For the fifth year running, I headed to Battery Park to check out River To River's annual July 4th afternoon indie-friendly concert. Last year's show featured the Scots in Belle & Sebastian (
review here), which ranked high as one of my favorite gigs of that summer. Yesterday's sets by Midlake & The New Pornographers served as the perfect musical combination to celebrate Independence Day '07.
Texas-based former jazz students, Midlake, opened the show at 3:30 with their alt-country meets indie-pop meets shoegaze tunes. The band focused primarily on last year's stunning LP,
The Trials Of Van Occupanther, but also managed to squeeze a few unreleased new songs into the mix as well. The group has declared in numerous interviews that their biggest influences include Travis, Grandaddy, Radiohead + The Flaming Lips. In a way, their live sound incorporates all of those bands' core sounds with a heavy dose of Wilco and/or M. Ward to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed their hour-long set.
MP3: Midlake - Roscoe
In spite of a brisk wind and a pounding rainstorm, The New Pornographers put on a spectacular show, showcasing tracks from their upcoming album,
Challengers, as well as wowing us with a slew of older fan-favorite selections. For those curious, yesterday's show featured Neko Case but also saw the absence of Dan Bejar. Win some, lose some, I gather. Neko's voice was beautiful yesterday, as was the band's entire set. Though I enjoy each and every one of their albums, I was particularly excited to hear 'Sing Me Spanish Techno', 'Use It' from their last effort,
Twin Cinema. However, the most well-received tune of the afternoon would have to be the always-lovable 'Mass Romantic'. See below for an MP3 of the track. A great gig, start to finish.
For another perspective on the show, head to Pat's review @ Pop Tarts Suck Toasted. How was your 4th?
MP3: The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
World's Fair reports: *Eric Pulido, guitarist of Midlake, has launched his very own brand of coffee! Cappulido Coffee was born in the Spring 2008 in the great land of Denton, TX and features six different blends of fair traded coffee, each selling for around $10 a pop. With the purchase of Cappulido Coffee, you are giving aid directly back to farmers in developing countries, lending them the financial support necessary to continue developing an excellent product and compete in the world market.* For further information, head to CC's official site.
