenda Suicide,” all was forgiven. Everything clicked into place for The Faint last night as they triumphantly returned to their perch as one of the country’s best live bands. Wonderful projected video created a beautiful backdrop, while the band was showered with insane pulsating lights and strobes. The entire band played with a load of energy—especially Todd Fink, who danced around the stage looking like a mad scientist, wearing black goggles and a white trench coat.

Their set consisted of a handful of their best songs from each of their four albums. [We’ll just pretend Media never existed. They do.]. New songs like “The Geeks Were Right” and “Psycho” mixed in well but never got the crowd moving like classics “Worked Up So Sexual” and “Glass Danse.” It seems like they’ve been gone for quite some time, and last night’s performance was a very welcome return. Let’s just hope they don’t another four years between records and tours.

[written for NY Press]

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Battles, Black Dice, Gang Gang Dance
Central Park Summerstage, 8/16/08

Three of New York’s finest and most original bands shared the stage on Saturday for a free concert at Central Park SummerStage. Presented in the pleasant outdoor setting of Central Park on a beautiful day, hundreds of people who would normally never come to experience the experimental tribal sounds of Gang Gang Dance got to see them in a perfect setting. The swaying trees played perfect compliment to their mystical songs.

Brooklyn’s noise pioneers followed with an ear-shredding set that was not for everyone, but helped showcase the extent of their influence over the entire NYC music scene.

Headlining was maybe the most accessible and brightest of the three bands, Battles. The instrumental math rock quartet glistened with a dizzying array of spiraling guitars and keyboards, and the most precise drumming on the planet. Though he was the only member not utilizing loops, sequencers and modern technology, John Stanier seemed the most inhuman, keeping better time than a machine with his superb drumming. Loaded with the talent of four incredible musicians, who are fully aware of the capabilities of modern technological, Battles displayed that there is still new musical frontiers to explore in the 21st century.

[written for NY Press]