Modern News

For the third straight Sunday, Mother Nature threatened to rain on the Pool Parties parade, but we were spared and treated to a bill featuring Simian Mobile Disco, The Fiery Furnaces, Dark Meat and The Netherlands. Athens, GA’s Dark Meat was the first act of the afternoon that I caught. And wow. The 10-or so-piece rocked songs from its Universal Indians record on guitars, bass, drums, quite a few wind instruments and percussion. It seemed like a somewhat controlled anarchy onstage before the set ended with a droning chant filled number while stick like devices littered with streamers were passed through the crowd to the back.

Next up were the Friedberger twins, drummer Robert D’Amico and ex-Sebadoh member Jason Lowenstein, also known as The Fiery Furnaces. The group started with Blueberry Boat’s “Chris Michaels” before running through most of the newly released I’m Going Away. The last few times I’ve seen the Furnaces, Matthew was behind the keyboards for the majority of the show and Eleanor was strapped with her guitar, but this time it was more of a straight ahead rock show. Ending with “Worry Worry” from Gallowsbird’s Bark the Brooklyn transplants set the stage for the dance party which was about to happen.

For the next hour and a half, James Ford and James Shaw, aka Britain’s Simian Mobile Disco, spun records that had most people in the park losing their collective minds. The bass shook and moved everything that wasn’t nailed down and the cloudy skies were merely an afterthought to all.