P4k Fest Highlights: Day 3

Day 3 kicked off for me with Women, who turned in a wonderfully noisy and enjoyable set. The Walkmen continued the streak of great bands, and were much better than the last time I saw them. Hamilton's mic was at the perfect volume where it wasn't too loud, but was loud enough at the right times. Grizzly Bear was apparently what everyone came to see, because the crowd waiting for them was the largest that I saw other than Flaming Lips. Anyway, they were fantastic, with the exception of a couple sound hiccups. The Flaming Lips closed the fest with balloons, giant plastic balls, and even bigger sonic vaginas. It was quite a show, but not really for me. All in all I had a blast, and strongly suggest it for y'all next year, depending on the lineup.

-Chandler

Song o' the Week #3

With all the commotion of the holidays I forgot to post the song o' the week yesterday, but I figure it won't make much of a difference to post it a day late.

Before this year, I knew The Walkmen as the band that was responsible for the song "The Rat." This year, I know them as the band that made a good cd that grows on you, and as an absolutely terrible live act. I'm amazed to hear the sparkling reviews for these guys live because everyone with me agreed that it just was not good. In any event, their LP You & Me released earlier this year has been getting more and more play over time.

This weeks song comes from that album and may not be the best song from it, but it's certainly good. It features a calming guitar to start off, and then explodes and falls back down at the perfect times. Hamilton Leithauser's voice sounds much better in studio than in concert, and he belts out some great lyrics throughout. Anyway, enjoy "Dónde Está la Playa," or "Where is the Beach" for those who didn't take six years of useless Spanish classes.

The Walkmen- Dónde Está la Playa

-Chandler