Live Review: Sufjan Stevens and St. Vincent jam out to Phil Collins, more @ BAM Takeover 2008

St. Vincent's Annie Clark modestly announced that she would be introducing new songs during her 45-minute performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 2008 Takeover. It's the "right venue" to "embarrass" myself at, she quipped. Her statement didn't make much sense after rolling through an untitled track with a wicked salsa beat and "Bicycle," a lilting, melodic shuffle through ornate piano arpeggios. No, she was probably referring to her closing number, in which the Takeover curator himself, Sufjan Stevens, joined her on the melodica for a charming cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."

While Phil Collins is generally regarded as a pioneer in soccer mom rock and anathema to all decent pop culture, the cover wasn't embarrassing at all. In fact, there wasn't a whole lot at the Takeover that wasn't an outright good time.

[Above: Naomi Shelton]

Between the Guitar Hero sessions in the Rec Room, the Bamcinematek's film festivals and a kinetic DJ Floor, this is the closest that NYC 20-somethings will ever come to reliving their high school lock ins. That's not to say that the experience ascended to soaring heights of avant-garde novelty- the majority of entertainment found its appeal in nostalgia and style dating from the 80s on back. For example, the film festivals featured such forgotten groaners as Perfect, Fright Night and Strange Brew, all of which would have been hypothetically embarrassing if not for the bargain-priced beer and an endearing sense of irony. Strange Brew was even proceeded by the 1933 W.C. Fields' comedy, The Fatal Glass of Beer, proving that intoxication and Canadian Mounties truly transcend the generational divide.

Another nice touch was Sufjan's hand-picked lineup of Brooklyn natives. Foregoing the island's usual staple of skinny jean rockers, his selection of Daptones-centric soul from The Budos Band and Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens gave the entire night a nice swing of carefree rhythm and abandon. The Brooklyn Youth Chorus even broke curfew and made a cameo.

[Above: Vikter Duplaix]

Quite frankly, it was everything I've grown to expect from BAM: unconventional, classy and undeniably fun. As one of the instigating institutions helping Brooklyn cleave out its own artistic identity, one can only hope BAM continues the tradition through next year and beyond.