OK, so I'm moving to Argentina tomorrow. And I'm nowhere near ready. Some of my thoughts on the matter can be found here. That last Lolla review will be up here eventually as well as a few more exciting features (one of them has the initials SS, but that's all I'm sayin' for now). In other words, I'm really freaking busy. So for the moment, you'll just have to enjoy the latest cutting-edge political youtube streaming through the interwebs:
See you in Buenos Aires!
The Ace Unswayed - Slash film has the trailer for an upcoming documentary on Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister. It is long overdue and looks pretty damn sweet if you ask me. It's basically just a ton of people saying how badass Lemmy is. I'm certain to be satisfied. Don't think they'll show this, though:
Sorry Lemmy. That was mean. Check this badboy out instead.
I Pity The Fools - In the UK, Mr. T's most recent "Snickuhs" commercial has been banned because gay rights activists have called the ad homophobic. The ad in question:
Seeing that, I have to question just who is the homophobe here? There is nothing about that ad that has anything to do with gay people as far as I can tell. Are gay men more likely to go on speed-walking jaunts around town? That is news to me. T denied the claims of sexism, and he's absolutely right. After the anti-gay people had such a problem with this one, it appears that the good folks in England have lost not only their sense of humor, but their sense of reality. I suppose nobody is allowed to have fun anymore. That's it. I'm not eating Snickuhs anymore.
Bang Your Camaro - We mentioned seeing the band Bang Camaro at Lollapalooza. They put on quite a show. If you've become a fan, or even if you haven't, now's your chance to join them as lead singer (well, one of 'em anyway). In their upcoming tour, they are looking for fans to join them onstage. I have no idea how long you get to be a part of it, but all the details are here. In Chicago, Bang Camaro will be playing September 25th at Double Door. Their Lolla show was a ton of fun, and I can only imagine being behind a microphone for it would be even better. How on earth they're going to fit 20 folks on the Double Door's tiny stage is an issue for another day. Go audition!
You Fools! - Mental Floss gives us 5 Famous Actors and the Roles They Turned Down. For a long time, I assumed McQueen was still alive and just not working anymore. He, uh, died 28 years ago. My bad.
Thanks, Bushy - Andrew over at Live Music Blog has an excellent posting on how high gas prices are affecting bands' ability to tour. The Sound Opinions folks touched on this in a recent podcast as well. One salient point:
If a Chicago based band tours the west coast taking the northernly route out to Seattle and down to LA then drives back to Chicago the group is looking at a 5,000 mile trip. That could be upwards of $2000 in gas costs alone. If the group plays a dozen dates and makes $200 a show on average, there is less than $500 for all other expenses -- making fast food a luxury good.The bottom line is, just because you live in a city and ride your bike to work doesn't mean that the gas prices don't affect you. Concert tickets will have to become more costly so bands can afford to tour at all.
Friday night ended with my being exhausted, but not in that wonderfully elated way you often get after a full day of rock and/or roll. Instead, it was packed crowds and a neck sick of straining to see over the tops of all the beanpoles around that led to a certain crankiness. Saturday night, I would end up totally wiped out all over again, but this time it was a gleeful exhaustion.
I began the day a bit late because frankly the morning left a lot to be desired. I could have raced down to catch Does It Offend You, Yeah? who I heard put on a solid set, but I instead waited until 2:00 to catch Foals on the Citi stage. Their Battles-esque math rock occasionally bended toward some New Wave rhythms, but then immediately bounced back to some high-energy math-rock with real power. They played tight, with their guitarists oscillating wildly all the while. The crowd ate it up, and I can't wait to see them again. Basically, they were what Bloc Party would have been doing if they had the chops.
It's hard to discuss The Gutter Twins without mentioning Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli's previous efforts with The Screaming Trees and The Afghan Whigs, respectively. But that's mainly because they were popular acts and not because their previous musical lives relate to what they're doing now. The quality of their set varied from song to song. Some fit the afternoon expanse while others were clearly designed for an evening set at a medium-sized club. The music does sound a bit nostalgically dated, but it's from an era I happen to adore, so it wasn't a problem for me. The highlight for me was a cover of Jose Gonzales' "Down The Line," which they did in wholly their own style. It had me questioning who actually wrote it. Anyone have more info on this?
I took in half a set from MGMT from afar, but after most acts being overly bass-heavy, from across the field, they sounded bright in a tinny sort of way. There was a gigantic crowd amassed to hear them, but unfortunately they didn't do much for me. A location move on my part only served to lessen the experience as they were getting blown away by Booka Shade on the Citi stage. From where I sat, they sounded like Pink Floyd on a bad day, but any review from that far away is probably unfair.
After seeing Explosions in the sky in smaller venues twice in the last year and a half, I was worried if the festival crowd would react correctly. Would they be appropriately rapt with attention in the way that is required to fully appreciate this band? Aside from a draked dickhead behind me, the audience impressively gave the music the proper reverence. Not only that, the band impressed by taking advantage of the more powerful soundsystem and put on a dazzling performance. Early on, "Have You Passed Through This Night?" was particularly raucous, but the set hit its apex near the end of "Memorial." I don't think it's possible for anyone to have watched this without coming away at least a little moved. Of course, their closer, "The Only Moment We Were Alone" was also impressive and and the perfect cap to one of the best shows of the weekend. This was probably the best I've seen them play.
Okkervil River's set began a little bass-heavy, but that sorted itself out as they went along. While they were playing well, there wasn't much traction with the audience initially. However, once they got to the Sloop John B portion of "John Allyn Smith Sails," they had fans young and old eating out of their hands. From there, they went straight into "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" followed by "For Real." At their best, they were compellingly catchy, giving people the chance to sing along and bop back and forth on the cement awning in front of the Petrillo Music Shell.
After amazing everyone who saw them perform a 45 minute set in 2006, Broken Social Scene had perhaps given themselves too high of a bar. From the outset, it was clear they were not going to match their previous Lolla efforts, unfair as it may have been to expect such a thing. Still, they didn't exactly come out blazin'. Doing mostly new songs with a couple old favorites interspersed, the first half of their set had a "going through the motions" feel to it. They sounded extremely clean, particularly Kevin Drew's vocals. But in general, there wasn't much fire in this set. That is, until they closed with "It's All Gonna Break." Probably their best song, it had the energy that the rest of the set was lacking. Perhpas it was because they were missing certain members, but the bulk of the set felt very flat despite the pristine sound and rampant musicianship.
At the time I thought my entrance to the festival was taking forever, but it turned out that I actually had it good compared to most people. The median delay for entry was around 45 minutes. Yeesh. I guess this happens when there's a sellout. Unfortunately, the delay meant I couldn't check out K'NAAN and I zoomed straight to Hutchinson field to catch the last three songs from Bang Camaro. The extra hustle was well worth it. They were, in a word, bitchin'. With something like 16 "lead vocalists", they had no trouble getting the small crowd on their side. I would never buy an album, but live, everyone was all smiles. Just a fist-pumpin', head-bangin' good time.
Someone later asked if they were taking themselves seriously. there's no way to tell for certain, but looking at this picture, I'm inclined to say yes.
Even at an early hour, the grounds were pretty busy. Lots of dudes were taking their shirts off. It was clear that things were going to get weird - and sunburned.
Holy Fuck featured a great sound mix, really using the major capacity for volume to their advantage. Even with earplugs in and near the other end of the field, you could hear them loud and clear. Unfortunately, they're not much to look at, and they really should have been playing later in the day (or, ideally nearing nighttime on one of the smaller stages). But a great set by them - really tight and full of pep.
Manchester Orchestra
The band plays fine - decent noise rawk. But the vocals are pretty lousy, which makes the band pretty lousy.
The first half of Rogue Wave's set really suffered from the sound bleed coming from Manchester Orchestra. Frontman Zach Rogue even made mention of it, saying "Yeah, we got some competition from other stages, but together we will persevere." Well, once the other band stopped, things picked up, particularly on the song "California," which showed off their nuanced, pretty delicacy. It's not really the best setting for this band, but when they were playing alone, they sounded great.
Yeasayer came out charging. My notes say: "Damn!" Frontman Chris Keating was wearing a jacket despite the heat, and he and Anand Wilder just ripped into their tunes. The sound mix was a bit bass-heavy, but it didn't matter as each note was precisely punctuated and powerful. Drummer Luke Fasano ably plays heavy, but with agility at the same time, while Keating really, really means it on the vocals. Halfway through the set, "2080" was a major high point, with Keating losing his voice a bit near the end. With downbeats popping, they closed the set with "Wintertime" and left me screaming for more. This band nearly played Pitchfork and I couldn't help thinking how much better their set would have fit there. But I can see why Lolla chose to outbid them. My favorite set of the day.
Between his black, three-piece suit and his long hair, Louis XIV lead singer Jason Hill had to be the roastiest person in Chicago. Their set was good, but nothing special, and of course a major portion of the audience bolted after they played "Finding Out True Love Is Blind." That's a bit funny because their rockers were playing much better anyway.
The Kills really did nothing special for me as we watched from afar. Their set ended early because Alison Mosshart was having trouble with the heat. That caused a minor clusterfuck as Louis XIV ended at the same time.
To be sure, the venue was far too big for Gogol Bordello. Still, they were fun as hell. It would have been better to work my way up front for these guys. This has to be the only band with a violin player who dons a beret and a Slayer t-shirt who is over 50. Eugene Hütz was constantly in motion throughout the set, and they even had two female backing vocalists who behaved more like cheerleaders. The beginning half of the set was a bit listless (for them), but things really picked up when they performed "American Wedding" and went right into "Start Wearing Purple." The set ended with a Hütz putting a metal pail on the microphone and beating it with a drumstick. They'd given the crowd all they could handle in one of the top performances of the day.
Mates of State sounded great, even on a big stage from far away. They have a ton of really solid songs and they played all the hits.
Playing on the same stage an hour after Gogol Bordello, Bloc Party had a crowd ready for fire, but also a high bar to reach. They failed to achieve either. Perhaps this is a band that just got way too big, way too soon, but they are totally unable to perform in a venue like this. On a stage that had produced loud sets all day, theirs sounded tinny and weak. They couldn't even drown out the cackling sorority sisters congregating near us. Drummer Matt Tong is clearly the strongest musician in the group, but even he can't replicate the beats he laid on their debut album. Their regular bassist was not present which meant that many of the backing vocals were simply not sung. All in all, an incredibly weak set that ended early with the band bowing together at the front of the stage. I think I'm done with these guys, not matter how much I like their first album.
Bloc Party Setlist
Hunting for Witches
Waiting For the 7:18
Banquet
Song for Clay (Disappear Here)
So Here We Are
The Prayer
"The Mercury's In Retrograde"
This Modern love
The Reckoning
Positive Tension
Like Eating Glass
Helicopter
For Radiohead, Hutchinson Field was crazy packed. The crowded sea of people stretched all the way across the field.
That meant some people had tall folks in front of them.
With overwhelming anticipation, the band was greeted with a great ovation, but minimal fanfare. They sounded great and despite the discomfort everyone in the audience must have been feeling, they were rapt with attention. Perhaps to keep cameramen off the stage, the videoscreens were utilized in a more artistic manner, which is cool and all, but made it pretty hard to see what was going on. I was just tall enough and just close enough that I could see the stage pretty well, even if the band members looked like Smurfs (just three apples high). The set was dominated by songs from the new record, which the audience seemed to enjoy, but I don't feel like they were as connected to them as, say "No Surprises." I've always liked Radiohead - always appreciated their music and what they've been able to accomplish, but I've never really been a huge fan of theirs. I missed the 2001 performance here that drew such raves. I was hoping that this one would compel me to become a Radioheadhead (for lack of a better term). That did not occur. Perhaps because of the crowd, or perhaps because they failed to give us Karma Police or Just (two of my favorite Radiohead tunes - there's a reason these were such big hits), I'm no more a fan of Radiohead than I was yesterday. They played a great set, and it sounded as good as an outdoor concert can sound. But everything was still a bit distant for me. Perhaps that's the best you can ask for when there are 75,000 people in attendance.
Radiohead Setlist
15 Step
Airbag
There There
All I Need
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
The National Anthem
Faust Arp
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Reckoner
Lucky
The Bends
Everything In Its Right Place
Fake Plastic Trees
Bodysnatchers
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cent
House of Cards
Optimistic
2+2=5
Ideoteque
On the whole, a somewhat mediocre first day, with Saturday showing little promise early. I do have high hopes for Broken Social Scene and Rage Against the Machine. let's see how it goes!
Jim DeRogatis Review, and here
Muzzle of Bees Review, and here
Stereogum photo review
HearYa Indie Music Blog review
Maybe the best song ever:
(HT: La Vie En Robe for the inspiration. Yeah, I'm saying that Dan inspired me to post a youtube video. Faint praise, I realize... Whatever, just watch the damn song!)
Rounding out our preview of Lollapalooza, here are the acts playing on Sunday at the six main stages in chronological order - along with my gut-check synopsis of each one and a rating from 1-10 of how interested I am in seeing them. Feel free to add your own say-so!
The Schedule
Ha Ha Tonka - 8 Definitely in the vein of Kings of Leon only just a touch more intense. Only negative is they occasionally waver close to pop country. But such instances are rare.
Office - 7 New Wave retread that is just revised enough that it actually works pretty well. Halfway between Koufax and XTC.
The Octopus Project - 8 Electronic music that pops with (occasional) vocals delivered in a harmonized, whispery chant. There's some real fire to this music. And now I'm pissed. We had all those shitty bands on Saturday and of course Sunday morning starts with three interesting acts playing at the same time. Lollapalooza, you really suck. I mean a lot. This is bullshit. Dammit!
The Blakes - 5 Pretty much straight up rock. Vocals are a bit uninspired, but they rock a decent beat.
Kid Sister - 4 Dancey hip-hop, it's light and fun, but not very powerful.
White Lies - 5 Interpol if they were actually British. And whinier. So like The Bravery, I guess.
Wild Sweet Orange - 7 Shout Out Louds meets Bright Eyes. I mean, that's a good thing, no?
What Made Milwaukee Famous - 5 A bit too sweet for my tastes, they remind me of a modern version of the Mamas and the Papas with no female voices. Yeah, I know that's a stretch. They're not quite as straight as Snow Patrol, but pretty close.
The Weakerthans - 4 Their myspace page says "Folk Rock." That is correct. They sound like nice boys who don't get into much trouble.
The Whigs - 6 They are soooo from Athens, Georgia. Pretty straight rock, but you get the feeling they really mean it. Like a Southern Social Distortion.
Tally Hall - 2 Quirky with all members singing. Really, really, really not my thing - just too brainy.
John Butler Trio - 1 Neo-hippie acoustic rock complete with stupid lyrics about fast food, only if Anthony Kiedis was the singer.
Nicole Atkins & the Sea - 6 Kind of a less country, darker Neko Case without quite the same chops (but still pretty solid).
Brazilian Girls - 5 A modernized version of the Velvet Underground, except without all the artistry getting in the way. And reportedly more danceable (see the comments). You see how I rated such an incarnation.
Newton Faulkner - 1 I could describe this music, but instead, just take a look at this guy. I think that sums up how awful this dude is better than I can.
Amadou & Mariam - 7 Afro-beat is all the rage, huh? That's what these two from Mali play, but with an acoustic soul bend. Also, they're both blind.
Chromeo - 3 Electronic boops and beeps with pretty low-key vocals. Like LCD Soundsystem without everything that makes it good. Pretty much dance techno.
Black Kids - 6 You may recall that Kyle profiled this band here back in April. So I'm going to borrow straight from his description. With their infectious dance rock getting recognition from everything from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone, you'll have as much fun listening as they appear to have had playing.
Iron & Wine - 6 This is the band that I'm supposed to be more into than I am. Soothing, acoustic roots music. Everyone seems to love Sam Beam or at least his beard, and they always seem pleased with his sets. Just really, really mellow.
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves - 8 Clearly influenced by Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, Eli's got some serious soul for a white boy. If he's got a tight band, this could be fun as hell.
G. Love & Special Sauce - 1 I think this dumb band has played at Lollapalooza every year since its Chicago incarnation. I don't really mind since it keeps the hippie rabble down at one end of the festival.
Saul Williams - 7 The darling of both Trent Reznor and the Sound Opinions guys, Williams is a poet first and a crazy ball of energy second. He's supposed to be great live. I'm not finding much intriguing about his records, so maybe you have to see him to get it.
Flogging Molly - 6 I was briefly into this band about seven years ago. They do the whole Gaelic punk thing and don't really distinguish themselves that much. Still, their songs are pretty slick and snappy. Say that last sentence with a comical Irish accent and it sounds a lot better. See, they're on to something.
Blues Traveler - 1 I think this dumb band has played at Lollapalooza every year since its Chicago incarnation. I don't really mind since keeps the hippie rabble down at one end of the festival.
Love and Rockets - 5 It's tempting to assume that just 'cause a band is old and has been around a while that you need to see them. Formed in the aftermath of the more important Bauhaus, their tunes sound dated today. And I can't fathom they're going to give major energy up there. But they might be worth examining.
Gnarls Barkley - 7 After showing up clad in Wimbledon-ready gear two years ago, they impressed nearly everyone who saw their uber-modern version of slick soul music. Their new album is pretty killer, too.
Girl Talk - 8 The mashup-master from Chicago, Greg Gillis, does it all with his I-mac, but you won't be able to help from groovin and smiling every time you recognize one of his myriad of samples. Word has his new album has over 600 of them. At Pitchfork last year, there were major issues with too many people crowding the smaller stage. He's on a smaller stage again. The best plan may be to find a clear spot in the wings where you can get down unimpeded.
The National - 8 Took me a while to find my way with these guys, but their last release, Boxer, is brilliant in its mopey way. I'm particularly obsessed with the track "Apartment Story." They may really not pull off the festival show, but I'm excited nonetheless.
Mark Ronson - 1 Some cheeseball producer guy who's worked with Macy Gray, Amy Winehouse, Poofy Poppy, and Jimmy Fallon. He made that boring Lilly Allen cover of the Kaiser Chief's "Oh My God." Have at it suckers.
Nine Inch Nails - 10 Somehow, it has become very fashionable to hate on NIN in recent years, despite the fact that they're one of the most fan-friendly bands available these days. You don't need me to describe them to you as they're one of the biggest bands on the planet. I think they're going to play out of their minds and close the festival on fire. Or you can go watch the most overrated rapper since Poofy Pops.
Kanye West - 4 George Bush doesn't care about black people.
I was gonna try to say something profound to wrap this up, but instead I'll just remark that despite all the chimp poo they flung at us on Saturday, the overall lineup is pretty impressive. They've also done a better job of putting bands in sequence that make sense. Like having Gnarls Barkley, Mark Ronson, and Kanye West back to back on the same field. Things always seemed more complicated in previous years. Anyhoo, when I collapse from exhaustion on Sunday night, somebody drag me to the blue line so I can get home, 'kay? Kay.
Continuing our preview of Lollapalooza, here are the acts playing on Saturday at the six main stages in chronological order - along with my gut-check synopsis of each one and a rating from 1-10 of how interested I am in seeing them. Feel free to add your own enlightening comments!
The Schedule
Krista - 0 Worse than anything all day on Friday. Major pro-tools implemented on horrendous diva tunes. Meredith Brooks meets Evanescence, but without their collective talent.
De Novo Dahl - 2 Better than Krista at least. But extremely reminiscient of New Radicals. Hence the 2.
Witchcraft - 4 Sabbath-esque fuzz-rock from Sweden. Except it's more Kansas than Sabbath, alas.
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - 4 A bit like Travis, but with less of an edge. Very sing-songy.
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - 7 Kind of all over the map in terms of genre, but at their best when they fire up the boops, beeps, and buzzers in an aggressive manner.
The Postelles - 4 Directly halfway between The Replacements and Vampire Weekend.
The Ting Tings - 5 I shared a flight to Amsterdam with these guys (or, their gear at least). But that's neither here nor there. With a four-on-the-floor dance beat with, they're as close to disco as indie music can get. I hate disco, but this isn't so bad.
Ferras - 1 It's like Billy Joel crossed with Billy Joel and some Rob Thomas sprinkled on top. What the christ is this guy doing here???
Mason Jennings - 2 A mix of Dylan-esque folk and Ben Harper-esque crap. Saturday is really beginning to look extremely disappointing. Just hashing through this pap is disenheartening.
Dr. Dog - 6 Soulful, relaxed, southern indie rock... from Philadelphia. They're a bit too poppy and the vocals are a bit too Bright Eysey for me, but I can see why they're getting so much attention.
Innerpartysystem - 2 The songs each start out with some promise of decent industrual rock until the cheeseball vocal assault (complete with protools overlay). Likely to show up on the soundtrack of a romantic comedy someday... starring Julia Stiles.
Foals - 5 Rhythmic, almost chanted vocals with minimal guitar and drums. I wish it were the other way around.
Dierks Bentley - 1 The worst kind of country music. Case in point: "Girl that's kiiiind of the waaaay I'm feelin'. Tryyyyin' to stoooop your leavin'." Somebody shoot me.
The Gutter Twins - 7 Mark Lanegan of The Screaming Trees and Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs combine forces to make dark, creeping tunes. The songs are good and have their emotional peaks, but I wonder how well this will play at a festival.
Steel Train - 3 At moments, they sound a bit like a cheerier Wolf Parade. But in others they sound like a bar band.
DeVotchKa - 5 The easiest way for me to describe them would be to say that they're a more earnest version of Gogol Bordello. It's not as intense, and certainly prettier. I'd actually rate them higher, but a set at the Wicker Park Fest last year was just too unintense to work.
Booka Shade - 2 Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier play tedious German techno. Just like you'd expect them to. I just don't know why they're not on Perry's stage.
MGMT - 7 What Beck should be doing. Squawky, white boy pseudo-soul with a slick, electronic beat. Closer to TV On The Radio than anything else.
Serena Ryder - 4 Not sure if you'd call this folk or country, so let's go with Americana. Only the voice is Stevie Nicks meets Katherine Hepburn. Click on the myspace and you'll see what I mean.
Explosions in the Sky - 9 If you read this space regularly, you know how much I appreciate them. Major symphonic compositions played by a four-piece rock band. Clearly, this ain't the right venue, but they've played enough festivals by now, maybe they have this thing down.
Brand New - 2 More cheese. Practically a blink 182 cover band except they break into Dashboard Confessional screaming. They even have a song called "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad." I don't know who booked Saturday, but they suck.
Spank Rock - 5 Excited booty rap. The dude's vocally agile. I'm afraid I don't have much more to add to that. Anyone seen him live before?
DJ Bald Eagle - 6 Really aggressive electronic beats with various characters rapping over them.
Okkervil River - 9 I've been dying to see these guys ever since I had to miss their Schubas show two years ago for overseas business meetings. I once called them halfway between Tom Petty and Arcade Fire. Obviously this is a good thing. I stand by that assertion.
Jamie Lidell - 5 He played Pitchfork last summer. Of his performance, I said, "He basically has two types of songs. On some, he beatboxes and does all kinds of electronic mixing and theremin playing behind a table. On others, he gets out in front and sings Motown-fashioned whiteboy soul with a backing track." I remember thinking he was all right.
Uffie - 2 French electronic female hip-hop. I don't like the major effects being put on the vocals. It's very pedestrian, except the lyrics are raunchy. I think if I knew a hot chick, I could create this band on my PC. Yes, she's pretty hot. That's why 'cause she got a 2.
Broken Social Scene - 10 I have attended seven Lollapaloozas in my life. I don't know how many performances I've taken in across all of those fests. But I know what the top two of them are. #1 (by a nose) was Arcade Fire in 108 degree heat at the initial reincarnation of the festival here in Chicago. #2 was Broken Social Scene two years ago in a completely stunning 45 minute set. #3 would be well behind those two. Lolla has been owing them those extra fifteen minutes since that time. There's no way I'm missing this.
Battles - 8.5 Largely instrumental, mathy, in-your-face rock centered around former Helmet drummer Jon Stanier. I was a bit disappointed by their Pitchfork set last year, but others were raving about it.
Lupe Fiasco - 7 Creative, adroit hip-hop from Chicago. Worth seeing. They really screwed us with this time slot.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - 5 Soul with a pretty tight band, but the vocals are nothing special, which basically means the soul is nothing special. Could be good live, though.
Toadies - 6 Stompin' Texas Rock reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age. Had a big hit in 1994 with "Possum Kingdom," but have evolved a bit since then. They'll lead very well into the headlining act.
Wilco - 7 It often seems weird that these Chicago roots rockers became as huge as they did. Their songs are overly catchy, and they never had a megahit with any of them. But they certainly have plenty of great ones.
Rage Against the Machine - 10 Last time I saw this fiery, politicized, angry rock-rap act, it was at Lollapalooza - in 1993. They kind of stole the whole show. Their current incarnation is being mocked as all reunion tours are, but I think they're going to burn the whole damn place down. I can't wait.
Sunday's Cliff Notes Preview will be up tomorrow morning. Again, please feel free to add your two cents...
I did this exercise for Pitchfork and it proved to be not only helpful (at least for me), but surprisingly accurate in its predictive power. So now, I am going through each of the acts on the Lollapalooza Lineup. The number is a 1-10 level of my interest in seeing them and is followed by a brief, "from the gut" synopsis of the band. Click on any of the band names to get to their myspace and listen for yourself! Let us know what you think and what you're pumped up to see in the comments section.
The Schedule
We Go to 11 - 2 Teenage brothers - really sloppy heavy rock.
K'NAAN - 6 Peppy hip-hop with ambient backing music and socially conscious lyrics.
Bang Camaro - 5 18-person hard-riffin metal act. The thing is, 14 of the members play "lead vocals." Pretty much a joke, but a welcome one.
Sofia Talvik - 3 Bright, shimmery acoustic pop, plus she's cute.
Black Lips - 7 Bouncy garage rock, with irreverent shouty vocals.
Holy F*ck - 7 Not just a great name, they feature dirty, aggressive beats. Would be much better after dark, though.
Magic Wands - 3 Pretty low-key. Reminds me of Drugstore, but sleepy.
Manchester Orchestra - 5 Very Bright Eyes, but with just a bit of an edge. Do with that what you will.
Butch Walker - 1 Standard, boring straight ahead adult contemporay rock. What is he doing here? Get your ass back to Lite FM!
Rogue Wave - 8 I always struggle to describe these guys. Pretty indie rawk. It's too pretty, but I still likes it.
The Parlor Mob - 1 Cheesy blues-rock with hair-band vocals. Like, say, Aerosmith's "Same Old Song And Dance." How fitting.
The Go! Team - 7 Their sound has tired for me since they played Lolla 2 years ago, but this cheerleader-led, bubbly outfit played a darn good set then.
The Enemy UK - 3 Almost impossibly British. But beyond that, they sound just like Dashboard Confessional. So let's call 'em Windscreen Confessional.
Yeasayer - 8 Probably considered experimental folk. After a few listens, I've been really won over. They have the potential to give a GREAT performance. Or a mediocre one. But I'm excited to find out.
Electric Touch - 2 Overproduced, cheesy guitar rock meets cheesy dance rock.
Duffy - 5 Acoustic soul residing between Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse.
Louix XIV - 6 Punchy, ramshackle rock always on the verge of breaking apart w/ intentionally raw vocals and either strings or piano on nearly every track.
The Kills - 7 The dark side to Mates of States' light. Male/female duo with just drums, guitar and their voices.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - 3 Really groovy blues with an attempt at soul. But the dude can't sing very well, so what's the point?
The Black Keys - 7 Raw, dirty blues coming from just one guitar and a simple drum kit, but they manage to fuzz their way to a variety of powerful tunes.
Gogol Bordello - 9 They call their music Gypsy Punk, and that's probably about right. Eastern European punk with acordians. You understand.
Free Sol - 5 Soulful Hip-hop, like a baby Gnarls with a splash of NERD.
Cat Power - 7 Chan Marshall sports a soft but powerful voice and has gotten over her difficulty with live performances that used to derail her shows.
Your Vegas - 1 A really, really cheesy version of Stabbing Westward meets an even cheesier version of The Killers meets Keane (who is cheesy enough on their own). Have fun with that.
Mates of State - 8 Totally won me over when they played two years ago. Husband and wife duo playing cheery, beautiful indie pop.
Grizzly Bear - 8 Technically folk, with four-part harmonies and all kinds of instruments in the mix. Not sure how it will play at a festival as it requires patience, quiet and attentiveness. But I'm hopeful.
The Raconteurs - 5 Jack White of the White Stripes and Brendan Benson. It's basically rock with the slightest twang. I can't seem to get into them. Plus, they only have clips of their songs streaming on myspace, not the complete tracks. That's annoying.
Cadence Weapon - 2 I don't know why, but this gives me the feeling of the creators of South Park rapping. It's too fast and monotone. And it's giving me a headache.
Bloc Party - 9 Their initial release, Silent Alarm, was one of the best new albums we've received. The follow-up, more meh. But I'm still psyched to see this high energy, rockin' outfit from London.
The Cool Kids - 4 Modern hip-hop. Thin instrumentation focused mainly on the vocals.
CSS - 6 Dance rock akin to Basement Jaxx or Justice w/ female vocals and busy beats, but also venturing into more straight-ahead indie rawk. My brother says they're hilarious.
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - 3 The former frontman of Pavement has never done it for me. He played Pitchfork last year and didn't do it for me then either. Maybe he does it for you. That's your perogative just as it is mine to be thoroughly bored by him.
Radiohead - 10 Never seen 'em. Had the chance to go to the 2001 Hutchinson Field show that made these Lollapalooza festivals possible and like an idiot chose not to go. It's rare that we get a chance to make up for missed opportunities, but there you are.
So that's an even stronger day than I initially believed. Saturday and Sunday notes will be up later tomorrow and Tuesday, respectively. Your thoughts on any bands I may be overlooking would be much appreciated!
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