burned all my notebooks...what good are notebooks: Outsidelands, Sunday: Sights And Sounds

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Outsidelands, Sunday: Sights And Sounds

OUTSIDELANDS (day three)

GOLDEN GATE PARK, SF

10 AUGUST, 2014

Another successful year of Outsidelands is on the books, and we made it up for Sunday, spending the day with friends new and old in the comfy confines of Golden Gate Park.While the overall multi-day lineup spoke more to the conformity of today's big festivals, we managed to carve an enlightening path through the day, starting with Jonathan Wilson, from LA. He's spent a few years behind the scenes playing and producing, but two albums in, is making his mark. Woods, fresh off hosting their own festival, journeyed up Highway One to Golden Gate Park, using the meadow to the advantage of their soaring sound, doling out generous portions of their most recent LP, With Light And Love, and dropping in an obscure early Pink Floyd cover for good measure.
Moving over to the Panhandle Stage, the big discovery of the day was North Carolina's Hiss Golden Messenger, who have joined forces with Merge Records for their brand new LP, Lateness Of Dancers. M.C. Taylor made for a compelling front person, a small horn section was a most welcome bonus, and I very much look forward to diving into this record. Next up was Courtney Barnett, who didn't seem any the worse for wear after journeying up from their last stop in Pioneertown. Perhaps sensing their tour's finishing line, started with a stomping take on "David" and never looked back, once again backloading "Avant Gardener" and "History Eraser" in the set to maximum impact.
Having the fortune to see Spoon in a record store during the past week was the mother of all outliers. Returning to their natural state, they rocked the main stage, unleashing the new songs from They Want My Soul, and sneaking in enough older material to keep the crowd on their toes. From there the day dissolved into catching up with friends amidst the frenzied backdrop of a typically psychotic Flaming Lips set, nosing around Beerlands, Winelands, and the Food Truck rodeo, as well as a full on excursion into Chocolands. Ranger Dave, our hat is tipped for another fine year.

JONATHAN WILSON