In a year crowded with nostalgia-baiting ’90s indie-rock reunions, it’s nice to be reminded that a show put on by a veteran act can be more than just a lifeless historical reenactment. To wit: Superchunk’s recent set at the 9:30 Club, which was lively, engaging and oh so fun to watch. See my photos from the show at Stereogum and read my review at PopMatters.
On Monday night, I saw Animal Collective play the 9:30 Club. The last time I saw the band, I was quite disappointed. It was the summer of 2004 and while Animal Collective was, ostensibly, touring on Sung Tongs, their set consisted entirely of a series of extended drone experiments. Even worse, the band seemed to take an almost confrontational stance toward their restless audience. It was bad vibes all around (not to mention terribly boring) and I swore I would never go see them again. Of course, I’m not very good about sticking to my guns when it comes to embargoes on bands, so when I heard that Animal Collective planned to actually play songs from their albums on this tour, I decided to give them another chance. This time around, the band fared far better, thanks in no small part to the strength of the material on Merriweather Post Pavilion. Sure, there was still a good bit of repetition, improvisation and psychedelic noodling but thankfully, the more tedious bits were tempered by a fantastic light show, some serious low-end and a handful of eminently danceable renditions. Check out my full review and photos at DCist.
