While hardly the most influential or intriguing Brooklyn musical event of the year, the annually fledgling Siren Music Festival (scheduled for next Saturday) invariably draws legions of fans. To avoid the pedestrian and potential rail gridlock at Stillwell Avenue, here are the scheduled set times for each artist, along with my picks.
Main Stage (@ West 10th and Surf Avenue):
1:00 PM: Tiny Masters of Today
2:00 PM: Micachu & the Shapes
3:00 PM: Japandroids*
4:00 PM: Frightened Rabbit
5:00 PM: Grand Duchy (* -- with qualifications)
6:00 PM: The Raveonettes*
7:30 PM: Built to Spill
Stillwell Stage (at the subway complex):
1:30 PM: The Blue Van*
2:30 PM: Bear Hands*
3:30 PM: Thee Oh Sees*
4:30 PM: Future of the Left
5:30 PM: A Place to Bury Strangers
6:30 PM: Monotonix*
8:00 PM: Spank Rock*
Reverent indie elder statesmen Built to Spill are headlining the main stage, relegating The Raveonettes -- critical darlings of the mid-2000s, hanging on by a thread today -- to the secondary spot. Frankly, their piquantly postmodern take on Spector far outshines the deafening Wall of Sound of likeminded local gents A Place..., so be sure to catch their set. Japandroids are oversaturating the market fo sho, but their atavistic garage rock has captured my soul in a manner not seen since the breakthrough of the Vivian Girls nearly a year and a half ago. My advice -- acquiesce to their charmingly discomforting lack of charm. As Frank Black's songs were first inculcated into my impressionable brain nearly two decades ago, the sentimentalist in me will likely scope out his new Grand Duchy project -- even if his hoarsened voice and newly pliant countenance suggest middle-aged ennui. Monotonix and The Blue Van are both out to demystify the ineffable funk of 50s R&B, but The Blue Van wear their Small Faces pride on their sleeves -- I fully expect them to be the breakout act of the festival. And local heroes Bear Hands are among the more underrated acts of the Brooklyn renaissance.
My suggested itinerary:
The Blue Van
Bear Hands
Japandroids
Hit the beach
Grand Duchy (or continue swimming)
The Raveonettes
Spank Rock
You wouldn't see Frightened Rabbit? What, you don't have a vagina?
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