I have, on occasion, been accused of being a bit of a jerk.
Generally speaking, I find these accusations to be totally unfounded, though, when it comes to the articles I tend to write about summer festivals -- like this one, where I bitch about the Coachella lineup not having enough "sizzle," or this one about Bonnaroo, where I make 10,000 hippie jokes and wondered if "I am allowed to bill MTV for hazard pay" -- I can kind of see what my detractors are talking about. Perhaps I can be kind of a jerk sometimes.
So, with this morning's announcement of the Lollapalooza lineup, I decided to try something different: Positivity.
Rather than complain about the Lolla headliners (must ... fight ... urge ... to make Killers joke ...), or make some joke about how Perry Farrell still believes that DJs can save the universe, I'm going to pick out 10 acts that make Lollapalooza 2009 totally worth it.
Who made my list? Read on to find out.
Constantines: Angry, blue-collar rockers from Canada. Last year, they released the sprawling, chugging Kensington Heights, a gem that was rather unjustly overlooked by pretty much everyone. Oh, and they like drinking beer, too, which should go over pretty well with the Lolla crowds.
Ida Maria: Power-packed Swedish singer with angst to spare. Her "Oh My God" was one of my favorite songs of 2008, and after a year spent kicking around the Internet, her debut album, Fortress Round My Heart has just been released here in the States.
Bat For Lashes: Ethereal, weirdo-pop from a former school teacher. Natasha Khan is stunning, and makes stunning music. Her just-released Two Suns album not only builds on the art-y strains of her debut, Fur and Gold, it raises them: this is concept record, about the duality of nature and self. That you can dance to.
Dan Auerbach: Black Keys main-man goes solo. I already wrote about Auerbach's really great solo debut, Keep It Hid, during my South By Southwest preview, and all the same applies here. Sufficed to say, I've already seen him live, and can't wait to check his show out again.
Deerhunter: Terrifying (and terrifyingly great) noise addicts from Atlanta. I love Deerhunter. I really do. They've released something like five(?) albums over the past two years -- not counting the solo albums frontman Bradford Cox accidentally leaked himself -- and all of them are totally great. Lo and behold, they've got an EP coming out in a few months! Joy!
Lykke Li: Stomping, stunning Pop from Sweden. Li builds songs out of footsteps, stray piano notes, handclaps and street noise, then tops them off with some seriously sexy vocal tricks. She'll heat up Grant Park for sure.
Animal Collective: Experimental Anthropomorphs try their hand at Pop music. It's no secret that AC's Merriweather Post Pavilion is probably the album of the year , but I'm looking forward to seeing the band bring the sonic wallop (that low end!) to the big stage at Lollapalooza. Could either be amazing, or completely disastrous.
The Decemberists: Hyper-literate Prog rockers from the Pacific Northwest. Watching the Decemberists perform their new album, The Hazards Of Love in its entirety was my favorite moment at SXSW, and while I don't know if they'll try the same stunt at Lolla, it almost doesn't matter. I'll be watching regardless.
Kid Cudi: Co-signed by Kanye West! Caught Cudi at West's G.O.O.D. Music showcase down at SXSW, liked what i saw. Interested to see if he can steal the show at Lolla, like Lupe Fiasco did last year.
Rye Rye: Baltimore-bred up-and-comer (and M.I.A.'s protege). I will be the first to admit that i know very little about Rye Rye, other than the fact that she's signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. records, with an album in the can. I've read an awful lot, and I wanna see what the hype is all about. You should, too.
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