Amid all the excitement about Ghostface, Caribou, and who knows what other bands, I kind of forgot that !!! were playing the festival. This was my fourth time seeing them, which apparently lulled me into thinking this time would be somehow less impressive than the first three. Turns out that it’s not easy to get tired of seeing !!! — in fact they’re quite addictive.

MP3: !!! – Yadnus

In a weird sort of Pavlovian way, “Yadnus” is now close to my favorite !!! song. They’ve started every show I’ve seen with that one and now I associate it with being really, really happy. It’s a great song to showcase the full band before staring the show, too. The drummers come out and start the beat, followed by the bassist and the guitarist (who lays down that awesomely funky riff) before Nic and Shannon come out.

For a while I wondered why !!! never played “Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard.” It’s their most epic, best song and I’d love to hear it live. However, the past four shows of theirs I’ve seen have really made me grow to love their new record. At first I thought it wasn’t as good as Louden Up Now, but now I’m singing a different tune. Pretty much every song on it is a winner, a fact that’s only accentuated in their live shows.