Seattle

Monday's Bumbershoot lineup veered deep into indie-roots territory: Two Gallants, Blitzen Trapper, Langhorne Slim, and the Maldives all played various takes on classic American music.

Two Gallants ended their early KEXP Music Lounge set with "Waves of Grain," the most powerful protest song released this millennium. Scathing, riveting, chilling--whatever action word you want to give it, "Waves of Grain" packs in countless brilliant turns of phrase and vivid images. The song is six minutes long and never lets up its venom. It's a finger-pointing indictment in the tradition of (and on par with) "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol."

The last few Blitzen Trapper shows in Seattle have been disappointing, but a bevy of strong new material carried their Broad Street Lawn Stage set. The Portland six-piece plays a highly textured, shambolic brand of cosmic pop that shares a certain woozy aesthetic with Dr. Dog. They're sharp riff writers and expert layer builders but inconsistent songwriters. It's a fault that's especially obvious in the live setting, but songs from their upcoming album Furr showed more promise in that regard. Furr, which comes out on September 23, will be their fourth album and first released on Sub Pop. (I'm listening to an advance copy right now and digging it way more than I expected to.)

Langhorne Slim sang so mother-loving loud it didn't matter that he played acoustic guitar and had an upright bassist in his band. He rocks. He could sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and rock. It's a gift. Yesterday he used it to woo a sun-drenched crowd at the Mural Amphitheater, and plenty of folks--mostly female--were overheard falling for his Dapper Dan boxcar troubadour demeanor. His last album wasn't his strongest but he's such a natural, effervescent performer that even his lesser songs are endearing live. Especially so was "We Love the Animals," with a feel-good sentiment that he deployed at the perfect time and from which he received the perfect response.

The Maldives are the best unsigned band in Seattle. They play the kind of country music that would exist today if Garth Brooks never happened. Years ago it would've been called alt-country or country rock or some other amalgamation, but today we can call it country and love it for that. Bandleader Jason Dodson has a voice and delivery you believe in; he sings songs of dead relatives and growing up and moving away. They played in full form yesterday, nine pieces strong, including full-time fiddle and lap steel, percussion, banjo/accordion, acoustic and electric guitar, keys, bass, and drums, with plenty of backup vocal harmonizing. Even with all that sound there was room in the music. It breathed. It sounded like old records from a thrift store basement in Bakersfield. They're currently at work at the album that will break them to the rest of the world this winter. Don't sleep.

Photo of Langhorne Slim by Chona Kasinger