The Decemberists & Grizzly Bear @ Summerstage: Fill Our Mouths With Cinnamon

July, July. Last night Grizzly Bear and The Decemberists put on one of the best outdoor gigs in recent memory (sorry Land of Talk fans, I arrived at the tail end of their set). In spite of a strict curfew, an impending thunderstorm and a sea of litterers (so upsetting), both acts unquestionably soared to great heights.

Grizzly Bear's 45-minute set focused almost exclusively on last year's much-loved record, Yellow House. I must admit, at first it was rather perplexing to see Grizzly Bear in pure daylight as their recorded material tends to skew towards the dark side. However, once the band performed fan-favorite 'Knife', all my doubts disappeared. Kudos, boys. Keep up on all things Grizzly Bear here on the band's official MySpace page.

MP3: Grizzly Bear - Knife

Ahh, The Decemberists. Somehow, no matter how much critical acclaim the Portland-based act receives, they still manage to pour their hearts and souls into their live gigs without an ounce of arrogance. Last night's set, geared towards summer songs (well, at least the first few numbers), was remarkable. Colin & the gang did a superb job interweaving tracks from their latest effort, The Crane Wife, with older songs from their expansive catalog (setlist below). Highlights of the show include a beautiful main set-closing 'Sons & Daughters', complete with crowd participation, as well as an actual - yet slightly bizarre - venue sit-down session leading up to the final crescendo to 'The Chimbley Sweep'. The show's final tune, 'The Mariner's Revenge Song', left nearly everybody in attendance with massive smiles upon their departure from Central Park. Phenomenal!

Setlist: July, July!/Billy Liar/Summersong/Perfect Crime 2/The Sporting Life/From My Own True Love/The Engine Driver/Crane Wife 3/The Island/O Valencia/Sons And Daughters//Red Right Ankle/Oceanside/The Chimbley Sweep/The Mariner's Revenge Song

MP3: The Decemberists - Sons And Daughters