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Sunday, September 14
 Tokyo Police Club - Monolith 2008 by Dwenger |
Day Two kicked off for me on the main stage with Canadian youngsters Tokyo Police Club. With a sound that is often described as "post-punk," their short, high intensity songs are perfect for festival crowds, who often want to hear a few songs before bolting to another stage. Offering their entire studio output over the course of 21 songs clocking in at just under an hour, it's clear that these kids aren't noodling around. Their angular sound and staccato vocals have won them a large fanbase in a short period of time and they attracted a big crowd for a relatively early set.
As they wound down, we took off up the stairs, only noticing slight soreness from the previous day's countless trips up and down, to catch another local band that is just starting out. Moonspeed packed the stage with ten people, two drum kits and all kinds of other equipment to create an atmospheric, layered yet folky sound that showed enormous potential to develop into something very special. I'll be keeping an eye on the Denver scene to see what develops with these guys over the next year or so.
After a brief stop at the oxygen bar to clear my head a bit, the bluegrass punk of The Avett Brothers rang out from the main stage. It was my first experience with The Avett Brothers and I'll be back for more. With a traditional bluegrass lineup, strong harmonies, great songwriting and a rough around the edges energy, their unique approach to bluegrass is an interesting change of pace and I can see why they've been getting such great press over the last year. They converted many new fans at the festival and turned in one of the best sets of the weekend.
 The Avett Brothers - Monolith 2008 by Kline |
Next, it was back up the stairs to catch another local band, Hearts of Palm. The band, which recently changed their name from Nathan and Stephen, was a glorious dose of sparkling indie pop with an alt-country twist along the lines of Wilco crossed with The Polyphonic Spree. Despite playing in the dark depths of the Visitors Center, they brightened up the afternoon and were a welcome surprise.
Back at the main stage, it was time for a trip back to the '70s with the funky R&B laced soul of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. One of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, they did not disappoint, cranking out song after song of some of the tightest, funkiest music I've heard in a long time. Jones herself is a little dynamo onstage, dancing with the flair of Tina Turner and belting 'em out with one of the strongest voices on the scene today. Everybody was up and dancing in the stands, and she even invited several people up onstage with her to shake it in front of the whole festival. While she would have been right at home on the juke joint stages of the past, Jones and the Dap-Kings tore things up at Monolith and were another testament to the variety that this festival offers up.
After Jones wrapped up her set to a tremendous ovation, the ripping guitar of The Kills could be heard rebounding off the rocks from the New Belgium Stage, and with Does It Offend You, Yeah? taking the stage shortly after them it was time for another hike up the stairs. The Kills seemed a bit like a cheap rip off version of The White Stripes with a similarly blues-based sound that didn't really move me. Maybe I should have made more time for them, but in a festival setting it was just too easy to head off to see Does It Offend You, Yeah? rather than spend much time assessing these guys.
 Band of Horses - Monolith 2008 by Dwenger |
Surely winning the award for most crowded set of the weekend, the small WOXY Stage was packed in anticipation of the rock meets electronica of Does It Offend You, Yeah? Moments before the band came on festival security came through trying to clear some folks out of the room because the fire marshal was threatening to close down the stage. When things got straightened out and entrance was restricted, the British foursome took the stage to serenade the crowd with a pulsing backbeat highlighted by arcade game-like sounds. They whipped the crowd up into frenzy with tracks from their debut LP, You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into.
Reverb was the word of the hour at the main stage as Band of Horses took over and showed that their sudden success a couple years back was no fluke. They just seem to get better and better live and Monolith was no exception. Ben Bridwell showed off his versatility, switching between guitar and pedal steel as he and the band ran through about an hour's worth of tracks from their two albums. The set was highlighted by gripping versions of "The Great Salt Lake" and "Is There a Ghost," which seemed tailor made for the majestic confines of Red Rocks.
 Tunde Adebimpe - TV on the Radio by Kline |
As the reverb died away, our weary legs plodded up the stairs one final time to catch Akron/Family on the New Belgium Stage. Another pleasant surprise, their Americana influenced experimental sound features gorgeous song structure, tight harmonies and a rawness that is exciting in the live setting. They switched effortlessly between loud and punky and a quiet, folky sound, and it struck me that this three-piece would fit strangely well on the bill with The Avett Brothers due to the lines they have blurred around traditional musical genres.
As the evening cooled attention was focused on the rumors that had been swirling all day that TV On The Radio had broken down in Utah and might not be making the festival. Turned out the rumors were true but the band did everything in their power to get to Red Rocks. Though they arrived minutes before their set time, their equipment took a while to set up and their performance was delayed by about 30 minutes, unfortunately eating into their allotted time. When the band finally took the stage they made the most of their 40 minutes and ran through songs from each part of their six-year career, including several songs from their epic new album, Dear Science. Under a nearly full moon, "Wolf Like Me" was particularly appropriate and the deafening wall of sound guitars that have become something of a trademark for them washed over the crowd, bringing everyone to their feet. New tracks "Golden Age" and "Dancing Choose" stood out from the new material, and though the band did seem a bit off, probably due to their harried day, they put on a very solid set that left them up near the top of my list.
When all was said and done and we headed out to the parking lot shortly before Justice took the stage, it was clear that this is still a young festival with a few kinks to work out but it was much smoother than last year. Hopefully, as years pass and things get ironed out, it will become the marquee festival that it deserves to be. In the meantime, enjoy the underground feeling that this festival offers and use it as an opportunity to catch some amazing unknown bands in an absolutely beautiful setting.
JamBase | Lip of Tomorrow
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