Live review and photo essay, Monolith, Day 1: Rockin' at Wet Rocks | Reverb — Reverb Music — The Denver Post

Live review and photo essay, Monolith, Day 1: Rockin' at Wet Rocks

By | September 13th, 2009 | No Comments »

Also amazing were Pains of Being Pure at Heart, five brunettes who threw down a sweet-natured collection of songs that sounded like an aggressive take on twee — like a gutsier Belle & Sebastian. And while others have made the same link to that Scottish outfit, the likenesses in Pains’ live set were simply uncanny.

Of Montreal took a while to find the right sound mix, but once they did, the theatrical indie/psych pop group played a sterling set that spanned from an early “Suffer For Fashion” to a late “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse.” They sounded druggier than normal, and frontman Kevin Barnes wasn’t without his emo asides.

But the most impressive thing about the Of Montreal set was the bounce of the cement floor that tops Red Rocks. It was like being in Denver’s Mercury Cafe or Portland’s Crystal Ballroom the way it rolled and bounced with the jumping crowd.

Frightened Rabbit played a valiant mainstage set early in the afternoon, but their closet melodies weren’t enough to fill the space. And while Cotton Jones isn’t as charming as frontman Michael Nau’s former band, Page France, the god-fearing, indie twangsters still know their way around a melody. Playing one of the indoor rooms, Cotton Jones was responsible for one of the day’s most memorable moments, taken from “Where You Stop For a Minute:” “Home is where you stop for a minute and clean your teeth,” Nau sang.

D.C. group These United States played a sweaty set early in the day in a downstairs room, and after closing with the brand-new single “I Want You to Keep Everything,” it was clear that they were one of the day’s stars.

Boulder Acoustic Society seemed a little stiff in their performance, but their songs, including “We Tried,” were lovely and pitch-perfect.

The accordion solo was especially nice.

Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of Reverb and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post. He is also the executive director of the Underground Music Showcase, Colorado’s premier indie music festival. Follow his whimsies at Twitter, his live music habit at Gigbot and his iTunes addictions at Last.fm.

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  • Johnny Lundock

    The Walkmen killed it. I was tired, wet and cold and The Walkmen made me forget all about it.

  • http://www.myspace.com/actionpackedthrillride Lucas

    Yeah, the Walkmen were phenomenal. The rain couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face during their set. Also, Edward Sharpe was definitely a highlight for me, so I agree with you there. I got more of a 'Smiths' vibe from Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I didn't really dig much of their set until the last two songs, which were really fantastic. Same with Of Montreal (I haven't checked out their last 2 records, which seemed to be where the majority of their set was drawn from, since I didn't recognize too many of them.) I felt the first part of their set was a bit too meandering for my tastes, but the last three songs of their set were amazing.

  • ricardobaca

    Radness, guys. I saw the first three or four Walkmen songs, but they didn't bring me in. Never been a big fan of the songs, and when I've seen them live, I've never been won over by their cooler-than-thou stage presence. At least with their Monolith show, it was fun watching the singer try to act too-cool-for-the-cold — even though it was FREEZING and wet. We were close, as we'd waited for 20 minutes (my girlfriend is into them), and you could see the singer trying to hold back his shivers, as he was only wearing a thin black leather jacket.And I could hear the Smiths in the Pains set – the My Bloody Valentine, too. Still, I couldn't shake the B&S sounds in there. What a trip they were. Just got their new EP, and I'm way psyched to pop it in the player!And Lucas, if you've never check out Of Montreal's “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer” (their second-to-last-record), do it, man! It's my favorite record of theirs, hands down.

  • http://www.denvereverb.com Ricardo Baca

    Radness, guys. I saw the first three or four Walkmen songs, but they didn't bring me in. Never been a big fan of the songs, and when I've seen them live, I've never been won over by their cooler-than-thou stage presence. At least with their Monolith show, it was fun watching the singer try to act too-cool-for-the-cold — even though it was FREEZING and wet. We were close, as we'd waited for 20 minutes (my girlfriend is into them), and you could see the singer trying to hold back his shivers, as he was only wearing a thin black leather jacket.And I could hear the Smiths in the Pains set – the My Bloody Valentine, too. Still, I couldn't shake the B&S sounds in there. What a trip they were. Just got their new EP, and I'm way psyched to pop it in the player!And Lucas, if you've never check out Of Montreal's “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer” (their second-to-last-record), do it, man! It's my favorite record of theirs, hands down.

  • http://www.myspace.com/actionpackedthrillride Lucas

    Yeah, the Walkmen were phenomenal. The rain couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face during their set. Also, Edward Sharpe was definitely a highlight for me, so I agree with you there. I got more of a 'Smiths' vibe from Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I didn't really dig much of their set until the last two songs, which were really fantastic. Same with Of Montreal (I haven't checked out their last 2 records, which seemed to be where the majority of their set was drawn from, since I didn't recognize too many of them.) I felt the first part of their set was a bit too meandering for my tastes, but the last three songs of their set were amazing.

  • http://www.denvereverb.com Ricardo Baca

    Radness, guys. I saw the first three or four Walkmen songs, but they didn't bring me in. Never been a big fan of the songs, and when I've seen them live, I've never been won over by their cooler-than-thou stage presence. At least with their Monolith show, it was fun watching the singer try to act too-cool-for-the-cold — even though it was FREEZING and wet. We were close, as we'd waited for 20 minutes (my girlfriend is into them), and you could see the singer trying to hold back his shivers, as he was only wearing a thin black leather jacket.And I could hear the Smiths in the Pains set – the My Bloody Valentine, too. Still, I couldn't shake the B&S sounds in there. What a trip they were. Just got their new EP, and I'm way psyched to pop it in the player!And Lucas, if you've never check out Of Montreal's “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer” (their second-to-last-record), do it, man! It's my favorite record of theirs, hands down.