Hooves on the Turf

Download “Van Helsing Boombox” (from Six Demon Bag)

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My favorite is the kind of music I imagine to have been created by hooligans. This includes an imagery, heavily influenced by the movie Underground, of irreparable, drunken devotion to music through an otherwise quiet night. Here the musicians boast of decent talent, but it’s gushing passion that boldens them. Led by roaming spirits to drink their money (and homes) away, of course, their heads and hearts simply can’t be rooted. It encompasses what Zach Condon called a “ramshackle orchestra” he first witnessed in Paris (and later re-created in Brooklyn). Man Man are such gypsies at heart, and that’s why I love them. Their show at McCarren Pool was the best I’ve seen all this summer. From the way they were physically set up on stage to the way the songs are written, arranged and performed, the group is very organic, and each member a gift. Albums are a bonus, but Man Man must simply be seen live. Besides, they’re how a “rock and roll” band should be: at once, talented and clumsy, serious and unserious, intellectual and anti-intellectual; but rebellious at all times by simply being all they care to be.

More after the jump.

Each of the outdoor summer venues has something of its own to brag about. McCarren Pool is uncontested in the scale of fun. Its spirit is the most festive, its setting (a huge, drained pool) the most intriguging. Dodgeball games were in place, of course, and though scores of people streamed in, there was plenty of space for everyone. Helio provided tents for shade, along with some aqua fog devices, air-pumped furniture, and numerous beach balls.

When Dengue Fever came on with their Cambodian music, it was pretty surreal. I couldn’t decide whether we were in a strange spring-break town where all Williamsburgers go, or if we were simply in Williamsburg (a neighborhood I consider a nation of its own, with one of the best pizzas in New York).

Illinois has a feel of being a very boyish band, and Frontman Chris Archibald’s personality helps. He didn’t have his pant button done, and someone yelled that he should. He leaned over his mic to say, “I won’t.” When he raised his glass, the group in front chanted, “Apple juice! Apple juice!” He had his phone mic handy, and the guitarist his cigarette.

Oh, there’s so much more good stuff to come at the pool!