All Points West '08 Recap: Saturday
Festival
Kings of Leon's Matthew Followill / Photo by Shawna Adams
Drinking the Kool-Aid
Contemporary and classic incarnations of psychedelia were also near the top of the bill at APW on Saturday. Animal Collective now seems to be a permanent three-piece by now, but nothing stopped them from being the loudest band at Liberty State Park all weekend. If it was easy for you to just tune in and drop out, their off-kilter organic techno was truly transformative.
Frontman Avey Tare expressed his thankfulness to be close to home for the first time in a while, but it couldn't have been more clear that Animal Collective's experimentation is out of this world. Their ability to fluctuate between tight tribal rhythms and drive through transitions as individuals is mind-boggling, whether you appreciate their art or not. They always know how to kick it out at the end, spending the last half of their set with Panda Bear's "Comfy in Nautica" into Strawberry Jam anthem "Fireworks" and ending with the enrapturing unreleased track "Brother Sport," not heard by New Yorkers since its debut at South Street Seaport last summer.
The Black Angels were a great band responsible for bringing those on the psych-bend back to earth with their Black Sabbath-esque electric guitar tones suited for a blacklit 1970's basement. Funky smells started coming to the surface as a result of such a "chill" presence, and the Austin, Texas outfit was slow and smoldering, the vocals of lead singer Alex Maas almost visibly coming out in waves as they blared through songs from their latest, Directions to See a Ghost.
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Read Friday's coverage of All Points West here.
Check out pictures from All Points West.
