I've seen the Faint and TV on the Radio before, one time each (the Faint at Northsix in New York, TVOTR at the Supreme Imperial in B-More), both headlining when they were just bubbling over, when both of them seemed like the coolest things in the world. Both of them played amazing, breathtaking shows, the sort of things I'm going to remember when I'm very old. Well, neither one of them seems quite like the coolest thing in the world anymore, and both have pretty much bubbled over, and neither one attacked the stage like they did the last time I saw them, but I still had a great time seeing both of them at the 9:30 Club last night. TV on the Radio only really connects in a larger venue when they play songs with hooks, and that's like a third of their material, but even their more diffuse stuff kicks up a big swirley haze, and, you know, I just like them. The new Faint stuff doesn't get the party started the way the stuff on Danse Macabre does, but they still play the older songs, and so they still get the party started. Right now they're touring with two big TV screens that play little video art clips that go along with each of the songs. They videos are fun, but the band shouldn't let itself be upstaged like that. I can watch TV at home. (Bonus points for using footage of monster trucks, points off for using it during "Erection" to depict them phallic metaphors instead of because monster trucks ar awesome.) But DC pulled through; the crowd upstaged both the band and their TVs. It's a real treat to be part of a huge, amped crowd that knows every part of every song and just wants to jump up and down a whole lot and wave its hands in the air. Good job, DC!

The new Diplo album sounded really great on the drive back, but I'm afraid that the album doesn't sound all that great in contexts other than long nightime drives home. "Diplo Rhythm" and "Summer's Gonna Hurt You" are both pretty great by themselves, but the rest of the album is too diffuse and DJ-Shadowy, and that's not where his strengths are. I am so looking forward to the Philly Hollertronix party, with special guest Bun B. Who else is going? Hit me up!

Mastodon totally rules, dudes. Leviathan just destroys.