Just returned (dusty and slightly disoriented) from Benicassim (FIB).

Highlights:

Saturday:

Day turns night with the goosebump-cue voice of Erlend Oye- Kings of Convenience were lovely... and a nice ballad balance for the sleazy-tech night to come.

Xiu Xiu moved nicely from subtle to stacked- a nice lead-in to Mouse on Mars. Great to see them again. I admit I enjoy their earlier sound quite a bit more.

Areal label showcase feat. Ada, Basteroid, Metope, Frank Martiniq- Sweaty, packed and SLICK! I love this label.

Shelbono/Sid leROCK- Rocking in style with a mic in one hand- and a bottle of whisky in the other. His cover of the Violent Femmes' "Add it up" was outstanding.

Keep an eye out for Sid's Lado labelmate, Lawrence. Unexpected sounds sprouting up out of each other. The kind of stuff you sketch out in your head. (note: no hallucinogens were used during this observation).

Sunday:

Pan_Sonic. They were great. Felt like a marionette.

Tigersushi's Panico were a definite highlight- Great presence on stage. The guitarist was crafty- definitely not just playing guitar. I appreciate when people cue feedback- no walls.

Ran around the DFA stage.

Proper blow out -> Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Fantastic. I won't say more- the delete key is sore. Hope I retain the whole set.