Pitchfork

Photos by William Kirk; Above: Kid Sister

You know those sweatshirts you see at truck stops with dreamcatchers and wolves on them? (Like THIS.) Well, that's Yeasayer. They're new age mixed with yacht rock mixed with un-ironic cheese mixed with some intangible quality that somehow makes them cool. And they probably come across best performing at a camp-out under the stars for an audience smoking peace pipes.

Yeasayer [Music Hall of Williamsburg; 9 p.m.]

The Brooklyn band's debut album All Hour Cymbals (out next week on the Baltimore label We*Are*Free) is a bit too hippy-dippy for me on the whole, though "Sunrise" and "2080", the two singles, are killer. But on stage, Yeasayer were less annoying and more likeable-- quite a feat, considering the amount of hair these guys have, and singer/keyboardist Chris Keating looking like "he took too many Brandon Flowers pills today" (as my friend Caryn put it).





Everything sounded brighter and less mushy, and the low end was stronger and grooved a bit harder than on record. But I was most impressed by their vocals. These guys have strong voices, and they seem to have worked hard on their four-part harmonies, which is quite unusual for an indie band. It all came together into something endearing.

In the same way that when you see someone wearing one of those dreamcatcher sweatshirts and you think, "Wow, I could never wear that without looking like a fool," Yeasayer are pulling off something that most bands would never be able to get away with.

The Cool Kids [Hiro Ballroom; 11:30 p.m.]

As much as I admire the big tent approach, there's something satisfying about a unifying aesthetic when it comes to record labels. Think about early Sub Pop's grimy realism or early Factory's minimalism: sonic and visual aspects all wrapped up into one easily identifiable package.

DJ/entrepreneurs A-Trak (aka Kanye's DJ) and Nick Catchdubs, head honchos of upstart label Fool's Gold, understand the value of the total package. The music they release and the artwork they use to promote it is bright, colorful, energetic, fun-loving, and childish (in a good way). And, most importantly, charmingly nerdy.

Take Fool's Gold signees the Cool Kids, the Chicago duo of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish. They rap about bikes and radios and how much they rock over big, broad beats and slicing guitar riffs. Their track "88" boasts of bringing (19)88 back, and it sure sounded like it did. For another song, they encouraged the packed crowd to take their house keys out of their pockets and jiggle them to form a beat. The result was a kind of twee version of hyphy's chain-rattling sound effect.







While the Cool Kids performed, a screen above the stage showed footage of the Chicago skyline, BMX bikers, and Michael Jordan. The duo's logo was omnipresent as well, in big, puffy yellow letters. And for a few seconds, I swear I caught some Muppet Babies clips up there.

Kid Sister [Hiro Ballroom; 11:30 p.m.]


Kid Sister, another hot Chicago rapper, might be a star in the making, but she, too, isn't afraid of risking looking uncool in the name of having fun. Wearing a constant smile, she delivered her rapid-fire rhymes like the sassiest prom queen ever. She even introduced her set-closing "Pro Nails" (which appeared on Kanye West's Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape and features Kanye in its forthcoming video) by talking about what it's like to get ready for the prom: visiting David's Bridal, throwing a wrap over your shoulders, and, of course, getting your motherfucking nails did.

She did the wax-on, wax-off dance and skipped around the stage like it was a hopscotch course. And the whole time, the screen displayed her logo: "Kid Sister" in girlie script, as if doodled on a Lisa Frank binder.