In case you missed our review, you can read our concert review of A Hawk and a Hacksaw at the Independent SF.

Unfortunately, we were not that impressed with the show and do not have much to say about it. The highlight of the show was when the group all came into the audience and played a few songs. It had everyone around them engaged and happy. But besides that, the audience was rather dead and immobile. I do not know if it was because everyone was out of it or what, but for us, we were expecting to hear a decent amount of old songs. We were unfamiliar with their new album so all we could do was dance amongst each other and take it for what it was worth.

We did happen to meet A Hawk and a Hacksaw afterwords and they were all really friendly people. They even were nice enough to sign their album for me. I got the setlist too, so I will be sure to post in the next day or two.

I started listening to The Flaming Lips in 2004, when I purchased their album Fight Test. “Do You Realize??” blew me away. I sure hope they do that track at the festival. I will definitely provide my feedback of each band post festival.

MSTRKRFT, MGMT, Beirut, Flaming Lips, The Walkmen… What a lineup! Do not miss out. Last year was soo amazing: perfect weather, great audience, great shows. Check back soon for more about the Treasure Island Music Festival and news related to the festival, only at Best Indie Rock.

Raider of the Lost Arc

You get the picture. That didn’t happen though, maybe we were one band short. I’m sure if Broken Social Scene had shown up the whole northeast would have disappeared off the map completely. That’s how I would like to go out.

The Gorge Amphitheater

Enough of theoretical and impossible tangents, lets talk about music!!!!!! I am actually going to release a new post every few day for the next week or two, looking at each band more closely, but here is who I am gonna discuss (in the order I saw them):

• Passion Pit
• M. Ward
• DeVotchKa
• Animal Collective
• Decemberist
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Kings of Leon
• St. Vincent
• Murder City Devils
• M83

There were a ton of others I missed due to intoxication and much needed naptime like Bon Iver, Crystal Castles, Doves, of Montreal, Sun Kil Moon, Walkmen, The Wrens and The Dodos, but I am happy with my over all experience, which I will also share more about next post.

Panda and Jutley

Until then hang tight and check out a group called Agent Ribbons from Sacramento. They opened for Camera Obscura last night at the Fillmore (which I will also write about later.. ahhh so much to do)

X ) toodles!

And I want to say something really quickly… I said I was sick of folk last entry. That was dumb, obtuse, even criminal. I love folk, but folk that is made for the sake of folk, for the sake of emitting a feeling or telling a story. I love folk with a traditional tie, that transcends time. I think that is one of the best things about music, it can put us places we can’t ever physically go, more so than any visual medium. So incredibley profound I know… I am just sort of within a tangental struggle trying to understand what I don’t like about certain styles of folk. I love Bon Iver, and he is lo-fi folk… which initially I thought is what I don’t like about Sufjan Stevens (but not all Sufjan) and Great Lake Swimmers. Maybe it’s the vocals, because I don’t like Elliott Smith either. Girly whispery sad boy voice. I guess that’s it.

Well thanks for sticking through my thought process… I assure you, in real time I would have lost you at the beginning of the second paragraph. Back to Kate Maki… She is brilliant! So awesome I even bought her vinyl and I don’t even have a player. I recommend checking out her myspace and loving her as much as I do

Kate Maki!

One genre I have grow increasingly un-fond of is lame folky type stuff. I used to love it, but now I think it has become over made, overplayed and everything sounds the same. Gimme some beat, some bass, some life! I can’t stand Sufjan Stevens and his sorry voice. It’s cheesy to me. And for this reason I was highly disappointed with Great Lake Swimmers. I think most of Bottom of the Hill was too. Maybe a lot of us are over folked, over inducing depression and swimming in our tears (great lake swimming that is… WINK*) We wanna dance! Being openly sorry for one’s self is for turds.

I am totally speaking for a population I really haven’t fully analyzed so sorry to those of you who love it, and love moping about. I guess they are pretty popular because their name was fourth most searched on Hype Machine a few weeks ago. I think they might be really good at SEO and marketing techniques. It just really bothered me when lead singer Tony Dekker said in between songs “here’s to being sad.” Blah. Whatever, maybe I am unsympathetic and heartless, but jeez is self-pitty ever annoying.

It seemed at points they became aware of the bored crowd and started messing up. It was sad, and I don’t mean that in a harsh way, it really upsets me. It’s fine if don’t like your music, I will critique all day long, but I don’t want to see anyone fail, ever.

I wish you the best GLS! And good job getting on la blogotheque’s Take Away Shows! That was pretty cool.

Mother Mother rocked. I think they sound like the Pixies, which very few bands are capable of acheiving such a pure yet diversified sound and crisply harmonized vocals. I think this is what the band is most noted for, their vocals. Two girlies and one booyeee, perfectly harmonizing three distinctly awesome voices, so good one reviewer even stated Queen would be proud to hear. Freddie Murcury? Really. Now that is one fine complemint.

I would check out their song Body of Years, and of course the rest of the album. I bought it and it’s super.

Their openers, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, were an incredible and powerful duo…. The whole even was a smilefest.

At the end of the show, being the chotchkie-grubbing fool I am, I was more than enthused to buy a vinyl from the openers (awesome album art I should add) and take a poster to hang on my overcrowded walls. For those of you who have yet to experience the SF Fillmore’s grace, the venue hands out a poster to EVERYONE at the end of most every show. They have done this since the the early years in rock’s golden age. I only wish I could have been there for Jefferson Airplane. So to all of you who don’t know the Fillmore and haven’t heard Lykke Li…. go there.

Lykke Li SET LISSTTT!!!