Aftermath

It's almost sad when a whole show docket is finished. I said it'd be a good month, and it was. In the last week and a half I saw Man Man and Yeasayer (a review of which will show up here in the next week or two), Radiohead and Fishboy, all four of whom are artists I routinely list as my very favorites. So a productive run, all around. But see, now it's over. And the only big show I've got on my plate isn't till July. Sigh.

But the past few days have been top notch! Thursday night found me at one of my least favorite Atlanta-related locales in honor of one of my most favorite England-related musical entities. That's right! I was at Lakewood watchin' the Radioheads. And it was good. We had lawn seats, and never had that felt more perfect. The intermittent rain made me feel like the music was hitting me in tiny drops and soaking in. I have failed you as a press entity in this instance, however, because I can neither offer you a competent set list or any pictures of my own. Instead I'll point you towards other people who can offer these things.

Dearest Creative Loafing has a little review-ish (though I disagree that the band is unremarkable live) and some good photos here. They remind me, first of all, that Thom Yorke rarely has his eyes open (and is sooo adorable when he dances...which he did...several times), and second of all, that Johnny Greenwood is a terrifyingly impressive musician. The highlight of the set for me was his "Faust Arp" duet with Yorke. I had chills. Like this, but with only two electric guitars:



Also, I just about fell over when they played "Talk Show Host." And "15 Step" sounded incredible. So did everything else, come to think of it... Here's fansite AtEaseWeb.com's set list from the evening.

Pitchfork's got complete coverage of their stop in Florida a couple of days previous, complete with some great pictures. You can see the coolness of their lights and display setup.

I spent my Friday evening recording with Lazer/Wulf. Does an instrumental (what did we call it?) "prog-metal" band need flute on their record? The answer is yes! (Or at the very least a noncommittal "Sure, I mean...I guess." Insert requisite Jethro Tull quip here.) Seriously though, their forthcoming EP is sounding really good, and I feel lucky to be a part of it. Look for it soooon!

Then Saturday night, I ventured to Caledona for Gordon Lamb's birthday celebration, featuring my fave, Fishboy. Though Eric himself was a bit under the weather (a sad little bottle of chloroseptic spray sat atop his amp during the set), they still sounded great, and completely lived up to the months and months of expectations I'd been attaching to a live performance of theirs. Kudos, guys. I might review this one for S&S too, but I've got quite a bit on my plate at the moment, so maybe not. Besides, there's not too much to say other than that they performed their whole rock opera plus one song. They did it quickly, confidently and seamlessly. And it was awesome. Basically, I was left with nothing to lament except that they don't play around here more often. They'll be back for Athens PopFest in August, and I won't miss it. Here are some crappy pictures from my terrible camera. Look for some good ones from Mike of Deadly Designs soon.