Hopscotch Finale: Comments on Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Flaming Lips, Bombadil

September, 14, 2011 , by Whitney Ayres Kenerly

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips were arguably the biggest act and most anticipated show at Hopscotch, and City Plaza was filled with an all-inclusive eclectic mix of people ranging from die hard indie music lovers, to Greek Life collegiate couples, to culturally savvy retirees. The psychedelic alt-rockers are icons of the 1990s, and famous for over-the-top live shows.

Lead singer, Wayne Coyne’ made a couple of pre-show warnings about what to do if the strobe lights caused audience members to have seizures (his advice was simply “look away”) before returning by bursting out into the crowd in a giant plastic bubble that skimmed the top of the audience like an airy hamster wheel. With the first loud, lurching guitar riffs, confetti cannons exploded and colored paper, giant bouncy balloons, and the faint scent of weed filled the air. The projection screen behind the band flashed between images from epileptic acid trips to extreme close-ups of Coyne’s face – his wild shaggy hair encircling his head and a fur stole around his neck.

Coyne, with his chorus of young girls in Sailor Moon inspired outfits, encouraged the audience to sing along to “She Don’t Use Jelly” and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” while seeming positively giddy about shooting lasers into the capital building.

It was clear that we were all witnessing a legendary performer, even though Coyne doesn’t seem to age. His creative energy allows him to outperform musicians generations younger than him, and he seems to keep up with, if not ahead of, all the technology trends in indie music. He’s been tweeting throughout the festival (@waynecoyne) and confessed to the audience, “I love my fucking phone!”

Even those who did not get to witness The Flaming Lips in-person were still treated to the echoing of their songs throughout downtown Raleigh. As I walked to another show later in the night, I heard a cover from “Dark Side of the Moon” resonating down the street to the roaring approval of the crowd, and smiled.

Caltrop

I’ve been curious to see contemporary metal, Chapel Hill quartet, Caltrop, since hearing so much positive buzz about their talent for loud and physical styles, and murky blues influences. I can sometimes be wary of “metal” bands, but Caltrop exhibits the best aspects of the genre with songs that chug along with intense catharsis for several minutes. The band seems to have a very loyal local audience, and since signing with Holidays for Quince Records, and with the ability to convert metal-skeptics like me, I predict a growing following for the group.

All Tiny Creatures

Wisconsin natives and Volcano Choir and Collections of Colonies of Bees collaborators, All Tiny Creatures, had one of the best sounding shows of the night. The pouring of tings and dings in their music rang out with a swelling crispness. The metallic airiness of their songs sliced and glided through Lincoln Theater like ice skates. Their intricate arrangements brimmed with the dizziness of instruments orbiting and weaving through loops, as Thomas Wincek’s strained and whispered lyrics acted as the pressure point pulling at the center of the chaos.

Bombadil

Bombadil temporarily served as the main ambassadors of the North Carolina music scene after the success of Tarpits and Canyonlands in 2009. The folk-pop quartet from Durham has a widespread appeal, in part due to the accessibility of their quirky lyrics and catchy melodies. Dressed in various vintage styles of blazers and singing songs that seem to embrace youth’s awkward encounters with love and affections, the band is decidedly a bit dorky – they did name themselves after one of the most eccentric characters in Lord of The Rings. The proficient execution with which they play their pianos, drums, and guitars has always been their shining point. The audience at Fletcher Opera House delighted in watching their skills, giggled along with the humor in some of the lyrics, and gave the group a standing ovation.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra has been a big buzz band this year, shrouded in a bit of mystery. Singles like “Ffunny Ffriends” and “How Can You Luv Me?” appeared on music blogs with high praise but little biographical information. Their self-titled debut album has a weird alien-like building on it that appears to be in the middle of nowhere, and their songs seem to come from places even more remote and strange (Portland, Oregon).

I even thought that I had somehow confused the time and place of the show when I didn’t see any females in the group as the band was setting up. I could have sworn that it had been a woman’s voice on some of those songs. I was wrong, and the male lead singer used a microphone that looked like a copper tin can with marble-sized holes at the top. Even with that strange equipment clue, I’m still not entirely sure how the band is able to create so much distortion, and sound as if they as playing from across a field, and yet simultaneously right next to your ears. The show made me love and appreciate the album even more, and was one of my favorites of the whole festival.

Yelawolf

Before Yelawolf stepped out onto Lincoln Theater’s stage with an immediate and perfectly timed assault of fast paced and high-energy rap, I hadn’t realized how much I had been missing rap-rave at Hopscotch. It was impossible to fight the impulse to bounce, grind, and grimace along with the beats and verses.

The comparisons to bands like Die Antwoord and Eminem (who signed Yelawolf to his own Shady Records) are inevitable, but Yelawolf’s ability to shoot out phrases like a Tommy gun and yo-yo yank them around is almost mechanical. I felt like Uma Thurman with an adrenaline needle in my heart. It triggered something deep inside of me from when I first fell in love with music through hip-hop albums – stolen from my older sister. For me, Yelawolf made the entire Hopscotch experience come full circle, and back to core of why nothing ever makes me feel as alive and as present as truly spectacular live music.