Pop Montreal: Day Four

MONTREAL — Arguably the hottest ticket at this year's Pop Montreal festival was the sold-out Dodos concert at La Sala Rossa. The venue only holds about 220 spectators, yet at the start of the San Francisco duo's set, from a naked eye count it looked like considerably more people had packed themselves into the tiny club. The Dodos are already known for their blistering live sets, but to talk to friends and fellow festival-goers, the hoopla surrounding the group was still surprising given the demure nature of the young duo and their music.

9 p.m.
Just how difficult was it to get into The Dodos show? It was made clear at the front entrance and at the ticket table that media passes or passes of any kind wouldn't be accepted. The Pop Montreal website's media RSVP form also ran out of available spaces almost immediately after it went online. Fortunately, I was able to procure a ticket earlier in the evening.

9:43 p.m.
Boston power-pop group and fellow Frenchkiss labelmates Passion Pit took the stage first. Frontman Mike Angelakos sported a scraggly beard, a flannel shirt and a wailing falsetto worthy of Wheatus or The Darkness. Luckily, his band are no gimmick. "Better Things," with its its "you drive me crazy" chorus, is as infectious a song as you will hear in 2008.

9:55 p.m.
"Sleepyhead" is another track that contrasts Passion Pit's odd blend of warm synths, cut-up vocal samples and Angelakos' high-pitched vocals. Signature indie pop handclaps were omnipresent throughout the short set. Passion Pit seem poised to become the next really interesting synth-based electronic pop group in the vein of Cut Copy. The audience clearly felt the same way, as copies of their Chunk Of Change debut EP flew off the merch table.

10:30 p.m.
After catching the first two songs of the wildly experimental Portland, Ore. Americana duo Au, curiosity got the best of me and I quickly ran to a friend's house to listen to the Passion Pit EP. It's very good, but doesn't have the same fuzzy synths of the live show, and Angelakos' vocals are more auto-tuned.

11:45 p.m.
I returned to La Sala Rossa with plenty of time to catch The Dodos' set (a good indicator was the number of smokers waiting outside).

11:47 p.m.
Guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber, along with another percussionist, comprise The Dodos. Long's breakneck fast acoustic guitar playing is first and foremost in cementing the band's unique sound. It recalls Appalachian style folk-rock with a western twang. Kroeber, who wears two tambourines on his feet, was able to keep up with Long's quick playing. Long started the set with so much furor that he accidentally knocked off the microphone cord, causing a light moment in what was a very passionate performance.

12:15 a.m.
The highlight of the set was the seven-minute-plus epic "Joe's Waltz," which was separated into two vastly different parts. The guitar and drums caused the floor to shake as Long screamed "you need help" during the second section.

12:35 a.m.
I had no idea if the group had a hit of any kind, but "Fools" seemed to be the one song that got the crowd into a frenzy.

12:55 a.m.
The Dodos finished their set. A female concert-goer later described Long's guitar playing as a having "m'a rendu a l'orgasme," an expression that likely doesn't require translation.

2 a.m.
I was presented with two choices: either trek south to Le Divan Orange to catch a presumably sold-out Aids Wolf show, or walk north to Scott's on Bernard Street for a rooftop party featuring everyone from the local music scene.

3 a.m.: The rooftop party is quickly filled with Montreal's musical elite, as well as whispers that the massive troupe from the two Baltimore showcases (hosted by Beach House and Dan Deacon) will be passing through. As was pointed out to me throughout the festival, Baltimore is the new Montreal, don't cha know?

Unfortunately, Pop Montreal founder Dan Seligman and a veritable all-star cast of Montreal music scenesters were unable to get a sound system going, so all hope of promised live music was lost. Nobody seemed too concerned, as everyone had received their fill of concerts already and were ready to partake in Montreal's other well-known hobby: hanging out.