MGMT @ McCarren Park: Circuits In The Sea

Euphonious. Spiffy. Underwhelming. Official TMS Rating: 6/10. Photos & an MP3 below.











MP3: MGMT - Electric Feel

The Ting Tings @ McCarren Park: A Mighty Step

Fierce. Abbreviated. Intrepid. Official TMS Rating: 9/10. Photos, MP3 & setlist below.









(Setlist) We Walk. Great DJ. Fruit Machine. That's Not My Name. Keep Your Head. Shut Up.

MP3: The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

Dan Deacon @ McCarren Park: Goose On The Loose

It's been roughly a year since I've last seen Dan Deacon. Thankfully, little has changed with the Baltimore based electro maniac over the course of the last 350 days. Last night's set clocked in just under a half hour but managed to get the scant crowd sufficiently riled up via shouting, fist pumping & numerous sprints around the venue. Visit DD on MySpace.

MP3: Dan Deacon - Wham City

Tom Tom Club @ McCarren Park: Sunshine & Ecstasy

For those of you who claim to not remember and/or know Tom Tom Club: think again. Their 1981 mega hit, 'Genius Of Love', has been sampled by everyone from Mariah Carey to Redman to Annie to Tupac and is one of the most cherished songs of New Wave's generation. Last night the band performed the immortal track alongside a dozen other classic selections and sounded flawless from start to finish. Visit TTC at their official site.

MP3: Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood (Remix)

Devo @ McCarren Park: Satisfaction Guaranteed

Their hair may be a little grayer, their waistlines may be a little larger and their vision may be slightly more impaired, but Devo is just as fabulously weird and grossly entertaining as they were thirty years ago. The Ohio based post punk quintet performed an hour long set of greatest hits, including but not limited to 'Mongoloid', 'Secret Agent Man', their cover of 'Satisfaction', and (of course) 'Whip It' at Brooklyn's beloved hot spot. The legendary act's use of kitsch, humor and sci-fi is not only a barrel of laughs, it also makes for a thrilling live experience. Enjoy five photos from the gig plus an MP3 of 'Mongoloid' below.









MP3: Devo - Mongoloid

2008 McCarren Pool Parties Line-Up Revealed

Bust out the sunscreen:

JUNE 29
The Hold Steady
The Loved Ones
J Roddy & The Business

JULY 6
Ronnie Spector
The Rabbit Factory Soul Revue
Wiley & The Checkmates

JULY 13
Matt & Kim
The Whip

JULY 20
Liars
Fuck Buttons
Team Robespierre

JULY 27
MGMT
Black Moth Super Rainbow
The Ting Tings

AUGUST 3
Black Lips
Deerhunter
King Khan & His Shrines
Tall Firs

AUGUST 10
TBA

AUGUST 17
Aesop Rock
Panther

AUGUST 24
TBA

MP3: Matt & Kim - Yea Yeah

Jelly NYC Announces First Official McCarren Park Gig

July 27th's bill will feature:

MGMT
Black Moth Super Rainbow
The Ting Tings

Not too shabby. For further info, head here.

MP3: MGMT - Destrokk

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #613

Beirut - Scenic World (Live @ McCarren Park)

A great performance from the summer of 2006.

Visit Beirut on MySpace.

MP3: Beirut - Scenic World (Live @ McCarren Park)

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #344

Beirut - Postcards From Italy (Live @ McCarren Park)

A great show indeed, I can attest to that.

Read my review of Beirut @ Bowery here.

Visit Beirut at their official site.

MP3: Beirut - Postcards From Italy (Live @ McCarren Park)

Ted Leo & The Thermals @ McCarren Park: Sweat It Out

Another scorching Sunday, another visit to Williamsburg's McCarren Park. This week we were treated to the always-delightful sounds of The Thermals & Ted Leo, respectively.

While I've seen Ted more times than I can recall over the last six years, I have to declare that yesterday's show was probably the best I've witnessed of him and The Pharmacists, to date. Performing a bevy of tunes from each of their studio albums (focus on Living With The Living), Ted & the gang failed to falter under the excruciating Brooklyn heat.

Including Music Slut faves - 'Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone? + 'Me & Mia' - early into the set, those in attendance were even graced with an impromptu & undeniably fabulous cover of Daft Punk's 'One More Time' (something tells me that the track will be a mega-success on The Hype Machine as soon as it's properly ripped)! Superb.

View Ted Leo + The Pharmacists' upcoming tour dates here at TL's MySpace page.

MP3: Ted Leo - Bomb.Repeat.Bomb

The Thermals came out to a rapturous applause sometime around 4:30 and performed an impressive best-of 45-minute set. The last time I saw The Thermals, they wowed me with an abbreviated stint during CMJ at Studio B (read my mini-review here).

The Portland-based trio have truly carved a great niche for themselves since their formation, back in 2002. The Sub Pop signees produce some of the most engaging post-punk/straightforward indie-rock anthems in recent memory. I predict a long and well-respected career for The Thermals. Yesterday's show only confirmed my postulation.

Keep up to date on all things Thermals here at the band's official site.

Next week's final McCarren gig features Ghostland Observatory & Yacht, amongst other unannounced acts. Keep an eye on ThePoolParties.com for more info as it's released.

MP3: The Thermals - No Culture Icons

I'm From Barcelona + Blonde Redhead @ McCarren Park: Glee!

What a beautiful day at the pool! Not only did Blonde Redhead wow me yet again (do they ever disappoint?), but I'm From Barcelona's confetti-fueled mega-set may have officially staked its claim as the highlight of my summer, thus far. Positively phenomenal.

To say that I adored every second of I'm From Barcelona's 40-minute show would be the understatement of the century. Each of the band's twenty-nine members brought enough kitsch, energy, flair and merriment to fill Madison Square Garden, Giants & Shea Stadium twice over. I was smiling from ear to ear for the totality of their McCarren visit.

Opening with an exemplary version of We're From Barcelona's 'Treehouse', the band wasted little time storming through most of their debut LP, all the while treating us to (my favorite) b-side (ever), 'Britney', and a mindblowing cover of Madonna's 'Like A Prayer'. The vast majority of the healthy crowd was eating out of their respective palms.

The Music Slut highly recommends demands your attendance at the band's only other New York area gig tonight at Brooklyn's Southpaw. Purchase a pair (or multiple pairs) of tickets HERE! Enjoy some more photos & an I'm From Barcelona MP3 below.

To learn more about the Swedish ensemble follow this link to their MySpace page.













MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Chicken Pox

Blonde Redhead's hypnotic 75-minute set included a bevy of tunes from their most recent full-length, the melancholic, 23, in addition to a handful of tracks from earlier releases - most notably Misery Is A Butterfly & Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons.

Although the pairing of today's show seemed rather random at first, in the end, it worked out better than fine. Up next week: The Thermals & Ted Leo. More info can be found here.

MP3: Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly

Erasure & Young Love @ McCarren Park: Make Love, Not War

It's been just over six weeks since I last saw Erasure, on the surprisingly entertaining True Colors tour stop at Radio City Music Hall (mini-review here). Last night, the British synth-pop duo brought along three back-up singers, a dazzling (if not superfluous and/or trite) stage set-up, multiple outfit changes, and a healthy mix of new tracks intertwined with Erasure classics. All in all, a lovely Brooklyn summer evening.

It's been twenty-two years since Erasure first broke into the mainstream, and nineteen years since they topped international charts with a series of mega-singles: 'Chains Of Love', 'A Little Respect' & 'Ship Of Fools'. Thankfully, all of the aforementioned tracks were included in last night's crowd-friendly 90-minute setlist (see below). You have to appreciate an epic band that knows what its fans want to hear.

One personal highlight was the beautiful live interpretation of current single, 'I Could Fall In Love With You'. Other ditties from their latest LP, Light At The End Of The World, shone extraordinarily brightly throughout the entire hot & humid soiree.

Erasure ends their North American tour tonight at Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ. For all forthcoming European dates, head to Erasure's official MySpace page here.



Setlist: Sunday Girl/Blue Savannah/I Could Fall In Love With You/Fly Away/Breathe/Storm In A Teacup/Chains Of Love/Breath Of Life/Love To Hate You/Sucker For Love/Victim/When A Lover Leaves/Ship Of Fools/Chorus/Sometimes/A Little Respect/Oh L'Amour/Glass Angel//Stop!

MP3: Erasure - Oh L'Amour

Opening last night's show was Brooklyn's very own (Def Jam recording artist), Young Love. It's been quite a while since I've seen Dan Keyes and I'm happy to report that in spite of a slightly lackluster full-length (read Jen's review here), his live shows are still positively engaging. Performing a variety of tracks from his debut, Too Young To Fight It, he may have been the ideal support act for Erasure.

MP3: Young Love - Find A New Way