From September 5-9th, Musicfest NW will stage 150 bands across 16 venues in Portland, Oregon. Notables on this year’s lineup include Passion Pit, Girl Talk, Beirut, Silversun Pickups, Dinosaur Jr., Fucked Up, Hot Snakes, The Tallest Man on Earth, Swans, Sebadoh, J. Mascis, Sloan (performing Twice Removed) Redd Kross, The Helio Sequence, The Men, Purity Ring, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Menomena, Danny Brown, Moonface, Tanlines, Lightning Blot, and Nite Jewel.

Also on the bill are Hazel, Big Business, Red Fang, Old 97′s, Big Freedia, Omar Souleyman, Black Mountain, Ceremony, King Khan and the Shrines, Future Islands, Chelsea Wolfe, LP, Xiu Xiu, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Crystal Antlers,  Craft Spells, Trust, Jonathan Toubin, Touche Amore, Julia Holter, Gardens & Villa, Radiation City, and Hey Marseilles.

Festival tickets are now available via musicfestnw.com.

Photo by Ted Maider

Most people who came to Sasquatch! camped in tents and RVs in either the more peaceful VIP camping section or the favela on the hill camping section. Fellow writer/photographer Harley and I were in the very small minority of people who drove home every night after the whole festival was over. During the night drive back to Quincy, WA, we’d try to suss out and synthesize the day’s music, the people we saw, what costumes they were wearing, what native culture those costumes were appropriating, the things that were mumbled to us by a guy two vials deep into the evening, or “did you see that husband just yelling at his wife just then?” and were we possibly the only sober people there and should we just try to buy some drugs at the camp grounds tomorrow and oh look there’s the fourth ambulance of the week coming toward us racing back to the festival grounds. Then we argued for a long time about Bon Iver. Maybe we should stay sober.

All this handwringing led to this: You can’t really report honestly about a music festival unless you really allow yourself to accept the festival culture, which, for better or for worse, is what prevailed at Sasquatch! this year. Much of the middle card included fantastic bands finishing up long tours with a stop at The Gorge (e.g. Explosions in the Sky, tUnE-yArDs, Charles Bradley, Kurt Vile, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The War On Drugs, The Head & The Heart, The Joy Formidable, etc..) and despite the lack of non-Seattle hip-hop and any kind of metal/hardcore/punk band, the four-day holiday weekend appeared to be less about connecting with the music of the festival and more crafting an “epic weekend” to remember forever.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to call the first view coming up over the hill of the Gorge breathtaking. The topographical setting of the festival lends itself to a larger-than-life experience, which is certainly what the sequencing of the lineups were aiming for:  swelling lines of guitars, big beat stompy folk rock, Girl Talk b/w Pretty Lights, and Tenacious D being the most metal thing at the festival. There were a few magnetic moments, some special little minutes from the days that resonated in the realm of music, like Deer Tick’s impromptu covers set, or Jack White’s flawless headlining set, or Spiritualized closing the second largest stage playing to a crowd of less than 200. But in the end, Sasquatch! went for the big feelings and for the most part scored. The music heard at The Gorge just sounds better, feels better, is better because of Sasquatch! being what it is: a vacation.

Since I didn’t go all Vice Magazine and paint my face, don a poncho and a day-glo trucker hat, and get “mangled” as one guy told me, Sasquatch! was really what you made of it. It’s your trip and how much of it you want to remember is entirely up to you. I think the lineup this year wasn’t as strong as it was in previous years, but you’re surrounded by people who are trying — chemically or otherwise — to have a good time. There was a group of people who asked me to take a photo of them with their phone as the sun set on Monday night and against my exhaustion, frustration, they all looked so happy. That’s how you do it.

-Jeremy D. Larson
Managing Editor 

Friday

honeyhoney – Yeti Stage – 5:05 p.m.

As one of the first artists of the day, honeyhoney was late for load-in thanks to the traffic entering the festival. Fortunately, they arrived just in time to tackle the unenviable task of opening a festival. There may be shades of country to honeyhoney, especially in the voice of banjo-shredding frontwoman Suzanne Santo, but their brand of Americana was delivered with a spirited rock energy that captivated the few and faithful among the crowd. At the halfway point, guitarist Ben Jaffe marveled at how the view from the stage looked like a Bob Ross painting, but without the “crazy people.” Also under the spell of the Gorge’s unparalleled beauty, Santo commented that she would have painted us into such a work. -Frank Mojica

Of Monsters and Men – Sasquatch Stage – 6:05 p.m.

The topographically stark Gorge was the perfect backdrop for Icelandic six-piece Of Monsters and Men, who have stepped into a Mumford and Sons-sized footprint with their high-stepping version of the folk power ballad. Vocalist and guitarist Ninna Hilmarsdottir—who bore an uncanny resemblance to Maggie Gyllenhaal, especially on the basketball court-sized screens flanking the Sasquatch Stage—led the band in anthems like “Little Talks”, which roused the sizable audience with “Hey!”s punctuating trumpet rotundas and acoustic guitars. They closed with “kind of a new song” (which doesn’t seem to be new at all, since it appeared on My Head Is An Animal along with the rest of their set), “Mountain Sound”, whose title and repeated mantra, “Sleep until the sun goes down,” seemed appropriate in light of the soon-to-be-setting sun and the venue’s rocky acoustics. -Harley Brown

Poliça – Bigfoot Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

After the ominous intervals of set opener “Fist, Teeth, Money”, vocalist Channy Leneagh’s voice had dropped a few octaves. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it was later pointed out to me that she simply didn’t Auto-tune her set. It’s a choice reveal that the band’s confidence has grown even since South by Southwest in March. The dual drums and Chris Bierden’s bass thundered as always, but Leneagh allowed herself to depart from their compartmentalized rhythm, riffing on “Lay Your Cards Out” and new song “Raw Exit” (formerly “Exit Raw”), which they’ve been playing live for a while and hopefully will make it onto their next album. I couldn’t tell if the audience knew of Polica or simply happened to wander over in a substance-induced stupor, but given the applause and bodies movin’, it appeared that many left converted. -Harley Brown

Little People – Banana Shack – 6:40 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

The Banana Shack was dismally underdeveloped this year. Shortening and widening the tent was great for the late night sets, but if you were slated for a day slot at the Banana Shack, that basically meant you were in for an all too sunny electronic appearance. Little People was among the first of many to experience this misfortune. He looked so out of place, sitting in the sun with his mixing board, a whimsical array of looping instruments. He even messed up on recording the looping segment on one of his songs, and took about a full noticeable minute to correct it, but he got there, against all odds. Impressive stuff live and in the flesh. -Winston Robbins

Santigold – Sasquatch Stage – 7:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Whenever conversing with my international festival-going friends about covering Sasquatch!, the response was always along the lines of “That’s the one with the dancing guy, right?” That viral video of the dance party to Santigold’s 2009 performance of “Unstoppable” has become a festival legend and was the top conversation topic among fans on the hill and in the pit over what would happen for a sequel. Such a follow-up never happened, as Santigold left that moment preserved in time and pushed forward for a new adventure. Supported by a band in aquamarine Egyptian costume and backup dancers whose choreography seamlessly flowed from retro to hammer-wielding robotic stylings, Santi White created an all-inclusive carnival that offered something for even the pickiest music aficionados. Drawing upon everything from rock to dancehall to hip-hop, Santigold distilled various genres down to what makes each uniquely fun and blended them into a breathless 45 minute party that reassured the crowd that they didn’t need to follow anyone’s lead to let loose and just dance. -Frank Mojica

Mark Lanegan Band – Bigfoot Stage – 7:45 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

It’s fitting that at least one critic has compared Mark Lanegan’s voice to leather, specifically something along the lines of “a well-oiled baseball mitt,” because he took the stage like an all-star up to bat: His gargantuan frame was clad in a straight-brimmed Starter and windbreaker, and he gripped the mic stand like a—you got it—baseball bat. Ball-playing metaphors aside, Lanegan’s supple rasp texturizes more than anything else, and lacking anything substantial to rub up, makes for a boring performance. His Band’s slow jams showcase its uniqueness but don’t add anything even close to Screaming Trees’ screamadelia or his scary/sweet collaborations with Isobel Campbell. -Harley Brown

Girl Talk – Sasquatch Stage – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Greg Gillis has one of the most simple business models in music: a compendium of popular samples that run the scales from Biggie Smalls to Kelly Clarkson, and a straight “party or die” attitude. Feed The Animals and All Day were well represented, with prominent samples like Lil Wayne and Birdman’s “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. Far more intriguing, however, were the new samples, which involved M83’s “Midnight City” versus Missy Elliott’s “Work It” and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” juxtaposed against Drake and Lil’ Wayne’s “The Motto”. In other words, look out for some great mixes from Girl Talk in the near future. There’s a time and a place for each genre of music, and Greg Gillis takes it upon himself to make it that time and that place whenever he dons his sweatsuit and picks up his confetti cannons. He pulled out all the stops for Sassy, though, closing out the night with an impressive firework show that included a spark shower straight out of a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial. -Winston Robbins

Explosions in the Sky – Bigfoot Stage – 9:15 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

It took more than a little willpower to tear myself away from Girl Talk’s piece-by-piece striptease and onstage dance party to go see Explosions in the Sky, which I knew would place me squarely back in the time when Explosions graciously provided the soundtrack to my final thesis. One of the first things I noticed was that I have never seen a band take themselves so seriously: Bent over their instruments, all the members of the band kept their eyes closed for the duration of their songs. Their fingers stretched wide across the frets, enormous on the Bigfoot Stage’s screens, to achieve those raw, open chords that make listening to their prog-rock so visceral.

It was the perfect time of night to listen to them, too, since the darkness allowed everyone to fully absorb their resonance without visual distractions. Explosions closed with “The Only Moment We Were Alone”, putting their dubstep neighbors to shame with that nine-minute build—which in and of itself climaxes several times—before finally, finally unleashing a wall of noise that shuddered through everyone at the same time. It was one of many moments reminding the festival attendees that we weren’t alone. -Harley Brown

Pretty Lights – Sasquatch Stage – 10:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

After Explosions in the Sky, Pretty Lights’ variations in dubstep minor were a whole different exercise in tension and release, starting with the countdown to his set flashing on Sasquatch’s aforementioned giant screens. Derek Vincent Smith’s one-man electronic outfit deals more in mid- and down-tempo than some of his EDM contemporaries, but he still sprinkled enough wubbery drops to satisfy what must have been the attendees raining confetti of glowsticks down from the hillside. Even though his set lacked the immediacy and WTF factor of Girl Talk’s instantly recognizable mashups just a half hour before, I appreciated Pretty Lights taking its time, segueing into “Finally Moving” as the glowsticks rained down in wave after wave. -Harley Brown

Saturday

Charles Bradley – Sasquatch Stage – 1:05 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Charles Bradley was born in 1945, making him a dogged 67. And instead of worrying about hip replacement, he’s more concerned with pelvic thrusts – a great way to gauge his performing ethos. The “Screaming Eagle of Soul” hit the stage looking slick with a grateful smile running from ear to ear. As he ran through hits from his solo debut, No Time For Dreaming, the crowd (a healthy mix of devoted fans and innocent morning passers-by) grew increasingly more receptive to his illustrious showmanship. It was wildly apparent that Bradley has the pipes to match his stage persona, especially as he crooned “The World Is Going Up In Flames” to a just-rousing Gorge. -Winston Robbins

Rob Delaney – Banana Shack  - 2:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

“Always open with not a joke,” Rob Delaney remarked, after commenting on a fan’s Montreal Expos hat. As a Twitter sensation, Delaney has posted countless laugh-out-loud moments under 140 characters, but onstage he proved equally adept at spinning a short story long. He seamlessly transitioned from an all too-revealing critique of anal sex to Danzig fan letters, selling him as a captivating teller of the dirtiest and most personal of stories. -Frank Mojica

Portlandia – Banana Shack – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Sasquatch!’s Portlandia live experience began with a simple but memorable gem of awkward humor as Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein each read alleged text messages from the other to the crowd, with Armisen’s increasingly affectionate closings rebutted by more and more cold formality from Brownstein. The slideshows of old family photos, second-place Dracula poems, and cycling, and the Q&A session that followed all proved chuckle-worthy to some starstruck fans, but the shortage of surprise guests and traditional skits increasingly dwindled the over-capacity crowd to a more modest showing. -Frank Mojica

The Civil Wars – Sasquatch Stage – 3:15 p.m.

After the trashy beats and flashing lights of Girl Talk and Pretty Lights just the previous night, I was a little skeptical that a folk duo from Nashville could fill Sasquatch!’s cavernous depths with just two voices and a guitar. But once again, the screens saved the day, broadcasting images of the happy (and pregnant) couple, which made up for what they may have lacked in ingenuity with charm. Onstage, the Civil Wars’ carefully harmonized folk alternated between the embarrassingly honest choruses of contemporary country and Bible-belt stompers like “Barton Hollow”, and the latter fit the Gorge’s craggy, unforgiving landscape much better than the majority of the songs they played. But then frontman John Paul White would say something like, “This is the biggest audience we’ve ever played to, and we’re so happy to be here, and there’s a lot of times when people really don’t give a shit, so thank you so much!” and I’d have a hard time finding fault with their music because it was too pretty. -Harley Brown

THEESatisfaction – Yeti Stage – 3:30 p.m. 

Photo by Harley Brown

Across the festival from the Civil Wars, another couple was making their version of baby-making music at the Yeti Stage. Catherine Harris-White and Stasia Irons, otherwise known as Seattle future-funk duo THEESatisfaction, were bumping, grinding, and talk-singing over an engaging backbeat that drew just as much from variegated African percussion as it did 808s. I usually approach vocalists with a pre-recorded soundtrack with trepidation, but Irons and Harris-White assuaged any fears I had with synchronicity between verses along the lines of MC Lyte and the group’s instrumentals. Even though Shabazz Palace’s Palaceer didn’t make an appearance for his guest spot on “Enchantruss”—girls can dream, can’t they?—lyrics like “You’re breaking my bad habits/So we can wake and bake instead” still went over just as well, especially with this crowd. Unfortunately, awE naturalE’s subtleties, like the duo’s subtle mouth sounds and call and responses on “Bitch”, were lost live. -Harley Brown

Kurt Vile and the Violators – Bigfoot Stage – 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

It was still a sluggish afternoon at the Gorge as Kurt Vile began his sound check, and he wasn’t about to change that mood. Sluggish is Vile’s bread and butter. His shoegaze folk kept the pace evenly for his set’s entirety, and as he sported cuts from last year’s Smoke Ring for My Halo, the crowd wasn’t unresponsive, but they weren’t ecstatic by any means. They were somewhere in the middle for “Jesus Fever”, but by the time he closed with “Freak Train”, the webbed-shoes and the bare feet started moving and kicking up dust. -Winston Robbins

Dum Dum Girls – Bigfoot Stage – 5:10 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

In the five o’clock hour, the sky at the Gorge was heavily overcast with rays of especially bright light peeking through the clouds. Similarly, the ’60s girl group-themed vocals of Dum Dum Girls were wrapped in a garage and shoegaze haze. While the pieces fell into place on set highlights “Bedroom Eyes” and “Only in Dreams”, the lively choruses aimed for catchy but lacked sharpness in their hooks, while harmonies were lost in a sea of reverb and persistent sound issues. Like a Dum Dum Pop, the set offered a little sweet but not completely satisfying treat. -Frank Mojica

Childish Gambino – Sasquatch Stage – 5:25 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

We all know Donald Glover is a jokester, but the more you listen to his raps and see his performances, you start to feel he’s found his true niche. On Saturday afternoon, Gambino took to the Sasquatch stage as a blazing force in hip-hop, opening with the club-influenced “Firefly”, which automatically sent the crowd into a frenzy. After that, everyone was bobbing up and down as he dropped a new jam for Questlove, touched fans with “Freaks and Geeks”, and sparked a riot of a crowd with “Bonfire”. Gambino knows how to throw down on the mic, and it might not be long before Donald Glover becomes something of the past and Childish Gambino becomes his true identity. -Ted Maider

araabMuzik – Banana Shack – 5:40 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

And now for something completely different: Not only did araabMuzik, the MPC-destroying performing and recording moniker of Abraham Orellana, take the stage after Portlandia, he suddenly became a dubstep artist when I had been expecting Instrumental University’s low-slung trap claps and airy synthpads. After araabMuzik’s hype man took the stage, providing a bigger, louder version of his recorded hypewoman (“You are now listening to araabMuzik” with the frequency of a radio personality), Orellana took the distorted piano that opens “1, 2, 3 Grind” and dropped it into that telltale wub-wub. Crowd control staff got involved shortly thereafter, practically lifting people out of the way to attend to multiple flower-tiara’d girls atop their boyfriends’ shoulders, who couldn’t have been more than 12 or 14 years old. You’d be hard pressed to say araabMuzik didn’t know his audience, but the question is, which audience? -Harley Brown

Metric – Sasquatch Stage – 6:40 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

After playing a very brief acoustic set in the Kokanee Tent comprised of “Help I’m Alive”, “Youth Without Youth”, and the world debut of “Synthetica”, Emily Haines and co. took to the Sasquatch stage to play to the masses at a very boisterous Gorge. Metric has gained a considerable following, and sure as the sun, they all showed up to sing along with every word – even the songs off the group’s forthcoming effort, Synthetica. In fact, their set was very Synthetica heavy, which weighed down the pacing for casual fans, but with help of old favorites like “Satellite Mind” and “Dead Disco”, they still made it a full-fledged pop-rock extravaganza. -Winston Robbins

tUnE-yArDs – Bigfoot Stage – 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Among a small sampling of people I talked to at Sasquatch!, all had polarizing views on tUnE-yArDs’ music. “Oh, you’ve got to see them live,” I said, knowing that Merrill Garbus is a theatrical virtuoso that will mesmerize hapless bystanders with her clarion yawp. Sadly, the sprawl the Bigfoot stage and the dubious acoustics proved somewhat of a foil to tUnE-yArDs’ set, as jittery onlookers around me enjoyed bopping to “Gangsta”, but were definitely looking for something that hit harder. Even “Powa”, which was played early in the set and usually silences whole clubs, came out tepid (the vocal loops Garbus recorded in the beginning didn’t seem to ignite later in the song, as evinced by Garbus’ big goofy grin to the bass player at the end). All the elements were there, though– her gesticulations, her spot-on voice, her theatrical flair — everything that made tUnE-yArDs so impressive when she started this very same tour over a year ago. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Shins – Sasquatch Stage – 8:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

The Shins’ set was nearly upstaged by a hang glider. First one, and then a few, and then many people suddenly pointed at what seemed to be a flying go-cart zooming low over the canyon toward the setting sun (Choice excerpt: “What the fuck? Did you see that or were you too busy looking at your hand?” and a few seconds later, noticeably more distressed, “What is happening?”). But Mercer’s tenor commanded attention no matter the surroundings, especially while wailing the chorus on “Kissing the Lipless”, which opened the Shins’ set. For this performance, the band upped classical piano keys in the mix, softening the edges around the clipped enunciations on “Caring Is Creepy”. It still sounds smoother on record, but I appreciated the experimentation. The Shins played a good mix of old and new songs, indulging in “New Slang” and taking the time to jam out on tracks like “The Rifle’s Spiral”. The Sasquatch himself even made an appearance: Toward the end of the Shins’ set, he snuck out from behind the stage setup, essentially Port of Morrow’s album art. But Mercer is a professional and, of course, the band played on. -Harley Brown

St. Vincent – Bigfoot Stage – 9:00 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Once the night finally rolled in, St. Vincent took the crowd at the Bigfoot stage to an even darker place. Annie Clark ferociously pummeled her guitar until it surrendered its utter jagged wickedness, jolted along like a haunted robot to her band’s twisted rhythms, and even attacked a theremin on “Northern Lights”, all while unleashing angelic cries. The effect was akin to being kicked in the gut and hugged simultaneously. After tearing through a cover of The Pop Group, Clark left the safety of the stage to be thrown around like a rag doll by a completely enthralled crowd during the riot grrrl rager “Krokodil”. As hard-hitting as the juxtapositions between the hideous and the gorgeous on the live interpretations of Strange Mercy and Actor highlights were, it was this set-closing one-two punch of punk rock appropriation that stole not just the St. Vincent show but the weekend as well.  -Frank Mojica

Jack White – Sasquatch Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

If anyone’s going to break the set-in-stone festival set times, not to mention his own rules about live performances, it’s Jack White. After playing almost until his allotted time of 11:30 p.m., he left the stage with his all-male backing band and returned with the same when I had been expecting his all-female band, since he almost always switches halfway through his set. And then he blew through his end time with “We’re Going to Be Friends”, “Hotel Yorba”, and “Seven Nation Army”.

But that wasn’t nearly the best part of Jack White’s set. Nor was his ability to noodle through rock and roll’s evolution over the past 60 years or so years, or the prodigious talent of the predominantly Nashville- and Detroit-based Los Buzzardos, nor was it the millions of dollars worth of equipment on stage. No, the best part was probably when he played the Raconteurs’ “Steady, As She Goes”. “Here’s the part where I ask you to sing along. I don’t care if you don’t know the words, or if you don’t want to sing the words, or if you can’t sing the words, or if you don’t know what the words mean, or if you won’t know what they mean until you drive home tonight.” With that, he commanded the audience to sing, “Are you steady now?” At the third repetition, White and Los Buzzardos crashed into the final verse and got two thousand people to jump up and down, hands in the air, in unison. No glow sticks necessary.  -Harley Brown

The Roots – Bigfoot Stage – 11:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Saturday was stacked in terms of artists that warranted seeing. It seemed as though I was running all day to catch so and so’s set at a different stage, and I don’t think I was the only one. As a result, there was not much energy left in the reserves of most of the festival-goers. Those that stayed were yawning and standing on weak legs, but it was no fault of The Roots. They, as always, brought their “A” game and then some. In fact, as the masses migrated from Jack White back to camp or their cars, many were sucked in as The Roots crew dipped into their back catalogue, playing their anthemic “Proceed” followed by a funky off-the-cuff version of “Jungle Boogie”.

Drummer/hip-hop guru Questlove was sporting a different haircut (I guess he decided on cornrows for the evening), but the sound remained the same. Both Quest and Black Thought kept the ensuing massive hoard entertained throughout, dusting off more oldies like “The Seed 2.0” and “Mellow My Man” both of which were folded into choice cuts from their previous two albums, How I Got Over and Undun. By the end of the night, they were playing to the largest audience The Bigfoot stage saw all weekend. And yes, they played the Jimmy Fallon song. -Winston Robbins

Sunday

Hey Marseilles - Sasquatch Stage  - 12:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Fully aligned with those squinty-eyed early birds, the seven-piece Seattle chamber met the first crowd of Sunday with warm cello, fiddle, squeeze box, trumpet, and acoustic guitars backed with that big beat stomp. Props to their arrangements, which despite the all too familiar sound, flow in and out of the music without lulling a song into a weepy sleep. Eager, earnest, and polite — perfect for the first smile-and-nod of the day. -Jeremy D. Larson

Reignwolf – Yeti Stage – 1:20 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

He’s the kind of band that makes other bands roll their eyes at him — but that’s part and parcel why I stood and watched Reignwolf’s whole set. He’s Jordan Cook from Saskatoon, clearly a Jack White acolyte, and a complete cock-ass showman on guitar, playing pentatonic riffs with one hand and holding the mic with the other. For the first part of the show, it was Cook alone on stage, stomping on a drum, pleasing the living shit out of himself playing guitar and singing unabashed blues. His band came on a couple songs later and added a bit of a Black Sabbath via Spinal Tap groove-metal to the sound– a foreign vibe for most of the bands playing Sasquatch!. Of course, he was wearing a black leather jacket, doing The Lip Curl, pointing to screaming women in the crowd, standing on the bass drum, and sitting on the security guy’s shoulders. He’s without a record, but full of so much unabashed spirit, theatrics, and style that his live show is all he needs for now.  -Jeremy D. Larson

Here We Go Magic – Bigfoot Stage – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

“Is everyone stoned?” Everyone probably should have been for this colorless start to the afternoon, which evaporated almost as soon as it pulsed from Jen Hunter’s admittedly formidable bass. I don’t know if it was the fact that Here We Go Magic’s bass-heavy blend of krautrock and psychedelic afterthoughts should be heard in a dark, enclosed space (i.e. headphones) as opposed to the blinding light and wind of midday in the Gorge, but the heavy atmosphere the band was trying to drive home with rhythm fell flat. They were effective when combined with more engaging foils, like vocalist Luke Temple’s Hayden Thorpe-like falsetto on “Tunnelvision” or the uptempo “Collector” with its synthesizers and catchy repetition of “I’ve got a mild fascination.” -Harley Brown

Blind Pilot – Sasquatch Stage – 3:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Sunday was a bit of a slow morning, so to hear Blind Pilot’s keen harmonizing and to see their smiling faces was truly a much-needed energy booster. Since last playing at The Gorge, they released We Are the Tide, a far more ambitious album than their debut and one that’s primed for a live setting. The best of the new bunch was the astoundingly beautiful “Half Moon”, and they left just enough time to play some of their golden oldies like “Oviedo” and “The Story I Heard”. Their tight, Northwest folk struck a chord with the Northwesterners at ease, who all came out in droves to see local rock on the mainstage. -Winston Robbins

The War On Drugs – Bigfoot Stage – 4:10 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

The hairs were grayer in the crowd for The War On Drugs’ set as Adam Granduciel’s humbuckers made their bossgaze music spiral out across the field. This was my first time seeing the band at a big festival on a sizable stage, though they hardly seem suited for any other environment. Their rolling guitar lines, no longer tangled in a small club, are given the chance to stretch and breathe in the wind. “Baby Missles” could stand tall next to any Springsteen song at Wrigley Field, and even the moseying “I Was There” wrapped around the crowd as Granduciel merely suggested the melody for those great lyrics: “I was there to catch a man/I thought I had him by the hand/I only had him by the glove.” Oh, and a fairly large dance circle broke out during “Come To The City”, instigated by a guy in a top hat wearing a black shirt with neon letters that read, “I’m In Cancun, Bitches.” Won’t find that at a rock club. -Jeremy D. Larson

Beat Connection – Banana Shack – 4:40 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Sunday was the windiest day of all at Sasquatch!, so to hole up in the Banana Shack to catch Beat Connection’s electro-savvy surf rock was a major relief. Not only did it get everyone out of the wind, it invited them into an atmosphere of rock ‘n’ roll straight from the beach. They ran through most of their Surf Noir EP over their short set, hitting triumphant strides during “In The Water” and “Silver Screen”. -Winston Robbins

M. Ward – Sasquatch Stage – 5:25 p.m.

Among the list of names that could have potentially headlined the festival over Pretty Lights was M. Ward, a man who needs very little introduction. If you’re a rock enthusiast, the man shreds like there’s no tomorrow. If you’re an indie vet, he’s written some of the best indie folk of our generation, and to the layman, he’s the other half of Zooey Deschanel’s She & Him project. I feel like any one of those criteria would deem him an eligible suitor for headlining, but alas, he was mid-day on the mainstage. None of that mattered once he started plunging deep into his enormous back catalogue. His latest effort, A Wasteland Companion, was well represented, but he also played a surprising amount of 2009’s Hold Time. What’s more, “For Beginners” and his cover of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” were greeted with special warmth. He and his band (which included Bright Eyes mainstay Nate Walcott) played a tight, enjoyable set to finish off the afternoon at the Gorge. -Winston Robbins

Active Child – Yeti Stage – 5:40 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Admittedly, I was hesitant about how Active Child could pull off their affecting, unconventional sound live. Any doubts promptly dissolved upon witnessing Pat Grossi belt “You Are All I See” with a power only hinted at on the album of the same name. Instruments outnumbered people by at least a two-to-one ratio, but the trio switched back and forth to recapture the intricately layered nature of the album. The pacing picked up after Grossi switched from harp to synth for “Playing House”, with the crowd breaking out in one of the weekend’s unlikeliest sessions of clapping and dancing along. -Frank Mojica

Wild Flag – Bigfoot Stage – 6:20 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Right after Wild Flag’s set, I tweeted “Wild Flag > Jack White,” which elicited more responses than I’ve ever gotten, with people asking, “Are you sure about that?” I’d like to blame such an inflammatory statement on the comedown from Flag frenzy, but the truth is, the post-Sleater Kinney/Helium/Autoclave supergroup singlehandedly overturned my predilection for male-fronted rock. Their whole set simply annihilated, acting as the antithesis to White’s testost-rock: On “Racehorse”, Carrie Brownstein stretched open her red-lipsticked mouth and screamed, “You’d better RIIIIDE!” after commanding her rapt audience to “pony up” and “put your money where your sweet, sweet mouth is.” She and fellow guitarist and singer Mary Timony held their instruments aloft, letting the feedback buffet an audience slightly older and tamer than the festival’s general population but no less appreciative (“They fucking rocked it!”, “That was sick!”).

Despite the sanctity of Wild Flag’s performance, the foursome indulged in light moments like the falsetto harmonies on “Electric Band” and Brownstein’s infamous Portlandia humor (“We’re happy to be here in this Whitesnake video wind tunnel onstage”). During a cover of Patti Smith’s “Ask the Angels”, Brownstein took a moment to push against Timony’s forehead while the latter riffed, finally butting her away to finish the song. It was such a classically rock ‘n roll moment that reminded me of the age-old question: Are men necessary? Probably, but the ladies onstage certainly made me think twice about it. -Harley Brown

The Walkmen – Bigfoot Stage – 7:30 p.m. 

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Anyone who had the foresight to stick around at the Bigfoot Stage for the early evening also had the privilege to see the veteran musicians of Wild Flag and The Walkmen put on two of the weekend’s best sets back-to-back. While the former technically hasn’t been around for that long, The Walkmen have been playing together for a decade, and it shows. Hamilton Leithauser moves seamlessly from the Bing Crosby croon of brand new material like “We Can’t Be Beat” to throaty favorites like A Hundred Miles Off’s “All Hands and the Cook”, all the while busting the veins in his neck with his signature wail. Cuts off Heaven bounced with enthusiasm, but older songs sounded well-worn with years of experience and ceaseless touring. After such a professional performance, it was surprising to hear Leithauser say dryly, “We’re rarely invited in the first place, so it’s an honor to be invited back.” But when several shirtless young men crowd-surfed during “The Rat”, slamming the front row into the barricade, I think I understood where he was coming from. -Harley Brown

Apparat – Banana Shack – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

I’m going to come right out and say it: I have a very rudimentary knowledge of Apparat and its history. All I know is that someone handed me a copy of The Devil’s Walk earlier this year, and I was infatuated by Apparat’s collected combination of the sentimentality of Aqualung with the beat-centricity of Modeselektor. I don’t want to jump the gun and say anything prematurely, but there were some serious Radiohead vibes coming off the Berlin outfit’s stage. As they drifted in and out of songs it was easy to get lost in their melodic beats. “Sweet Unrest” even evoked chorus chanting from those fans who were relishing the opportunity to see the out-of-towners play Sasquatch. And like I said, I’m not overly familiar with the band’s complete works, but I know for certain they put on a hell of a show for a very big audience (many of whom were just lining up early to see Mr. James Murphy).  -Winston Robbins

Beirut – Sasquatch Stage -8:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Meanwhile, over at the Sasquatch! stage, every single couple at the festival was settling into what would be three hours of some of the most unabashedly romantic indie music today, starting with Beirut (which one friendly, older gentleman in a tie-dyed Pink Floyd t-shirt next to me called “tragically romantic”). I got to Beirut’s set just in time for “Postcards from Italy”, as Zach Condon’s ukulele washed over a field of blankets and ketchup-stained curly fry containers with the setting sun. And then the horns kicked in, mirroring the tenor and vibrato of Condon’s own warble, which should be patented or put in a glass case somewhere for future generations—I’m sure more than a few were conceived that night—to marvel at. I was pleased that synth-based songs, like “My Night with the Prostitute from Marseilles” and Gulag Orkestar’s version of “Scenic World”, which sound thin on record, were fleshed out with a live drum and Beirut’s copious instrumentation.

When I asked my musically-trained fellow correspondent why “Scenic World” was so good, he didn’t have an answer. Instead, he asked, “Why is Beirut so good?” Maybe like the Gorge, both have an inherent beauty that’s difficult to explain or scientifically reconcile. The bassist, who threw his hands up in ecstasy during “Rhineland (Heartland)”, seemed to think so, too. -Harley Brown

James Murphy – Banana Shack – 9:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

And then it was time to choose. Do you go with the uber-hip funky disco of James Murphy or the crowd-friendly fest of pristine folk that Bon Iver had to offer? It might be the most important decision you ever make. This decision could ostensibly define you as a person. Okay, maybe not. But there were enough bodies in the Banana Shack to consider that the ratio may have been much, much closer to 50/50 for Bon Iver/James Murphy than one might have guessed. And those in attendance to see Mr. Murphy were certainly not let down. He began his set with a humble question – “Can I play some records now?” – not aimed at the crowd, but at the sound guy.

Regardless, both gave him their adamant approval, and that’s how it was for the next two hours: Murphy in his headphones, going back and forth between his turntables and the table he had set up behind him, full of vinyl (a formidable collection, to be sure) and drinks. The man brought the party so nonchalantly, it was easy to forget he was the ringleader. What wasn’t easy to forget, though, was the constant flux of disco and rave he kept thudding for the next two hours. And perhaps the most endearing part of his set was that he didn’t play a single song that anyone was familiar with, and it was still a solid two-and-half-hours of non-stop dancing. After going half an hour longer than he was scheduled for, he announced that this was “the most fun festival show in a long, long time,” and I doubt anyone in attendance would argue. One of the strongest sets of the festival, through and through.-Winston Robbins

Bon Iver – Sasquatch Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Full disclosure: “Skinny Love” made me cry. Right after a guy wearing what appeared to be a faux-fur head wrap and a tie-dyed tank top asked me if I was “journaling” and asked me for a hug, this hardened journalist got a little verklempt. It’s hard not to when thousands of people shout, “Now all your love is wasted/Then who the hell was I?” at the top of their lungs. Like the other cuts off For Emma, Forever Ago, it received the Bon Iver backing band treatment, swelling with lush strings and horns that would have sounded out of place on Justin Vernon’s mostly acoustic debut. Fortunately, he didn’t take himself too seriously, pausing after “Perth” to say, “This is pretty fucking cool!” and admitting that “Towers” was about “sweet, sweet college” while “Holocene” was about drugs and alcohol.

Another disclosure: I did not enjoy Bon Iver’s set on Saturday night, Colin Stetson’s mind-bending circular breathing aside. The swaying burlap curtains hanging from the light fixtures, glowing tiki lights onstage, and “Towers”’ 10-minute jam session was all too much. I was probably the only one who felt that something was missing—except the people next to us who wondered if this was a dubstep show—but I had a hard time finding For Emma-era’s emotion behind songs like the almost unrecognizably orchestral “Blood Bank”. After a performance so far removed from Vernon’s original intent, I wasn’t surprised to hear he’s taking five years off from Bon Iver. -Harley Brown

Monday

Gary Clark Jr. – Sasquatch Stage – 2:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Before he even started his first song, the crowd down in the pit chanted “Gar-ry! Gar-ry! Gar-ry!” It’s an unusual reception for someone playing so early in the day, but Gary Clark Jr. is the latest guitar god. Under a scorching sun, Clark shredded some vicious guitar solos and scraped his guitar strings with wild abandon in a manner more intimidating than anything in the swamps of the Delta. The blues may have been around for decades, but Clark proves that there is still freshness and innovation to be drawn from that world. -Frank Mojica

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Sasquatch Stage – 3:15 p.m.

 I last saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Bonnaroo in 2006, fresh off the success of their self-titled debut. Even though the tent had been dark and hot as a jockstrap and the set was plagued with technical difficulties, the band’s wild-eyed enthusiasm made it worthwhile. Six years later, I approached another Clap Your Hands Say Yeah festival set, this time post-Hysteria, with some reservation. Even though the band members stayed static onstage, “Same Mistake” and “Hysteria” swept big and clean across the dancers—two of which held their right hands and clapped their left hands together, embodying the happy-go-lucky spirit of my first CYHSY show—in the front section, and old cuts like “Heavy Metal” still invigorated in a live setting. The telltale buzzing keys cuing “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth”, however, sounded old and tired, as though the band couldn’t muster the energy to play their most popular song anymore. It only reminded me that there will never be another Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. -Harley Brown

The Joy Formidable – Sasquatch Stage  - 4:20 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Thankfully the rocky landscape of the Gorge is a sturdy one, because The Joy Formidable fired a set of catchy pop backed by the kind of shoegaze noise that could cause an avalanche. The Welsh power trip performed like rock stars and were given a likewise response, especially for set high point “Whirring”. After a promise of a return and a completed album, the Welsh power trio ripped into “A Heavy Abacus” for a fast-paced, roaring close, which ended with drummer Matt Thomas pummeling solo for the finale. If anyone in The Joy Formidable deserved their own time in the spotlight, it was Thomas because his especially frantic style was one of the hardest-hitting of the entire weekend. -Frank Mojica

fun. – Bigfoot Stage – 4:40 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

After reading lackluster reviews of Some Nights, judging the album tracklist by its cover, and getting sick of the person who drives around my block blasting “We Are Young”, I didn’t have high hopes for fun.’s Monday afternoon set. I was the only one, apparently, since the band drew the second-largest crowd to the Bigfoot Stage after the Roots’ performance on Saturday night. And I have to admit, everyone else was right. Fun.’s set was, well, fun. Frontman Nate Ruess, who sported a “FUN.” basketball jersey with his name on the back, sounds uncannily like Freddie Mercury. His band also specializes in Queen’s bombastic, theatrical rock, minus the sense of humor. Their arena rock gets people singing along to ridiculous lyrics like “my friends are higher than the Empire State” (although that was probably because in this context, it was true). It’s true that Ruess’ stale soliloquy on “Some Nights”—“I sold my soul for this/Washed my hands of that for this/Miss my mom and dad for this?”—is kind of cringe-worthy, but who has time to think about that when you’re singing along? -Harley Brown

Feist – Sasquatch Stage – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

On the Sasquatch stage, Leslie Feist illustrated how she can grip a crowd while actively avoiding shortcuts, even going as far as to omit obvious old favorites such as the iPod commercial sensation “1 2 3 4″ and reinvent others. For opener “When I Was a Young Girl”, Feist took the stage backed by only a drummer as she gave the song a makeover with country-tinged guitars, while “Mushaboom” was stripped down to an almost unrecognizable form. For penultimate “Comfort Me”, Feist asked the crowd to channel Bon Jovi or their favorite ’80s band to wave their hands and sing along all the “na na na’s”. The result may have reminded her of New Kids on the Block, but for the crowd it was the latest in a nonstop series of engrossing moments. -Frank Mojica

The Cave Singers – Bigfoot Stage – 6:50 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Seattle-based folk outfit The Cave Singers both managed to follow fun.’s anthems and set the stage for Deer Tick, whose covers set was to take Mogwai’s place after them. Frontman Derek Fudesco even sounded like John J. Macaulay, spitting gravel into the mic while he shook duct-taped maracas. The group’s more angular cuts, like “Black Leaf” and “At the Cut” from several years ago, got a four-day-tired audience on their feet—literally, a guy was wrapped in a blanket at my feet, rising only to tell his friend, “I’ve never been so tired in my life” before going to lean against the barricade—more than their quieter, more acoustic ballads. All in all, though, it was a good mix. I was just disappointed they didn’t have time to play their 10-minute version of ZZ Top’s “Legs”, which they promised they would later play acoustically next to the frozen margaritas. -Harley Brown

Silversun Pickups – Sasquatch Stage – 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Sometimes a band’s meant to play a festival at a certain point, and the Silversun Pickups were destined to perform at the Sasquatch stage, amidst the sun’s last plunge into the Gorge on this Memorial Day weekend. As exhausted as the crowd was, the California rockers’ loud fuzz breathed some life into the wary spectators, and frontman Brian Aubert even offered some comedic respite. ”Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes,” he exclaimed, quoting Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, all before launching into classics like “Panic Switch” and Lazy Eye”. How could we not oblige? -Ted Maider

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists  - Yeti Stage – 7:50 p.m.

Like The Cave Singers, Ted Leo also realized he was fighting a battle against festival fatigue. “Thanks for sticking it out for all four days,” he said, peppering his high-wattage set with Paul Stanley quotes and regret that there wasn’t an Erin Esurance hologram onstage with him (“But in this light, it probably wouldn’t work anyway”). The knot of fans clustered against the oncoming cold yelled things like “More of the same! Similar to before!” after Leo ripped through fan favorites like “Me and Mia” and “The One Who Got Us Out”. His band rocked so hard that they broke a bass drum pedal on “arguably their wimpiest song,” “Bottled In Cork”. Even though the crowd was small and the night was getting cold, Ted Leo’s warm stage presence and brutally intimate performance gave off enough energy to last the rest of Sasquatch! 2012. -Harley Brown

Deer Tick – Bigfoot Stage – 8:00 p.m. 

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Mogwai’s performance was cancelled due to travel issues, and Spiritualized was promoted to their closing timeslot, while a second Deer Tick set was added to the schedule. “We’re not here to play any Deer Tick songs”, announced frontman John McCauley before tearing into a special covers set that included Chuck Berry’s “Maybelline” and The Replacements’  ”Waitress in the Sky”. High points were a raucous rendition of “La Bamba” and becoming Deervana for “On a Plain”. It may not have been the post-rock giants, but Deer Tick’s cover set was still a special treat that made the most of the moment. -Frank Mojica

Tenacious D – Sasquatch Stage – 8:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Those who remained Monday evening quite possibly stuck around just for Tenacious D. Not only did they attract one of the largest crowds of the weekend, but also the liveliest. When JB and KG arrived on stage in comedic white fur coats, everyone surged (like an At the Drive-In reunion sort of surge), and things got tough. “We want to shut this motherfucker down,” Jack Black screamed, backing this statement up with on-target renditions of “Tribute”, “Kickapoo”, “Senorita”, and plenty more. The set’s true highlight, however, was when the festival’s mascot arrived for Pick of Destiny gem “Sasquatch” to shred some mean guitar solos in the name of rock. Only at the Gorge– and only with Tenacious D– could such a memorable performance take place. -Ted Maider

Spiritualized – Bigfoot Stage – 9:30 p.m.

 Photo by Colin Athens

Due to Mogwai’s late cancellation, Spiritualized was moved back an hour and a half, forcing everyone to wait longer, but giving them the last slot on the Bigfoot stage, with plenty of time to go over – which they did. After opening with a blistering rendition of “Hey Jane”, Jason Pierce and his band ran through a very sizable portion of their latest LP, Sweet Light, Sweet Heart. The party didn’t really begin, though, until they dropped “Ladies And Gentlemen, We’re Floating In Space” in tandem with the quiet ballad from the same album, “Stay With Me”. At 11:00 p.m., half an hour after they were supposed to be finished, they began a rousing live version of “Come Together” that had the dismally small crowd rocking back and forth in unison. That would be their last song of the night, but it was as triumphant a note to end with as the one they rode in on. In all seriousness, there should have been a lot more people at The Bigfoot stage to see the legendary UK outfit (to be fair, he was competing against Beck’s headlining set), but Pierce was unphased by the small turnout, and he rocked just like everyone knew he would. -Winston Robbins

Beck  - Sasquatch Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Before the final set of the weekend, the main stage screens ceased the cycling of advertisement slides for corporate sponsors and upcoming concerts to show footage of a raccoon climbing the rafters. The surreal moment was the perfect segue for a performance by a weirdster chameleon such as Beck. Earlier in the week in Los Angeles, Beck reunited with his Sea Change band for the first time since it was recorded, and at the Gorge they took advantage of this special assembly to perform album standouts “Lost Cause” and “Sunday Sun”. As stirring as the renditions of these heartbreak odes were, it was the more upbeat hits like “Devil’s Haircut”, “E-Pro”, and “Loser” that predictably drew the biggest response, even if the man himself seemed somewhat disinterested.

Near the end, Beck and company were joined by Tenacious D for a rare performance of “Mutherfuker”, giving this year’s Sasquatch! its final “can you believe that happened?” moment. Beck may have been an odd choice for a headliner, namely for the lack of any new material, but he showed how fun it can be to just hear the crowd-pleasing hits combined with oddities for the more seasoned fans. -Frank Mojica

Gallery

Photographer(s): Jeremy D. Larson, Ted Maider

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“I too lived — Brooklyn, of ample hills, was mine.” – Walt Whitman, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”

By this point, it’s an old story that Manhattan has lost much of its cultural capital to its neighbor across the East River. Nowadays, if you want cutting edge art, if you want to find clusters of musicians meeting at bars and coffee shops to talk shop, if you want to find the venues and neighborhoods that foster a multi-colored collaboration between the arts and across genres, cultures, ethnicities, and classes, you go to Brooklyn. Thirty years ago, you could say the same thing about downtown Manhattan. Below 14th St., Manhattan artists were experimenting with mixed media, provocatively crossing genres, and going for shock value. That spirit, transferred to the borough that has dominated New York City’s arts scene in the 21st century, was the guiding force behind the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival.

Curated by Bryce and Aaron Dessner (the twin guitarists from The National), the long time Brooklyn residents brought together their friends, collaborators, label mates, and just people who they liked playing with (as seen in this handy New York Times infographic) for three nights of genre-bending classical and rock music. The two brothers have long had their feet wet in both genre worlds, curating a similar crossover festival in Cincinnati, the MusicNOW Festival. But Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is distinctly New York-centric, with the city’s indie stars freely roaming through the festival checking it all out (at any given moment, you might be standing next to one of the Dessners, David Byrne, or Sufjan Stevens). Mixing classical and indie rock might seem like the cutting edge of cultural collaboration these days, but as composer Judd Greenstein revealed, “it’s starting to feel like less and less ‘a thing’ and more just the way things go.”

The mixture made for a somewhat weird approach – is this a classical concert? is it a rock show? – and more than once I had to control the urge to get up and dance. But as the weekend wore on, as the drinks flowed, and as the audiences loosened up, it became clear that you could happily groove in your seat for a chamber music set, and then flail away for some decibel-pushing indie rock.

-Jake Cohen
Senior Staff Writer

Thursday, May 3rd

JACK Quartet

Two-for-one happy hour beers are always an incentive to get to the show early, but the JACK Quartet intoxicates you with their virtuosity and cohesion. With the cavernous and cool BAM Café transformed into a chamber music salon, JACK crushed a program of sometimes daring but always engaging string quartet music. Missy Mazzoli’s Death Valley Junction began with dissonant sliding tones, undulating almost like the transcendent music of Giacinto Scelsi, before expanding into driving rhythmic ostinatos and ending with cellist Kevin McFarland’s gravitas-filled melody. Alex Mincek’s third string quartet, subtitled “lift-tilt-filter-split”, was a noisy exploration of string scratching, bow sweeping, and other non-melodic extended techniques. JACK played through the cacophonous music with purpose and calculation, finally obviating the tension with the sweeter harmonies of David Crowell’s The Open Road, featuring a refrain of syncopated violin, and epic Reichian ostinatos churning like a two-chord jam. Expert microphoning and a killer P.A. engulfed the room with sound, while JACK communicated the music as though they were a single mind. -Jake Cohen

yMusic

A lot has been said about the so-called indie classical genre in the last year, but like the term or not, yMusic might be its unofficial poster child. This is the right way to bridge pop and classical: play a set of chamber music composed by indie rockers like Son Lux (aka Ryan Lott) and Annie Clark, thrown in composers like Judd Greenstein and William Brittelle who write classical music with a pop/rock aesthetic, and do it all with a ferocity frequently found on a dive bar stage rather than a concert hall. Annie Clark’s Proven Badlands climaxed with a charged cantabile melody using a unique combination of piccolo and trumpet, while Son Lux’s Beautiful Mechanicals, the lead track off yMusic’s album of the same name, was the set’s highlight, building up an intense minimalist texture, breaking it down, and then peaking again. -Jake Cohen

Jherek Bischoff

Bischoff’s set might have been the wildcard MVP of Thursday night. With the impressive Gilman Opera House only about a third full, the Seattleite played through a set of his highly original orchestral pop songs, gradually building in intensity throughout, culminating with a four-on-the-floor cover of a Konono No. 1 tune. The lanky Bischoff bounced between ukelele, drum, and bass guitar, playing the latter with forceful, percussive octaves under sweeping chords from members of yMusic. An early set highlight was Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame), who, bedecked in an ostentatious evening gown, lent her smoky alto and spotlight-stealing stage presence to a particularly theatrical rendition of Bischoff’s “Counting”. Rumors of a “very special guest” led many to correctly guess an appearance by Talking Head David Byrne, who sings Bischoff’s “Eyes” on the forthcoming album Composed. Byrne was playful, frequently breaking into a little two-step dance on the sentimental tune. -Jake Cohen

Callers

While the seated crowd in the opera house remained somewhat reserved, there was more of a party atmosphere in the upstairs BAM Café. With the chairs cleared away and the audience standing (and drinking), it felt like more of a rock concert, which didn’t entirely match the set from Callers. Singer Sara Lucas sang dusty vocals over jazzy drums and atmospheric art-rock electric guitar. Guitarist Ryan Seaton’s tone is somewhere between hazy surf rock and twangy country, but early on the band avoided their faster, upbeat tracks, offering instead heady songs that lounged with lazy drum beats. Eventually Callers managed to break out, as Seaton’s guitar galloped over a disco-flavored, four-on-the-floor beat. -Jake Cohen

Twin Shadow

Having just announced his much-anticipated sophomore album, Confess, not two days prior, George Lewis Jr.’s (aka Twin Shadow) set on Thursday night was a coming out party of sorts. While most of the press surrounding Lewis Jr. and his stellar 2010 debut focused on his knack for crafting danceable bedroom grooves, there was nothing “bedroom” about the way Twin Shadow were able to send their streamlined indie-disco soaring through all three stories of BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House. In a live setting, Lewis Jr.’s sensual croon was stripped of much of its lo-fi haziness. But it was pleasantly surprising to hear that he actually has a fantastic voice. Assisted by Blackfire Percussion of the Brooklyn Music and Arts Program, new songs like “Five Seconds” as well as older favorites like “When We’re Dancing” shimmered with a Studio 54–worthy chic.  -Bryant Kitching

Sharon Van Etten

Midway through her stellar set, indie chanteuse Sharon van Etten awkwardly asked the seated Opera House crowd: “You guys doing OK? I’m getting a mixed vibe.” Van Etten’s ballads oozed a folksy, singer/songwriter vibe, which jived with the quiet and receptive audience. However, her set was also full of distorted barre chords, heavy strumming, and full-on rock drums that begged for standing and dancing. With her tight black jeans, striped t-shirt, and dark hair covering her eyes, Van Etten evoked a downtown punk feel, and more often than not, her music went that way too. Although she seemed flummoxed by her surroundings during between-song banter, Van Etten was confident in her music. The slow organ intro of opener “All I Can” built into a fist-pumping rock song, and festival curator Aaron Dessner lent his guitar handiwork to the herky-jerky rhythms of “Magic Chords”, accompanied by Van Etten’s sultry vocals with just a touch of raspiness. -Jake Cohen

The Walkmen

Lately it seems like all the press surrounding The Walkmen’s upcoming album, Heaven, makes a point of highlighting their transition into rock band middle age. Sure, getting old sucks, but if their hour-long headlining set on Thursday night was any indication, don’t expect Hamilton Leithauser & co. to start buying shiny red Corvettes or sporting ponytails anytime soon. Album opener “We Can’t Be Beat” saw the band show off some three-part harmonies à la Fleet Foxes, only to glide seamlessly into a handful of newer tracks like “Heaven”, “Heartbreaker”, and “Southern Heart”. The most impressive moment came during what will likely prove to be Heaven’s centerpiece, “Line By Line”. Paul Maroon’s subtle guitar work gently pulsated back and forth with the calming effect of ocean waves on a cool summer night. Backed only by Leithauser’s road weary croon, the result was something that might just be the most beautiful piece of music the band has ever written.

In other places, Leithauser’s elastic vocals were stretched to their seemingly unending limits, always managing to fall on the right side of the fence between screaming and singing. It was wild how, while their sound has taken leaps and bounds in the last 10 years, Leithauser’s voice sounded like it hadn’t aged a day. For their encore, they pulled out the often requested but seldom performed classic off 2002’s Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, “We’ve Been Had”. Introduced as “the first song we ever wrote” (great, now I feel old), it was the cherry on top of an already solid set. Watching, it was hard not to ask yourself: How many other bands out there could get away with a whole set consisting of only one song from their earlier (and more celebrated) LPs? The Walkmen have settled into quite the groove with their stark yet serene new brand of post-punk, but it helps me sleep a little easier knowing that they still can kick ass and take names when the opportunity beckons. -Bryant Kitching

Photography by Stephanie Berger.

Friday, May 4th

Victoire

Missy Mazzoli was one of the more ubiquitous figures of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. Sharon Van Etten sang one of her songs, JACK Quartet played one of her pieces, and she presented an entire set with her all-female chamber group, Victoire, consisting of violin, clarinet, keyboards, vocals, and a double bass. Mazzoli sticks to a somewhat consistent form: Begin with slowly unfolding repetitive melodies, add in an underlying rhythmic drive from strings and keys, then build to an expressive full-group peak. While her rhythms vary, her harmonic language is somewhat limited, utlitizing a kind of pan-consonance that works with her minimalist textures but remains somewhat formulaic. The best moment in her set, the penultimate piece, broke that mold by climaxing in strident dissonant chords, releasing the tension with cool consonance. -Jake Cohen

So Percussion

Eight tuned bongos in a straight line meant one thing: Part One of Steve Reich’s Drumming, his epic 1971 percussion opus. The iconic piece has become something of a signature work for So Percussion, partially because they are just so damn good at playing it. The hypnotic phasing technique — where one drummer slowly speeds up the rhythm so that it sounds “out of phase” until suddenly creating a new composite rhythm — is all over Drumming, and So Percussion effortlessly handled the complexities of the piece. Oscar Bettison’s Apart for chromatic tuning forks was an interesting but tedious interlude following the opening onslaught of rhythm, but the closing piece, Glenn Kotche’s Drumkit Quartets, blasted the seated audience away like those old Maxell tape ads. Four unison drum kits assaulted the crowd with a metal-esque beat full of irregular meters and accents, while the middle movements from the Wilco drummer and composer explored random arrays of metallic noise, bells, and sirens. -Jake Cohen

Tyondai Braxton

Sitting cross-legged on a raised pedastal amidst an army of pedals, controllers, and a MacBook, the former Battles guitarist crafted a noisy 45-minute set of intricate rhythmic patterns and driving electronic beats that were slow to unfold and change. Braxton utilized his typical practice of creating expansive loops, but a rather uniform synthesized sound remained somewhat flat, while the loops themselves weren’t dynamic enough for my tastes. Still, Braxton wins big for trying out one of the more electronic compositions of the weekend, and there were occasional moments in his improvised soundscapes where everything clicked (literally and figuratively). -Jake Cohen

Sinkane

Taking a break from Tyondai Braxton, I wandered into the BAM Café to hear a smooth, supremely danceable sound, with interweaving guitar parts and a compositional style that reminded me of my favorite segments from Pink Floyd’s Meddle. Combining ’70s rock grooves with Afrobeat, funk, and soul, Sinkane (aka Ahmed Gallab) was the pleasant surprise of the weekend. The Sudanese singer and guitarist played a blowout set, combining psychedelic rock songs with a clean Afrobeat guitar tone and driving indie-disco beats. Sinkane was the first of several bands to kick out the jams, so to speak, in the BAM Café, moving the festival slowly from introspective art compositions towards full-on dancefest. -Jake Cohen

The Antlers

I like to imagine The Antlers had a pre-show huddle where they decided to use this homecoming show as an opportunity to be more aggressive on stage. The band used their arguably short timeslot to prove that after about a year, the tunes from Burst Apart have achieved their ultimate arrangements. Much like the live versions of songs from Hospice, the set of almost entirely Burst Apart tunes took on the form of extended, post-rock shells. The Antlers decided to present a heavier style that bore awesome results: Darby Cicci went bonkers turning knobs, vocoding his voice, and stomping bass pedals for “Parantheses”, becoming a little like an organ-grinding Jonny Greenwood. Peter Silberman strayed from his typical playing style of simply brushing over strings for some atmosphere in favor of strumming that was more like punching his strings. -Michael Zonenashvili

Buke and Gase

There’s nothing to prepare you for just how much sound Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez are able to produce from two quirky homemade instruments. These noise-rock darlings from Brooklyn craft intricate songs with a bevy of foot percussion and heavy electronic processing on their instruments, yet their music always retains a touch of the raw acoustic sound, untouched by effects. Dyer’s voice, captivating and elusive, was doubled or tripled with digital effects, matching her engrossing stage presence with a sound that belies her petite size. Their set consisted of all new songs, grounded in simple pop/folk forms but full of complex rhythms and angular melodies that never feel too progressive or out there. -Jake Cohen

St. Vincent

Hands down Annie Clark stole the show Friday night. No performer had a spunkier or more dominating stage presence, oozing sexiness but with a healthy dose of the oddball in her frequent tiny backwards steps. And at a festival overflowing with heady music made for sitting and thinking, St. Vincent was clearly for dancing and kicking ass. That’s not to say that their instrumental prowess or Clark’s considerable compositional talents weren’t on display, either. Her set, mostly drawn from her standout 2011 LP Strange Mercy, featured plenty of metrical tricks, as on the contorted chorus of “Chloe in the Afternoon”, as well as noisy assemblages of synthesizer during the verses of “Cheerleader”.

More than anything, St. Vincent played with a drive, intensity, and a full-on punk attitude that you don’t necessarily get from listening to their album. I had heard rumors that they put on a totally kickass live show, but that doesn’t even begin to describe the level they took things Friday night. Clark is more than a talented singer and composer, she’s also a virtuoso guitarist, jumping from arena rock strumming to careful leads and solos, all while bathed in a fuzzy distortion. Not content to just run through their songs, Clark climbed into the standing crowd in the orchestra pit and crowd surfed for “Krokodil”, their Record Store Day headbanger single that is more 1970s punk than 2010s indie. -Jake Cohen

DJ Sets (Chris Keating of Yeasayer and DJ Joakim)

Annie Clark finally got butts moving, and while much of the festival attendees were content to go home afterwards, a core crew of a few hundred partiers were compelled to keep it going in the BAM Café, which had transformed fully from chamber music salon to rock venue to dance club. Yeasayer’s Chris Keating spun ’80s and ’90s dance hits mixed in with trance and house beats, often finding completely novel combinations of tracks like his mashup of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam”, creatively reinterpreting the rhythmic orientation of Beyonce’s vocal tag line. With the passing of Adam Yauch earlier that day, a number of Beastie Boys tributes were met with raucous crowd approval, including a remix of “Intergalactic” and an untouched version of “Sure Shot”. Perhaps the best part, though, was witnessing the massive hipster dance party that was lurking underneath the reserved façade seen during earlier acts. Clearly there was a faction of the audience who needed to let loose, and despite getting yelled at to “sit down and stop dancing” during St. Vincent, I more than made up for it late night. -Jake Cohen

Photography by Rebecca Greenfield.

Saturday, May 5th

Caveman

Caveman exudes a “Hell yeah, we’re from Brooklyn” attitude in every way, and their enthusiasm for playing BAM was endearing. While that enthusiasm may have leaked into their set to make their harmonies richer, and make their woozy folk-rock a little woozier, something bugged me. I’m not sure which (probably) indie-rock group started the trend of the obligatory floor-tom, but it has evolved from an exciting set-improving tool to an instrument that simply takes up space. Caveman had a member who existed for the sole purpose of occasionally bopping said floor tom, and sometimes jazzing things up by hitting the rim. While their set was a nice start to the music in the “big room”, it might have been a little better sans the indie self-indulgence that is the singular floor-tom player. -Michael Zonenashvili

My Brightest Diamond + yMusic

yMusic must practice a hell of a lot, making their umpteenth appearance of the weekend, this time to make My Brightest Diamond’s live show a bit more dramatic opera and bit less rock-opera. Their classical chamber-pop combined with Shara Worden’s operatic croon to realize the theatrical potential of the venue, putting the “opera” back into Gilman Opera House. My Brightest Diamond utilized the collaboration to the fullest, drawing from yMusic’s ability to take classical technicality and give it a pop tinge. With a set leaning heavily on 2011’s All Things Will Unwind, Worden combined borderline interpretive dance, costuming, and stage props, including an instance of adorably exclaiming “I forgot my snow!” before showering the audience in confetti. -Michael Zonenashvili

Atlas Sound

Not unfamiliar with ramblings and musings that are as much performance art as his own psychedelic folk, Bradford Cox seemed humbled and reserved for most of his intimate Atlas Sound set. He constantly voiced how much of an honor it was to be playing at BAM, and even with a relatively short slot by his standards, Cox unmasked both his fractured demons and angels on stage alone and bare. Using solely his guitar and arsenal of pedals, pieces from last year’s Parallax such as “Te Amo” and “Modern Aquatic Nightsongs” became both naked compositions and noisy behemoths, providing a near-religious experience for his captivated audience; clearly, the man is revered in Brooklyn, and for good reason. -David DiLillo

Beirut

While any jaded Brooklynite may think a run-in with Zachary Condon is an unremarkable experience, the people brushing up against me throughout the show definitely thought otherwise. I overheard people of various accents from French to Middle Eastern exclaiming how they were so unbelievably excited to see Beirut. Whether it was their first or fifteenth time seeing the band, fans were treated to a confident blend of songs that not only drew from the bands various records but from various cultures. When Condon said “Happy Cinco De Mayo” right before “The Shrew”, it may have been a joke, but the hip-moving upright bassline and dual trumpet assault of the song’s crescendo was more evocative of Mexico than any Corona-sponsored holiday.

Not even the biggest proto-hipster could ever verify Beirut’s authenticity by saying “Yeah, I’m a huge fan of Balkan Folk.” I grew up listening to Georgian folk music in my parents’ car on long drives, and when Beirut played “Cocek”, a live-only instrumental, I was brought back to those car rides. The band is not just an experiment in different ethnic sounds combined with pop-sensibilities, but an authentic amalgam of these sounds and influences into a live show.

While normally touring with a couple of horn players, Condon brought out a full-on brass army for their return home. At any point there were at least two trumpets (fine, one’s a flugelhorn), two trombones, and either french horn or tuba to make every “brass drop” a turning point in the tune. Whether during the climax of “Santa Fe” or the hook of “Nantes” the brass sections took center-stage. Although some live shows have a tacked on horn section that just seems like a nice addition, Beirut’s horn playing is essential to their sound, and at BAM it was as powerful as ever. When a band comes on stage and empties their spit valves before the first song even starts, and enough saliva comes out of the trumpet to fill a water bottle, you know they’ve been working those instruments to perfection. -Michael Zonenashvili

Phi Slamma Jamma AKA Will Butler, Jeremy Gara, Tim Kingsbury, and Richard Reed Parry

While my legs weren’t last-day-of-Bonnaroo tired, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry’s three days had done a bit of a number on me. I was ready to leave after Beirut, but then The National tweeted that there was to be a secret performance at the small BAM Café stage at one AM. I thought “Secret National show? I have to be there!” and headed up to dance to Pat Mahoney and Nancy Whang’s DJ set for an hour (worth it, trust me) before a band advertised as “Phi Slamma Jamma” took the stage. While they might not have been The National, the set was definitely just as good. Will Butler, Jeremy Gara, Tim Kingsbury, and Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire fame took the stage under the fake moniker, and began a set of pretty impressive covers. From REM’s “Wolves” to the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Wheels” the four piece were the most famous wedding band the crowd would ever see. With Sufjan Stevens and Local Natives dancing behind me, I was actually hooked by their covers more than the fact that most of Arcade Fire had inexplicably shown up for a “secret” set upstairs. They even brought up the Dessner twins for the Everly Brothers’ “Bird Dog”. Most importantly, they played Devo’s “Uncontrollable Urge”. Why’s that most important? Because it was (most of) Arcade Fire playing Devo’s “Uncontrollable Urge”. -Michael Zonenashvili

Photography by Mike Benigno

Gallery

Photographers: Mike Benigno, Stephanie Berger, Rebecca Greenfield

[nggallery id=357]

Zach Condon and his merry band Beirut shuffled back into the limelight last night with a performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno! playing their stellar track “Santa Fe” off last year’s The Rip Tide. Incidentally, it’s been six months to the day since Beirut took to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to perform the same song, if you want to compare and contrast.

This spring, The National’s Bryce and Aaron Dessner will curate a three-day music festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Running May 3-5th, each night of the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival will feature a “different roster of innovative New York City bands and artists from a cross section of genres—plus screenings of commissioned short films and accompanying scores and a late-night dance party,” according to BAM’s website.

Among the notable acts playing are St. Vincent, Beirut, The Walkmen, Atlas Sound, Sharon Van Etten, The Antlers, Twin Shadow, My Brightest Diamond, Oneothrix Point Never, Caveman, Buke and Gase, Ava Luna, and Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang.

Three-day passes go on sale March 6th via the festival’s website.

Brooklyn upstarts Caveman have expanded their upcoming U.S. tour. Kicking off in Chapel Hill, NC on March 6th, the trek now runs through early May. Along the way, they’ll appear at South by Southwest and Orlando’s Orange You Glad Music Festival, where they’ll be headlining our own sponsored stage. Check out the full tour schedule below.

The band’s debut LP, Coco Beware, is being re-released on March 27th via their new label Fat Possum. Just after the tour docket is a live performance of “Vampirer/Old Friend” shot last year in Los Angeles.

Caveman 2012 Tour Dates:
03/06 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
03/07 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater Rooftop
03/08 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Festival
03/09 – Atlanta, GA @ 529
03/10 – Orlando, FL @ Orange You Glad Festival
03/11 – Tampa, FL @ New World Brewery
03/13-17 – Austin, TX @ South by Southwest
03/20 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
03/21 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
03/22 – Hamilton, ON @ This Ain’t Hollywood
03/23 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
03/23 – Toronto, ON @ El Mocombo
03/24 – Buffalo, NY @ 9th Ward
03/29 – Syracuse, NY @ Syracuse University
03/30 – Bethlehem, PA @ Nowadays Festival
04/09 – Washington, D.C. @ Red Palace
04/10 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
04/11 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
04/12 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
04/13 – Madison, WI @ UW Madison
04/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
04/16 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
04/17 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
04/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
04/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore
04/21 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza (Neumos)
04/22 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
04/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
04/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echo
04/27 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
04/28 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
05/01 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
05/02 – Columbia, MO @ Mojos
05/03 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
05/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy
05/05 – Brooklyn, NY @ Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

Beirut depicts a World War 2-era big band dance in the new video for “Vagabond” from last year’s The Rip Tide. With direction by Sunset Television, the clip maintains the aesthetics of the time with a low-budget feel and retro costuming. Then again, it was shot in Brooklyn, so they probably didn’t have to try too hard in the costume department. Watch it below.

Primavera Sound returns to Barcelona, Spain from May 30th to June 3rd. Acts like The Cure, Björk, Jeff Mangum, Wilco, Justice, Death Cab For Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, Spiritualized, The Afghan Whigs, The xx, Mazzy Star, Yo La Tengo, Beach House, ASAP Rocky, araabMUZIK, and Neon Indian have already been announced.

Today, the festival revealed the rest of its 2012 bill and new highlights include Refused, Rufus Wainwright, Beirut, Chavez, The Pop Group, Atlas Sound, Laura Marling, Sharon Van Etten, The Rapture, Wavves, Danny Brown, Black Lips, Lee Ranaldo, Hype Williams, Kings of Convenience, Archers of Loaf, Dirty Three, The Wedding Present (performing Seamonsters) Girls, Real Estate, The War on Drugs, Saint Etienne, Richard Hawley, Iceage, Japandroids, Thee Oh Sees, Death Grips, Trash Talk, Bleached, Friends, Dirty Beaches, Lower Dens, The Field, Field Music, and Obits. In addition, Big Star’s Jody Stephens, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and others will come together for a special performance of Big Star’s Third. Check out our Festival Outlook to see the complete lineup.

Festival tickets are now on sale for 180 € (+ booking fee), however, the price will increase to 190 € beginning February 4th. Visit the festival’s website for complete ticketing information.

As previously reported, the organizers of Primavera Sound are also launching a sister festival in Porto, Portugal called Optimus Primavera Sound. Acts include Björk, Jeff Mangum, Death Cab For Cutie, Spiritualized, Explosions in the Sky, The Afghan Whigs, The xx, The Walkmen, and more. Check out our Festival Outlook for additional info.

Other notables include St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Justice, Mazzy Star, M83, Explosions in the Sky, Childish Gambino, Flying Lotus, Destroyer, Cat Power, Madness, SBTRKT, Beirut, Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, fIREHOSE, Miike Snow, The Rapture, M. Ward, Jimmy Cliff with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, The Horrors, Buzzcocks, James, EMA, Girls, tUnE-yArDs, and more.

The lineup also packs Wild Flag, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Neon Indian, Santigold, Modeselektor, The Big Pink, Wu Lyf, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Head and the Heart, Laura Marling, Company Flow, AraabMUZIK, Kaskade, Le Butcherettes, Real Estate, Wild Beasts, La Roux, Thundercat, Azealia Banks, Kasabian, Goyte, Manchester Orchestra, Black Lips, Atari Teenage Riot, and more. Check out the full lineup below or at our Festival Outlook.

Update: Tickets go on sale Friday, January 13th at 10:00 AM PT. According to Pop & Hiss, three-day passes are $285, three-day with shuttle are $335, and VIP are $665.

I promised the staff I would not go all Masterpiece Theater with this intro, so I’ll be brief. Our Annual Report has reached its halfway point with our Top 50 Songs of the Year. The many flags of our staff are hoisted high — and we couldn’t be happier with what we’re saluting. From Cults’ very first song to Tom Waits’ thousandth song, we put up the tracks that left us with more thoughts, feelings, and impressions than any other. We think we done good.

But just to make sure the world still spins on its axis, let us know what you think we missed from our list and what you liked in the comments. We thrive on that stuff.

Additionally, we’ve got the de rigueur Top 50 Songs of the Year Spotify playlist for you, a quick link to purchase the song on Amazon, and an easy ctrl-c +ctrl-v list for you at the very end immediately following our #1 song of the year.

As always, our profuse thanks for reading, enjoy these tunes, and we’ll see you again next week for the second half of our 2011 Annual Report.

-Jeremy D. Larson
Content Director

50. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”

At age 24, Ellie Goulding’s folktronica turned heads across the world, especially with “Lights”. Remixed from here to high heaven by killer producers, sampled by Lupe Fiasco for his latest mixtape, and dropped by DJs looking to get well-dressed girls on the dance floors from the Bay Area to Eastern Europe, its appeal lies in its honest vocals, minimalistic beats, and stark, raving energy. It’s Goulding’s first charting single in the U.S. and Canada, and judging from the widespread allure (and the thousands who camped near her stage at festivals nationwide), it likely won’t be her last. -Paul de Revere

49. Cults – “Go Outside”

Going from relative obscurity to indie stardom isn’t anything new, but the way Madelline Follin and Brian Oblivion of Cults did it with such New York coolness and style still seemed incredibly refreshing. By the time the mainstream caught wind of Follin’s adorably unique, helium-filled balloon voice, “Go Outside” was already a bona fide song of the summer contender. Its lyrics are like a mantra for anyone in a going-nowhere relationship, delivered in an irresistibly sweet, poppy tone. And how can you not dig that crazy glockenspiel solo? -Gilles LeBlanc

48. Big K.R.I.T. – “Country Shit” (Remix)

The original version of “Country Shit” showed up on last year’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, but this remix, featuring all-new bars from Ludacris and Bun B, goes harder in every way. Over a chopped and looped vocal sample and thunderous bass, K.R.I.T. delivers an unusually aggressive verse for “the folk in Texas that’s forever wreckin’ with the Styrofoam cup and the purple fluid.” This is a rave-up, no doubt, and it just might be the greatest Dixie rap get-together this side of “Int’l Players Anthem”. -Mike Madden

47. Mikal Cronin – “Apathy”

So much good came out of the fertile ground of the San Francisco psych/garage scene this year, and Mikal Cronin’s debut LP may be best in show simply because he’s got the hooks. “Apathy” digs in with stopgap verses and a vintage 60’s underground sound. Cronin is wrestling with that all-too-real twentysomething identity crisis; he’s a man who’s sure he doesn’t want apathy or empathy. Or everything. Or anything. His generation struggles with defining themselves, and finding a fine line between slacker and sincere is difficult. This loud and splashy confession pretty much nails that frustration. -Jeremy D. Larson

46. Cold Cave – “The Great Pan Is Dead”

The primal themes and screams of Wesley Eisold on “The Great Pan Is Dead” could have been penned by the Vikings or the Huns or some dodgy Germanic tribe. It’s ostentatious like an arena song with more than enough of Eisold’s hardcore/noise/new wave bent to make it sound like it could have been out on Wax Trax! Records. “Yeah/I will come running/gunning through the years/hunting heart/crushing fears,” except Eisold makes it seem like he’s going to do this while completely on fire. All the while, at its core, it’s just a romantic ode to someone who warrants truly epic imagery — imagery that would fall flat without the high-stakes propulsion of the music below it. If love songs are played in Valhalla, this may be the only thing allowed. -Jeremy D. Larson

45. Das Racist – “Michael Jackson”

“I’m fucking great at rapping!” With those five words, Himanshu “Heems” Suri embraces the new identity that he, Victor “Kool A.D.” Vazquez, and Ashok “Dap” Kondabolu have forged as Das Racist. Where elsewhere they’ll make you wonder whether this whole rap thing is just a lark, here D.R. take the simple to the nth degree. Whether it’s that ultimately basic brag, the “Michael Jackson/a million dollars/you hear me?/holler” chorus, or A.D.’s lithe “You go girl, it’s your world”, this song embraces the brilliance of simplicity. The beat kills, and references to Richie Valens, “Parenthood”, and McGuyver all smashed together somehow just makes sense. -Adam Kivel

44. The Horrors – “Still Life”

To be one of the 50 best songs of the year, at least one element of your introduction has to grab attention. With “Still Life”, The Horrors gave us three options. There’s the wobbly tape loop that gradually fades in, the body-vibrating drumbeat, and the bell curve synth melody. All that before we even get to the vocals! Faris Badwan sounds cautious, almost fragile, in the speak-sing verses. Once the chorus kicks in and the melody lights up, though, he richly belts out line after line, guaranteeing a sing-along from even the most casual fan. -Joe Marvilli

43. Bill Callahan – “Riding for the Feeling”

Bill Callahan is one of America’s most low-profile existentialists. “Riding for the Feeling” is a great example of why. Callahan’s smooth baritone lightly jogs along his own acoustic strumming, impressionistic organ, reverb-soaked electric guitars, and salt-and-pepper drums to craft a statement of beautiful futility. Mr. Callahan is capital letters THE TRUTH, and he spits a lot of it: “With intensity, a drop evaporates by law/In conclusion, leaving is easy when you’ve got some place to be.” How ’bout that for some cold, hard facts? But as the song progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that the place Callahan has to be doesn’t really exist–that he’s just riding somewhere else, merely riding for the feeling. And so are we. -Drew Litowitz

42. Dum Dum Girls – “Coming Down”

A single of anguish, “Coming Down” is the side of Dum Dum Girls no one has ever seen. During the six-minute ballad, the ladies leave the mystery of their personas to find bliss in the wake of something awful, the death of front woman Dee Dee Penny’s mother. The same fuzz can still be found, but this time there’s more emotion and urgency. Penny wanted fans to feel something, and it’s hard not to at 3:31 with Penny’s declarations of departure. Lo-fi becomes a thing of careful beauty on “Coming Down”. -Lauren Rearick

41. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers”

Though it’s called Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li’s second LP could have easily been titled Wounded Rhythms. For proof, take a listen to “I Follow Rivers”. The melody drunkenly sways alongside her vocals, ranging from subdued verses to triumphant choruses. Clanging, hollow beats don’t just stick to the tempo, but occasionally flair and boost the background up. The woozy synth line remains laid-back but isn’t sloppy. Instead, it loosely drives the song forward without becoming the focal point. That’s saved for Lykke Li’s playful performance. On an album with as many heavy songs as this one has, that’s certainly a breath of fresh air. -Joe Marvilli

40. Wilco – “One Sunday Morning”

Jeff Tweedy warns us that this majestic 12-minute closer to The Whole Love is long in the very first line, but it’s a caution that proves to be moot. Despite the length and refusing to change its basic rhythm or structure, the song never tires, keeping the listener’s attention by sneaking in layer upon layer of instrumentation at strategic moments, then pulling it away. The whispering patter of Mikael Jorgensen’s piano may not drive the melody but blossoms and wilts at the mention of key words like “bells” and “the Bible.” Lyrically, it’s in the same vein as Sky Blue Sky closer “On and On”, a meditation on the relationship between Jeff Tweedy and a past acquaintance that only they understand. But its autumnal feel and confessional tone mean something different to everyone, the perfect tune for looking back on the year in non-linear terms. -Dan Caffrey

39. Liturgy – “Generation”

Brooklyn’s Liturgy have spent the last couple of years working up quite the shitstorm in metal circles for their admittedly ostentatious attempts at re-conceptualizing the genre from the ground up in what they call “transcendental black metal”. Critical response to their latest LP Aesthethica, was pretty much split down the middle largely for that reason. But all talk about the band’s perceived pretension is shot to bits by the initial blast of noise that kick off the album’s best track, the starkly minimal instrumental “Generation”. Seven minutes of blazing guitars and cracking snares, this slab of molten no-wave fury is more akin to early-day Swans than anything remotely “transcendental”, or even “black metal” for that matter. Even so, they’ve catalyzed progress and conversation in a genre that has, for decades now, stagnated in Norse Mythology and church burning scandals. Who says you need corpse paint to rock? -Möhammad Choudhery

38. Washed Out – “Amor Fati”

Washed Out’s Ernest Greene continues to distance himself from chillwave, creating one of the year’s most danceable tracks in “Amor Fati”. Fans have come to expect an inclusion of synths, but it’s the addition of an infectious chorus from Greene that makes for an unexpected moment of pop. The prominent vocals provide a break of warmth from the chillwave lull of its counterparts. Its latin title “amor fati” translates to love of fate. If this is where Greene’s destined, we’re lovestruck, too.   -Lauren Rearick

37. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”

Each year, there comes a song that is seemingly everywhere, from non-stop radio play to appearances in TV ads and basic cable shows. In 2011, that song was Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”. Musically, it appealed to a plethora of audiences, as if it were assembled from an equal number of dark, bluesy soul tunes and light, airy disco tracks. The vocals are among Adele’s finest, with an undercurrent of immense wisdom driving forward the larger-than-life, emotionally devastated cries of pain and confusion. But it’s the song’s overall sentiment, of having immense romantic regrets and laying every last one of them on your ex, that made this cut such a massively universal experience. Rare is the track that can mend wounds and help sell the iPhone 4S, but “Rolling in the Deep” does all that and more. -Chris Coplan

36. AraabMUZIK – “Streetz Tonight”

Don’t let the trance label deter you. AraabMUZIK’s Electronic Dream is an atmospheric trip from beginning to end. Best experienced as a whole, there are moments that jump out from the rest, perhaps none more than “Streetz Tonight”. Here, AraabMUZIK dials back his trademark drum machine ingenuity in favor of woozy synth grooves and airy, simplistic female vocals for a different, more laid-back type of head rush. -Austin Trunick

35. Tom Waits – “Hell Broke Luce”

Listeners had to be surprised the first time they heard this jarring, psychotic, nightmarish romp through a combat zone. “Hell Broke Luce” takes the form of a deranged boot camp march (“I had a good home, but I left, right, left”), with the time between Waits’ grating barking filled with banging and clanging, in-and-out guitars, sampled machine gun fire, and even a tuba during one brief lull. Lyrics include drill sergeant/grunt vulgarities, embittered questioning of authority, and lines that suggest the soldier protagonist sees himself as forever severed from the person he was before the war. (“What did you do before the war? /I was a chef, I was a chef/And what was your name? It was Jeff, Jeff”). I have no basis to judge whether or not Waits has captured the hellish realities of war on “Hell Broke Luce”, but I can say that if you’re listening to this track while out walking, it’ll keep you in step. Left, right, left. –Matt Melis

34. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”

Ars longa, vita brevis, as the old adage goes: “Art is long, life is short.” On Kurt Vile’s “Jesus Fever”, the heartland rocker deals with this inevitable fate, all over a jangly progression that feels curated by Lindsay Buckingham circa 1975. One biting line: “When I am a ghost, I’ll see no reason to run/When I’m already gone/If it wasn’t taped, you could escape this song/But I’m already gone.” The lesson? Art is forever. In the digital age – especially a booming one like this year’s – that line takes on a whole new meaning. Art is forever… and everywhere. Now, how meta would it be if kids are listening to this in 100 years? Guess we’ll never know. -Michael Roffman

33. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”

“These guys just don’t stop. The late-in-the-year arrival of “Lonely Boy” signaled a much anticipated dose of the Akron blues mongers, even though fans were still simmering from 2010’s Brothers. El Camino’s complete rip-roaring genius aside, the stealthy emergence of the lead single’s video of a solitary man dancing his ass off became an instant sensation as “Lonely Boy” could be heard leaking out from city bus riders’ headphones for a good week after its internet landing. And for good reason. The song is an infectious smack in the face of gritty blues riffs and powerful, rockabilly-influenced fury. Dan Auerbach’s muddy guitar rips into the single as Patrick Carney’s attack drums and a smattering of quirky backing keys propel the song into a spaced-out rock stratosphere where Mark Bolan and blues greats serve as ruling deities. As our own Harley Brown attests, the Keys are at the height of their game, and “Lonely Boy” is Exhibit-A of their zenith status. -Liz Lane

32. Battles – “Ice Cream”

When Gloss Drop single “Ice Cream” dropped, it was the test for many of whether Battles would be the same after losing frontman Tyondai Braxton. The verdict? Not exactly the same, but that is no disappointment. The track wades familiar territory for Battles while placing itself among the trio’s more accessible work. Guest vocalist Matias Aguayo shines with a keen impersonation of Braxton’s trademark vocal manipulation over an irresistible, glitchy two-chord jam. Recommended with a scoop of cake batter on a waffle cone, but maybe not in the bathtub. -J. Harry Painter

31. Kate Bush – “Wild Man”

50 Words for Snow is a rare album themed to winter holiday months while not being pigeonholed as a Christmas album. “Wild Man” is a testament to that. It’s a seven-minute journey through the snowy crags of Tibet, name-dropping countless faraway places and romanticizing the fabled Yeti as only Kate Bush could. That said, it’s a very different Bush song in a lot of ways, with guest vocalist Andy Fairweather Low providing the chorus and Bush swapping out her usual vocal stylings with a husky Mark Knopfler-esque dialogue for most of the track. The sweetness of Bush’s words and the song’s misty, musical veil make it easy to mistake “Wild Man” as a love song, but that’s not quite it. It’s a tribute to the mysteries still hidden in the natural world and the figments we chase, rounding the corners of distant hills, just out of reach. -Cap Blackard

30. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – “The Last Huzzah” (Remix)

This Mr Muthafuckin’ eXquire remix, paying homage to Craig Mack’s “Flava in Ya Ear remix”, dilutes the year’s cattle call of mixtapes, guest spots, and debut LPs down to the strongest collective showing from any five rappers on a single track. Everyone’s got their fuel, whether its Despot’s “vodka soda,” Danny Brown’s “straight shots of Cuervo,” or El-P’s “straight shots of Sterno.” The track’s an ode to getting lit up, a celebration of skill and saying, “Fuck it all.” If these five guys stumble into 2012 with this much moxy, the same as Biggie, Craig Mack, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes did back in 1994, they’ll be the ones coming up big and making great comebacks. -Jeremy D. Larson

“The Last Huzzah” (Remix) (feat. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown & El-P)

29. The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”

It is the oft-used “return to form,” right? The yearning Julian Casablancas vocals and the doo-wop exchange between the guitarists and drummer Fab Moretti. Top it off with another great solo courtesy of Nick Valensi, and you have the makings of classic Strokes. We may not be talking about Angles years from now, but I’ll let you know the moment this song finally stops dancing around my head. -Justin Gerber

28. Beirut – “East Harlem”

The way Beirut toys with sense of place is so darn impish and charming. With the title and lyrics of “East Harlem”, you can’t tell whether Zach Condon is crooning about Amsterdam or New Amsterdam (NYC). Yet, at the same time, the details hardly matter. In this song about distance, you don’t know where you are for sure; you’re too lost in the sonic neighborhood or city block Condon has constructed. “Uptown, downtown” can seem like a “thousand miles between us” when you’re intent on studying the gorgeous detail of “East Harlem”, this city-song of blinding lights and gorgeous brass melodies. Go on, dwell in it. Stay awhile. -Paul de Revere

27. The War on Drugs – “Come to the City”

The anthemic centerpiece on one of the year’s most road-ready albums, “Come to the City” is to be played either with the windows down while  drifting along highways or in a stadium/field of a thousand pumping fists. It’s that kind of Arcade Fire-meets-Tom Petty power spun over reverberating organs and snapping drums that makes you want to lean your head out the car window and let the emotion wash over you with the wind. With Kurt Vile off on a solo career, frontman Adam Granduciel’s contemplative lyrics get to shine on their own. “I’ve been drinking up the sweet tea/It was made just for me,” he sings in a Dylan-esque warble. It was made for you, too, so drink up. -Benjamin Kaye

26. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”

If the majority of Odd Future is the id, then R&B crooner Frank Ocean is the ego. His depravity is just as endless, but he exemplifies his more reserved, complicated side on Nostalgia, Ultra standout “Novacane”. The beat is a monstrous amalgamation of hip-hop bass, random, glitchy noises, and, most important of all, a solid groove that sounds stuck between genres and intentions. Establishing a drug-fueled storyline involving porn stars and a trip gone bad, Ocean paints a picture of a stunted youth in search of the next big high to cure what ails him. The diagnosis for Ocean’s soul is grim, but the pursuit of absolution never sounded so intoxicating. -Chris Coplan

25. Girls – “Vomit”

“Vomit” is an anthem of solitude. Like Elliott Smith and Nirvana before him, Christopher Owens struggles with his own opiate addiction. This song is a declaration of an inescapable torment, an unanswered longing, a tender futility. The beginning guitar riff echoes with loneliness like a flickering lightbulb in a dark room. Owens repeats the line “looking for love” as he and Chet White descend into instrumental insanity: A guitar solo wracked with distortion erupts, an organ hums beneath, and melismas sound out through the song’s climax. “Vomit” is its own manifesto, expressing the belief that madness is freedom, that pain is inspiration. -Summer Dunsmore

24. Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”

Hip-hop is always boasting how it’s a young person’s game, but “Make Some Noise” proved that the Beastie Boys are dogs who still have some bite left in them. The fortified funk they sic on us at the start of Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is aggressive, witty, and sweeping. It’s classic Beastie Boys… and then some. In light of their recent setbacks – from “MCA” Adam Yauch’s struggle with cancer to the album’s various delays – the Brooklyn legends ferociously returned to the spotlight. This single is a testament to that. While there’s a lot of wax-scratching nostalgia going on, there’s just too much energy at hand to ignore. So, when Yauch says, “The best is yet to come, and yes, believe this,” we most certainly do. -Gilles LeBlanc

23. Real Estate – “It’s Real”

A good-natured single, “It’s Real” by Real Estate defines California surfer rock. It’s a song about puppy love, as singer Martin Courtney croons, “I carved our names into a tree/I walked on decomposing leaves/I skated on a frozen sea/It’s real as far as I can see.” It does what indie music does best: weaves poetic, charming lyrics with a hooky chorus. However, it’s unique to many other love songs, which usually express the pains of heartbreak or the dark side of obsession; this love song is a revelry, an exposition of energy and enthusiasm that comes with the fascination for a loved one. It’s real. -Summer Dunsmore

22. Childish Gambino – “Bonfire”

Donald Glover plays the clueless Troy Barnes on Community. So, why take his nom de rhyme, Childish Gambino, even the slightest bit seriously? Because of “Bonfire”, dummy. The lyrics encapsulate Gambino’s wit (“This Asian dude, I stole his girl, and now he got that Kogi beef”) and even offer up the nastier side of the MC’s rainbow-colored personality (“The shit I’m doin’ this year? Insanity/Made the beat then murdered it, Casey Anthony”). It’s also got one of the LP’s most beloved and recognizable beats, equal parts bouncy club anthem and gritty garage rock jam. But really, it’s Gambino’s impassioned and visceral delivery style, like he’s barking at the listener, that makes this track a true burner. -Chris Coplan

21. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”

Fleet Foxes’ titular track off Helplessness Blues is a lovely distillation of their sound, with the spectral doves of musicians like Roy Harper and Van Morrison flitting around for company. It’s such an epic poem that five minutes can hardly contain its beauty or its magnificent scope, which ranges from jangling folk to heavyweight, ethereal rock. By now, everyone knows the group’s sublime harmonies are their namesake, but when entwined with urgent guitar work and despairing language, it only adds deep emphasis to that fact. Feeling helpless has rarely felt so nourishing, building up to what can only be called a dappled sunlit kind of music, “my light in the dawn.” -Siobhan Kane

20. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”

Anybody who heard Thom Yorke’s live versions of “Lotus Flower” back in ’09 and ’10 never could have imagined what it would morph into when it eventually made its way onto this year’s The King of Limbs, a surprise in and of itself. That finger-picked guitar ballad is now long forgotten thanks to the skittering rhythms, distant hand claps, and other ridiculous noises that now constitute “Lotus Flower”. The song is as dub-dance-y as Radiohead has ever sounded, with a backdrop culled from fractured loops of god knows what. But what makes “Lotus Flower” so noteworthy is how Yorke embodies it: with a healthy dose of croon-swagger. Confidence hasn’t always been Yorke’s vocal forte, but he straddles the line so perfectly between that and melancholy that it opens up a lot of doors for what Radiohead is capable of. That’s a shitload of open doors, by the way. -Drew Litowitz

19. Cut Copy – “Need You Now”

It’s a tough feat to render six minutes of addicting hooks. But that’s what Cut Copy managed to do with “Need You Now”. That explains why it opens the Australian outfit’s latest LP, Zonoscope: Hit ‘em with a punch, snag ‘em with a hook. Vocalist Dan Whitford employs a slick baritone throughout, which certainly pushes this number ahead, but it’s when he lets loose four minutes in that the heat turns up. While not as immediate as tracks like “Take Me Over” or “Where I’m Going”, it’s all about the payoff sometimes, and you won’t find a better one than here. It’s so heavy they need a downer at the end to bring things back to element. Talk about a trip. -J. Harry Painter

18. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”

Ever wondered if the Super Mario coin-grab effect could be sampled successfully in a song? Welcome to the world of Neon Indian. Alan Palomo’s wistful cadence tells of lost love on Era Extraña standout “Polish Girl”, while spaced-out 8-bit synths evoke the longing, inescapable feelings of shoegaze. Yet, the result is a blissful four and a half minutes itching for a spin on the dance floor. With “Polish Girl”, Neon Indian has traded their signature chillwave stylings in favor of a dreamy spin on dance pop and set the new standard for retro chic. -Frank Mojica

17. Drake – “Take Care”

“Take Care” is one of six or seven tracks that could easily be deemed the best of the batch from Drake’s enigmatic, epic sophomore album of the same name. Set firmly atop impeccable (and unconventional) production by Jamie xx, the track soars with an unstoppable, sensual hook by hip-hop diva Rihanna: “If you let me, here’s what I’ll do/I’ll take care of you.” I defy any heterosexual man to refuse that offer. But what makes this track stand out more than anything is the potency with which Drake raps. As he battles insecurity, brutal honesty, and harsh reality, we see the side of Drake that was promised from the beginning – the talented side. -Winston Robbins

16. Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”

Between his masterful Gil Scott-Heron collab/remix LP We’re New Here, the slew of top-notch remixes he put out (including a HUGE rework of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”), and a couple of choice spots on Radiohead’s TKOL RMX compilation, Jamie xx’s huge 2011 quelled any and all doubts that he could succeed out of the shadow of the xx. And all that goes without mentioning “Far Nearer”, his debut solo release and crowning achievement to date. Built around a sun-drenched Caribbean steel drum line and a mangled Janet Jackson vocal, it’s a dance anthem for the ages and one hell of a way to launch one’s solo career. How’s that for setting the bar high? -Möhammad Choudhery

15. The Mountain Goats – “High Hawk Season”

Revolution hung thick in the air this year, and John Darnielle’s prescient salvo seems to be the people’s anthem that never was (meanwhile, 3EB turned this in). Darnielle’s boilerplate solo voice/acoustic guitar is backed by a four-part male a capella chorus that, despite The Mountain Goats’ obscene prolificacy, paves whole new avenues for a guy who’s been doing this for a long, long time. Darnielle’s vocals vary in dynamics and enunciation, causing the words to teem with frustration and resolve, something arena-worthy with just doo-wop harmonies and earnest songwriting. Sadly, Post-Barbershop-Quartet is not a genre I can throw on Pandora…yet. -Jeremy D. Larson

14. The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”

House of Balloons is fraught with tracks that are going to make you wish you lived a different, sexier life, but not one of them is more powerful than “Wicked Games”. As The Weeknd croons in his phenomenal upper register, “Bring your love baby, I can bring my shame/Bring the drugs baby, I can bring my pain,” you might honestly find yourself wishing you were addicted to codeine and emotionless sexual encounters. The track’s appeal to everyone’s dark side is endless. And while most listeners won’t ever pick up a Styrofoam cup full of prescription cough medicine and Jolly Ranchers to get faded, the song provides insight into a twisted life of beauty with a deep layer of abhorrent immorality looming just below the surface. -Winston Robbins

13. The Throne – “Niggas in Paris”

It’s still baffling that one of the hardest-hitting tracks on Watch the Throne contains a Will Ferrell sample from the figure skating parody Blades of Glory. “No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative,” Ferrell explains. “It gets the people going!” The long-anticipated collaborative record between rap’s reigning monarchs is a celebration in excess, but it comes packed with knowing winks like this one. Jay-Z and Kanye West roll in with a slow burn on top of piercing synth loop, gaining momentum as the song unravels, propelling one another into top form on this explosive club-pleaser. It’s Jay-Z’s methodical, fast-firing approach that sets the stage for West’s urgent, free-flowing (if a bit bonkers) rhymes; on an album grounded in the spirit of a healthy competition between the two powerhouse emcees, it’s on “Niggas in Paris” that they come together as a single, unstoppable hip-hop dream team. -Austin Trunick

12. Destroyer – “Kaputt”

In the world of the album’s title track, drugs and women are indiscernible — two intangible forces that are meant to be chased across clubs, kingdoms, and radio airwaves around the globe. Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar never catches either one, but decides to write a song about it and dedicate it to America, a fact that he blatantly states in the final verses. Amidst wind effects, slowed-down disco bass, synthesized bleeps, and foggy trumpet, the band topples the fourth wall, then builds it back up again to continue their quest across time, space, and celebration for a high they may never get, but in turn bestow upon their audience. -Dan Caffrey

11. Wild Flag – “Romance”

“Romance” is the most unabashedly pop song on Wild Flag’s self-titled debut. More Bow Wow Wow than Bikini Kill, it shows a different, deliriously infectious side of this burgeoning supergroup. With a ringing, crunchy guitar punch over pounding surf drums, it’s the killer hook in the chorus that will keep you coming back again and again. (If you’re not tapping your toes by the time it gets to the hand clap-driven “shake, shimmy, shake” breakdown at the song’s climax, you’re probably not a warm-blooded human.) Straight-up rock and roll this irresistibly catchy is a rare treat in this day and age; “Romance” should be finding its way onto feel-good mixtapes for a long, long time. -Austin Trunick

10. Foo Fighters – “Rope”

The glorious possibilities of a three-guitar attack in Foo Fighters is truly felt with this tune from Wasting Light. With Pat Smear having officially returned to the lineup, the band created some of their most aggressive music to date. The echoing intro gives in to a track that bops between pop and alt-rock, before launching into Chris Shiflett’s thrash-metal solo near the song’s conclusion. Of course, it’s Dave Grohl’s constant that ties it all together. That being the tireless Taylor Hawkins, who proves once more why he’s one of the finest drummers in the game today, yesterday, and tomorrow. As the first single, “Rope” announced the return of the Foo, and in hindsight, it’s the cattle call that would go on to cement the band as the biggest rock act on the planet. They’ve had a good year. -Justin Gerber

9. James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”

The first thing anybody who listens to James Blake’s true breakout track notices is how undeniably incessant it is. It’s a classic study in repetition.

With Blake’s cyborg croon evaporating into palm-muted guitar masked as a digital processor, interspersed with the sound a black hole makes when you throw the whole genre of dubstep into it, the song slowly explodes into a haze of static, processed synth-organ, and the deepest bass around. It’s like a noised-out tribute to every sub-genre of reggae-inspired dance music, that both mourns its present dilution in the mainstream and celebrates the places it still has yet to go.

What’s most interesting about “The Wilhelm Scream”, though, is what this repetition means to Blake and why he’s created this song in the first place. At its core, the song is Blake re-envisioning something he must have heard incessantly over the past few years: his own father, soft rocker James Litherland’s “Where to Turn”, from his 2006 album, 4th Estate. Under this context, the song becomes a manifestation of Blake’s nostalgia and love for his pops — his memories and emotions aurally orchestrated into an infectious haze of confused sounds that come together perfectly. Cool, right? -Drew Litowitz

8. SBTRKT – “Wildfire”

As SBTRKT, Aaron Jerome has been one of the year’s most buzzed-about breakout artists. On “Wildfire”, the masked producer recruits 2011’s must-have collaborator, Yukimi Nagano (of electro-soulsters Little Dragon), for the year’s essential dance floor jam. Between a bassline that can only be described as downright filthy and the irresistible allure of Nagano’s velvety vocals, “Wilfire” is pure sonic sensuality. Drawing inspiration from South London post-dubstep to house to R&B, “Wildfire” takes everything that ever made someone dance in the past 20 years and spins it into something futuristic. As it deftly defies any single label, SBTRKT’s scorching style on “Wildfire” is a reflection of how the future will one day remember 2011. -Frank Mojica

7. EMA – “California”

Equal parts Psychocandy, Sinead O’Connor, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed, Erika M. Anderson’s (aka EMA) “California” turns heads with its aggressive-yet-vapid delivery and lyrics that spin tales of reckless abandonment. “What’s it like to be small-time and gay?” she crudely asks mid-song. “What does failure taste like? To me it tastes like dirt,” she asks and answers herself towards the end. It’s a slow shuffle that never really leads to an anthemic release as its rusty sprawl suggests, but that’s sort of the point. On paper, it’s just as seclusive and cyclical.

Sort of like madness. Anderson’s a native of South Dakota, so one has to wonder what her perspective is here. Here’s a supposition: It’s the struggle that California – the land of dreams and mystery, as suggested even by the likes of Steinbeck – isn’t what it appears to be. It’s a wasteland. It’s a falsity. But, she’s not alone there. When she says, “Fuck California,” so do we. Because if there’s anything we’ve learned from reality television, MTV, or reading short bios on any musician who’s ever surfaced on the Sunset Strip, California breeds a special sort of crazy. Anderson may never find her small-town roots again (“Schizophrenic rules the brain”), but she’s created one powerful ode to it. One of the best of its kind. -Michael Roffman

6. St. Vincent – “Cruel”

If you’re going to write a rock song around a single riff, it better be a ridiculously good one, something that you’re happy to get stuck in your head. There have been a few that fit the bill in indie rock over the last few years; Modest Mouse’s “Float On” and MGMT’s “Kids” come to mind. Add St. Vincent’s “Cruel” to that exclusive list. Annie Clark writes a completely oddball, vaguely old-timey verse melody, complete with saccharine background strings. But when she sings “oo-eh-oo-eh-oo-llll” on the titular lyric, that distinctive synthesizer riff comes into focus and simply owns you. It’s silly, it’s uplifting, it’s catchy, and it can completely carry the song. Throw in a majorly danceable backing track, a languid distorted guitar solo, and Clark’s wispy but powerful voice, and it’s indie rock gold. -Jake Cohen

5. tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”

Merrill Garbus’ wonderful first single from her second record, w h o k i l l, reflects her decision to focus some aspects of the live experience into studio recordings, and certainly, the wild energy of “Bizness” is hardly constrained by the medium of a record. Perhaps this is what makes her great: The medium of music is the vehicle through which she has chosen to convey her creativity, but it cannot bind her. “Bizness” begins with the kind of vocal gymnastics that brings to mind David Longstreth dancing in a frying pan — lovely, gloopy, roaming sounds that also act as a warm vocal harpsichord of sorts.

Then there is the percussive aspect. The way Garbus layers sounds and percussion is a joy to hear, the military beats, along with a kind of skeletal, clickety-clack kind of sound that reconnects to her fascination with African rhythms. Her world is one that is anchored by a childlike sense of wonderment, and when the arresting, strident horns step in, you cannot help but smile. This is also because you sense her giddy reverie in taking apart traditional song structures and building them up again in her own image. When she sings “I’ll bleed if you ask me,” you really believe it, because her thoughtful sincerity is clear, amidst the revels. The visual accompaniment to the song (the video directed by Mimi Cave) is a perfect rendering of tUnE-yArDs’ ethos – to reach out to the child in all of us, keeping us young, keeping us strong, keeping us dreaming. -Siobhan Kane

4. Beyoncé – “Countdown”

At this point in her exceptional career, Beyoncé has transcended the traditional confines of pop diva status. Her latest album, 4, is full of the finest cuts of her career, be it for their infectious, poppy nature or for their demonstration of real, relatable emotional displays. And one could easily say “Countdown” is the best song on that album and leave it at that. To do so, however, is to discredit a track that is not only great, but a step above on a record whose primary notion is of stepping further into sonic grace.

From the initial wail of Bey’s voice to the marching band vibe, the track is the heart and soul, the lifeblood of a record that is a dynamo of R&B gold, both new and old. Queen B has built an empire of love songs and tributes to her boo(s), but none, be it on this album or the three before, come off as easily and thoroughly as they do here. We dare anyone to resist falling under the spell of the chorus where, like a Gucci-wearing version of The Count, Beyoncé counts down the ways in which she loves her man. It’s everything we love about Beyoncé: the sing-along-ability, the bombastic nature, and the beat that digs its nails into your hips to make them shimmy all night. Count it any way you want, this number’s a shining gem in Beyoncé’s bangin’ catalog. -Chris Coplan

3. M83 – “Midnight City”

A Parisian M83 fan said to me this year that Anthony Gonzalez is “the best French music producer, more famous in [the] U.S. than France.” So what’s made “Midnight City” and its double album source, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, catch fire like it has in the States this year? Well, “Midnight City” is a great single, for one. And it’s in a Victoria’s Secret commercial, which doesn’t hurt its exposure stateside, either. Surely, at this point, M83 has never been more popular than they are right now. And this year, a lot of that gets chalked up to “Midnight City”.

But look deeper. “Midnight City”, like all of M83′s music, touches on feelings valued deep within the American heart: light, innocence, and youth. M83 just shrouds them behind synth sheen and vocal processing on Gonzalez’s voice. When you imagine its abstract, misty mood piece in the classic Americana setting of Lover’s Lane or Makeout Point, it clicks. The narrator and a girl look out over how “the night city grows” a “mutating skyline.” “The city is my church,” Gonzalez sings. “It wraps me in the sparkling twilight.” It’s so gorgeous and wondrous, how can you not weep from its beauty? And how many songs this year have done that? O beautiful, for spacious skies, indeed. -Paul de Revere

2. Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers”

Cast aside all preconceived notions or any conclusions that you may have drawn about Odd Future for just a second. Try and get back to the moment when you first heard “Yonkers”. Whether you were a longtime fan or you were victim to the viral video that got tossed around for a few weeks, it moved you. It moved some to anger, and it moved others to excitement; regardless of direction, though, it moved you. There are few times in life when a song will force you to stop everything you’re doing because you’re too busy picking your jaw up off the floor. Even fewer are the times when those selfsame songs are written and produced by a 19-year-old. Much criticism has been cast in the direction of this song and at Tyler in general; many found his lyrics involving misogyny, brutal violence, and even rape to be supremely offensive. And ultimately, that’s a decision best made on an individual basis. But you cannot deny that, for better or worse, “Yonkers” is one of the most powerful hip-hop singles in recent memory. Still sends chills down my spine. -Winston Robbins

1. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

For as often as Justin Vernon’s cabin hibernation is parodied, doesn’t it sound just a little enticing? Leaving it all, sequestering yourself away from a world that won’t stop spinning? In some ways, Vernon never left that seclusion. The songs on Bon Iver may sprawl and breathe more, but they’re still born form Vernon’s desire for privacy and escape. They’re rural, surreal, and separate, and “Holocene” captures the essence of Vernon’s world, just as he tries to capture the essence of our current epoch.

The song pivots around the lyric “All at once I knew/I was not magnificent” and the garden of romantic words and loosely related imagery around it. Acoustic crescendos push the plot along, and the band’s woodwind and found sound arrangement provide the scenery. Whole ages of emotions advance and recede throughout its course, yet it manages to stave off melodrama.

Vernon recalls three hazy memories in three verses and gives them context with that pivotal lyric — an ego check. These are the lasting moments that Vernon hangs on to through it all. Can we find meaning outside of ourselves and inside missed connections or little moments we have with friends and family? This truly is what outlasts things. Now, none of this ideology is revolutionary, but Bon Iver renews its vows in the context of 2011 — a year of exponential speed and growth, of revolution and dissatisfaction, of disillusionment and displacement across whole swaths of culture and class. “Holocene” is that moment of reflection on the escape vessel as you float away from the wreckage and towards Bon Iver’s world. If escapism is increasingly how we deal with our problems, that ubiquitous cabin in the woods sounds better and better with each coming year. -Jeremy D. Larson

50. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”
49. Cults – “Go Outside”
48. Big K.R.I.T. – “Country Shit” (Remix)
47. Mikal Cronin – “Apathy”
46. Cold Cave – “The Great Pan is Dead”
45. Das Racist – “Michael Jackson”
44. The Horrors – “Still Life”
43. Bill Callahan – “Riding For the Feeling”
42. Dum Dum Girls – “Coming Down”
41. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers”
40. Wilco – “One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)”
39. Liturgy – “Generation”
38. Washed Out – “Amor Fati”
37. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
36. AraabMUZIK – “Streetz Tonight”
35. Tom Waits – “Hell Broke Luce”
34. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
33. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”
32. Battles – “Ice Cream”
31. Kate Bush – “Wild Man”
30. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – “The Last Huzzah” (Remix)
29. The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”
28. Beirut – “East Harlem”
27. The War on Drugs – “Come to the City”
26. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”
25. Girls – “Vomit”
24. Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”
23. Real Estate – “It’s Real”
22. Childish Gambino – “Bonfire”
21. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”
20. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
19. Cut Copy – “Need You Now”
18. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”
17. Drake – “Take Care”
16. Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”
15. The Mountain Goats – “High Hawk Season”
14. The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”
13. The Throne – “Niggas in Paris”
12. Destroyer – “Kaputt”
11. Wild Flag – “Romance”
10. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
09. James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”
08. SBTRKT – “Wildfire”
07. EMA – “California”
06. St. Vincent – “Cruel”
05. tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”
04. Beyoncé – “Countdown”
03. M83 – “Midnight City”
02. Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers”
01. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

Brooklyn singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten‘s 2010 album, Epic, was just that: a critically-lauded affair of earnest folk rock. On February 7th, 2012, Jagjaguwar will release her follow-up, Tramp, which itself is going to be fairly epic thanks to its all-star lineup of indie rock collaborators.

Spanning 12 tracks, the album features contributions from Beirut’s Zach Condon, Julianna Barwick, Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, The Walkmen’s Matt Barrick, and Doveman’s Thomas Bartlett. What’s more, The National’s Aaron Dresner offered up his home studio, returning the favor for Van Etten’s guest spot on The National’s “Think You Can Wait”. Check out the entire tracklist below.

Van Etten will also be teaming up with some familiar faces as she tours behind the album early next year. Kicking off February 10th in Philadelpia, the two-month road trip features dates with Shearwater and The War on Drugs. Peep the entire tour schedule just beneath the tracklist.

Tramp Tracklist:
01. Warsaw
02. Give Out
03. Serpents
04. Kevin’s
05. Leonard
06. In Line
07. All I Can
08. We Are Fine
09. Magic Chords
10. Ask
11. I’m Wrong
12. Joke or a Lie

Sharon Van Etten 2012 Tour Dates:
12/13 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre ^
02/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
02/11 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
02/12 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
02/14 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center *
02/15 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House *
02/17 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
02/18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center *
02/21 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace *
02/22 – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore *
02/23 – Boston, MA @ Paradise *
02/24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
02/25 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
03/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Avalon #
03/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent #
03/23 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater #
03/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret #
03/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Neptune
03/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room #
03/28 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater #
03/31 – St. Louis, MO @ Luminary Center for the Arts #
04/01 – Bloomington, IN @ Rhino’s #

^ = w/ The National
* = w/ Shearwater
# = w/ The War on Drugs

Beirut made their second appearance on late night in as many weeks, this time performing “Santa Fe” on last night’s episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Catch the video replay below (via The Audio Perv).

The Rip Tide is out now.

Beirut made a Friday night appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, where they performed “East Harlem” from their recently released LP, The Rip Tide. Check out the video replay below; if you stay tuned until the end, you’ll also learn the difference between a French and English horn, courtesy of Letterman’s post-performance smalltalk with the band.

Beirut will continue to support The Rip Tide when they embark on their next leg of U.S. tour dates later this month. Their entire upcoming itinerary, which also includes trips to Australia and Japan, is mapped out below.

Beirut 2011-2012 Tour Dates:
10/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National #
10/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
10/29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s #
10/31 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live #
11/01 – Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar  #
11/04 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/05 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/07 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery
11/09 – Lexington, KY @ The Kentucky Theater
11/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
11/26 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s ^
11/28 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^
11/30 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall ^
12/02 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^
12/04 – Knxoville, TN @ Bijou ^
12/05 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel ^
12/07 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater ^
12/08 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
12/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Alter Bar ^
12/13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
12/29 – Melbourne, AU @ Falls Festival
12/31 – Marion Bay, AU @ Falls Festival
01/07 – Busselton, AU @ Southbound
01/10 – Melbourne, AU @ Forum Theatre
01/12 – Brisbane, AU @ The Hi Fi
01/18 – Tokyo, JP @ Club Quattro
01/20 – Osaka, JP @ Shangri-La

# = w/ Basia Bulat
^ = w/ Perfume Genius

That’s not to say that Beirut went through the motions at The Greek in an entitled and irreverent way, only that they did it with the confidence of a band that has scrapped their way to the top and understands just how hard it was to reach this point. No, the fantastic scope of the Greek was not lost on Condon and his Balkan buddies. In regards to the prestige of the venue, Condon went on to say that he saw a picture a picture of “The Boss” backstage (referring to Springsteen’s 2006 performance at The Greek during “The Seeger Sessions Band” phase of his career), that “titillated him”, which he went on to jokingly explain is “how he always likes to feel before coming onstage”.

And it was with that same harmless boyish candor that Beirut presented themselves throughout the remainder of the night. Laidback, yet spot on in charm and in music. Every song was note-for-note perfection unless otherwise directed. They ran through a catalogue that was baffling to the casual listener, but incredibly rewarding for the fanatics. Their setlist was unlikely in many ways – first that they only played four songs from their most recent album, The Rip Tide, which was released not two months prior. This obviously was not a performance to showcase their newest effort, but one to celebrate their entire body of music.

They pulled here and there from their three full lengths, but delved into some deeper cuts with tracks like “Elephant Gun”, “Carousels” from their Lon Gisland EP, complete with the Lon Gisland version of “Scenic World”. They also reached deep into their pockets to perform a few songs from Realpeople Holland, the electronic portion of their 2009 EP. In all reality, it was probably a very strange setlist compared to what most bands do at this point in their career. For all intents and purposes, their set should have been comprised of mostly songs from The Rip Tide, with the hits interlaced throughout, but it was far from that, and I for one was very pleased and impressed by this fact.

And I wasn’t alone, apparently. Whether it was the voracious screams and cat calls from the audience, or the people who took to the aisles and walkways to dance awkwardly along with the music that is sometimes anything but danceable, the entire audience at The Greek was completely invested in the performance. It was a swimming success despite (or maybe because of) their odd song choice. And do we even need to discuss how the music sounded? You know Beirut as well as I do, they were there note for note. Some of the songs were so perfect that it sounded like someone was just playing the studio version over the P.A., and at other times, they would de-construct a song and completely re-imagine it for the better. It takes a very talented group of individuals to be able to do both things, and that’s precisely what Beirut is: An incredibly talented group of musicians headed by an extremely potent songwriter with just the right amount of charm.

Setlist:
Scenic World
The Shrew
Elephant Gun
The Vagabond
Postcards From Italy
The Concubine
Santa Fe
A Sunday Smile
East Harlem
Forks and Knives (La Fete)
The Akara
Nantes
Port of Call
Cherbourg
Goshen
After The Curtain
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
Encore:
Carousels
My Night With A Prostitute From Marseilles
The Gulag Orkestar
The Penalty

Photo by Debi Del Grande

Beirut has added even more tour dates behind their latest LP, The Rip Tide, some of which will see Seattle singer-songwriter Perfume Genius splitting the bill. Check out all of Beirut’s confirmed dates below (the newly announced ones are italicized), along with the video for “Santa Fe”.

Beirut 2011 Tour Dates:
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium *
10/01 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
10/02 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
10/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *
10/06 – Santa Fe, NM @ Warehouse 21 *
10/07 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Community Convention Center *
10/09 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
10/11 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall *
10/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National #
10/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
10/29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s #
10/31 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live #
11/01 – Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar  #
11/04 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/05 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/07 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery
11/09 – Lexington, KY @ The Kentucky Theater
11/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
11/26 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s ^ 
11/28 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^ 
11/30 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall ^  
12/02 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^ 
12/04 – Knxoville, TN @ Bijou ^ 
12/05 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel ^ 
12/07 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater ^ 
12/08 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
12/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Alter Bar ^ 
12/13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^   

* = w/ Laetitia Sadier
# = w/ Basia Bulat
^ = w/ Perfume Genius

Photo by Debi Del Grande

A serious outfit known for making some complex music, Beirut didn’t strike us as the type of band to be humorous in a more traditional way. But in the video for “Santa Fe”, Zach Condon and Co. unveil a tragicomedy of love lost and found that had us legit LOLing. Filling the heartbreaking clip with lots of absurd, bizarre moments (’70s-inspired freeze poses, creepy cults, and an adorable dog that’s far too close to the stars of the vid), we’re impressed even if we’re not totally sure of the meaning behind it all. Even still, one defining theme is clear: Love is a trip, and Beirut songs are a great choice to chronicle the entire adventure. Check out the love story gone awry courtesy of The Guardian.

Beirut’s latest, The Rip Tide, is out now.

It’s not as much like Citizen Kane as it may seem, but The Rip Tide definitely is the band aiming for something far more nationalistic than ever before, and thanks to the prodigious arranging and songwriting talents of Condon, songs hit their mark over and over again throughout the record. For a taste of nationalism, you needn’t look further than the song titles, many of which reference US cities, ports, and neighborhoods and use those locations as backdrops. The piano ballad of “Goshen” slowly adds layers of horns and snare over Condon’s forlorn voice as he sings t0 a woman frightened of one stage or another. When he croons, he recalls that pre-rock and roll, Italian-American voice with a shaken vibrato, so that no matter how relatively modern the instrumentation may be, there’s always a sense of the past in Beirut’s songs.

“The Peacock” recalls Beirut’s past more than any other track. It’s a WWII memory playacted with less than precise horns and harmonies that layer atop Condon’s impressionistic lyrics that repeat and repeat and repeat. And repeat. Repetition as a device in songwriting is a surefire way to win me over, though Condon takes enough liberty with it throughout the record that it ends up becoming shitck — something that’s easy to latch on to and loses power. So, after “Santa Fe”, “East Harlem”, and “Payne’s Bay” all employ the same structure at their endings, “The Peacock”, with repetition at its most evocative and original, is just a familiar dub of previous movements.

Which speaks to the larger point that the new, whittled, and freshly painted sound of Beirut is a confusing combination of starched instrumentation and stunning emotionalism. As impressive as the signature brass and squeeze box arrangements are, the short and poppy formats of the songs dampen the emotional resonance of the album so that it washes over you gently and inoffensively. However, it’s not an entirely toothless collection, as closer “Port of Call” does the best job at collecting the past and the present and putting them to good work in a song rich with life and color that also doesn’t sound like it’s playing in a room two sizes too small. It’s just that The Rip Tide is a collection of songs that feel constricted in their forms and sound truncated as opposed to trimmed, cut too short as opposed to styled.

When you see a cropped image, it’s typically for the better, and you usually never see what was lost. When you hear a cropped sound from a broader and familiar canvas, you know what was shed, and boy it’s hard to forget. What Beirut strive for and achieve on this record are simplicity and a slightly sunnier disposition. Condon writes some of his best songs to date here by letting in a lot of light through a small shutter. In particular, “East Harlem” rolls into the air with a pure melody that’s sure to bounce around in the head for days on end. But by leaving behind the experimentations and the peculiarities of their former albums, Beirut create an album that’s all too easy to hold on to and all too easy to let go of.

Essential Tracks: “Port of Call”, “East Harlem”, “The Peacock”

Beirut’s latest LP, The Rip Tide, is now available to purchase and stream digitally. The physical release is out August 30th on frontman Zach Condon’s own Pompeii Records and is available in three configurations: a standard CD digipack; a limited edition deluxe CD packaged in a book styled format, entirely cloth bound setting off the gold foil stamping; and a limited edition deluxe LP, which is also clothbound and includes a collectable postcard designed by Perrin Cloutier of the band and MP3 download code.

Having just wrapped up a sensational performance at last weekend’s Lollapalooza, Condon and co. will continue to support the release with tour dates from now until mid-November. Included are five newly announced dates for Oakland, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Mexico City, MX, and Lexington, KY. Check out the band’s complete touring itinerary below (the newly announced dates are in italics.)

We also have a stream of the album track “Santa Fe” below.

Beirut 2011 Tour Dates:
08/09 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
08/10 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
08/12 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
08/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Music Festival
09/02 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
09/04 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
09/06 – Manchester, UK @ Academy
09/08 – Amsterdam, NL @ Pardiso
09/10 – Berlin, DE @ Berlin Festival
09/12 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
09/14 – Brussels, BE @ AB
09/16 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
09/21 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/22 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/26 – Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
10/01 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/07 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Community Convention Center
10/09 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/11 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall
10/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National
10/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10/29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
11/04 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/05 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/09 – Lexington, KY @ The Kentucky Theater
11/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

Whether or not that was the methodology behind Perry Farrell’s Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL, remains to be confirmed. However, that’s what he’s done. Stepping into the gates at Congress and Michigan, one can’t help but feel they’re about to enter another plane of existence. Yeah, yeah, what a cliché, simplistic statement, but let me ask you this…

Over the weekend, did you see:

• Hall & Oates look-alikes, complete with the leisure suits, dancing in 85-degree heat
• A “lobster corn dog”
• Chic Euro-looking women–or, those who look “primed for the runway”–rocking out next to a slew of Jim Belushi look-alikes
• Sweaty, exhausted teenagers, crying their eyes out at a colossal rave; it’s also only noon
• Thousands of people singing about the Cubs winning
• Fireworks behind an award-winning rock act
• Drunken fortysomethings asleep atop Connie’s Pizza slices
• ?uestlove chatting food with Graham Elliot
• Skateboarding youths, rolling away to their next favorite band
• Lasers washed over the Chicago skyline
• Mud-covered fans, diving in for more… mud
• Ironic shirts next to sports shirts next to a pair of male nipples
• War-torn Converses and sod-stained high heels tapping to the beats
• People stumbling out of Port-o-Potties shoeless
• A fairly short line to eat a burger from Kuma’s
• Shoes tossed at fans by a frantic lead singer
• Perry Farrell

Odds are if you weren’t in Grant Park this past weekend, you didn’t catch any of this… let’s call it… chaos? Hmm, that’s not fair. Chaos is such a frowned-upon term; it’s usually linked to things like “riots” or “fires” or “talking to yourself alone in the car.” With Lolla, this sort of orchestrated chaos tastes nothing short of delicious. It’s the sort of madness that builds character… or just crosses things off on those proverbial bucket lists. C’mon, lobster corn dog.

This year, the festival celebrated its 20th birthday–you could say, in style. Perry’s Stage received a face-lift (or, a temporary warehouse). Festivalgoers had the choice of four headliners per night. After-parties continued to thrive. One can’t dismiss Farrell’s electronic extravaganza, either. Over three long days, the new installment never witnessed a dull moment. As a result, it bred countless “believe it or not” tales of folklore, contributing a great chunk to the laundry list above.

While not the best Lollapalooza, it did produce some of the greatest memories in the festival’s history. That’s what matters, right? Also, think of it this way: Who ever remembers their 20th birthday, anyhow? It’s the following year that glues to the mind.

Until then…

-Michael Roffman
President/Editor-in-Chief

Friday, August 5th

Wye Oak – Sony – 12:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Baltimore indie duo Wye Oak took the stage in the sweltering midday heat, launching into the gnarled dreamscape of “The Altar”, followed by the Sonic Youth-isms of “Holy Holy”. Despite the addicting, sped-up shreds and mournful howl of vocalist/guitarist Jenn Wasner, bolstered by Andy Stack’s ethereal keyboards and simultaneous drumming, the band kept stopping to adjust their equipment, ceasing to play entirely midway through “Plains”. They switched out amps and had the same wonderfully rough quality for the rest of the set, but Wasner continuously (and needlessly) apologized in a fashion similar to her back pain complaints during a Decemberists show at The Riviera earlier this year, another killer set plagued by momentum-halting repents. While altogether a solid show, Wasner needs to stop making excuses for a band that needs no excuses at all. -Dan Caffrey

Tennis – Google + – 1:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Out of the ashes of the 1980′s and Roxy Music album covers rose Tennis, who played every hot moment of their 45-minute set, with an abundance of “whoa-oh-ohs.” Lead singer/keyboardist Alaina Moore let the crew know she was having some problems with her keyboard for the first couple of songs, but she didn’t let any technical issues dampen the afternoon. Moore (jokingly?) suspected airport security sabotaged her keyboard before leaving from Moscow, but it’s hard to imagine anyone damaging anything of Moore’s; she’s too likeable. Breezy surf-pop followed, including the jaunty “Seafarer” and “Robin”, the latter of which borrowed lovingly from “Love” off the Robin Hood soundtrack. -Justin Gerber

Reptar – Google + – 2:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

The Google + Stage got a little bigger this year, which upped the ante for many of the young, fresh-out-the-club bands. Reptar were one of the younger, erm, Rugrats on that stage, and they showed up with heaping portions of excitement and eccentricity to carry their set. They have a kind of Portugal. The Man by way of a Cuisinart blender sound to them, with Graham Ulicney’s vocal performance warranting the most notes. “I’ll get you next time, Gadget,” I wrote about his voice, and for a band whose namesake is a made-up cartoon inside of another kids cartoon show, it felt justified. But add to the odd pot the synth player dancing about in a jet blue unitard, and it all sort of came together in a garagey synth fun house kind of dance party. -Jeremy D. Larson

Foster the People – Sony – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

“This is the most amount of people we’ve ever played in front of before,” said Mark Foster, lead singer/multi-instrumentalist of Foster the People. From the crowd reaction, you’d have thought they were Lolla pros, as the band played instruments ranging from standard guitars to maracas, then had three members playing keyboards/effects simultaneously. No one had a bigger smile on his or her face during day one than Foster, whose onstage dancing was simply infectious, leading to crowd surfing, sing-alongs, and clapping to every beat. Standout songs included the big beats of “Miss You”, a cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”, and set closer “Helena Beat”, which sent the crowd dancing out the exit. -Justin Gerber

Le Butcherettes – Google+ – 3:30 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

“I want to lick your tongues with my loving.” Yep, that’s Teri Gender Bender for ya. Fearless and wild-eyed, the Le Butcherettes singer annihilated both the stage and her body, tossing and turning with antics as erratic and visceral as her cannibalistic punk rock. In a word, it was filthy. But, in two words, we’ll go with filthy sexy. Dangerous yet sludgy cuts of “Dress Off”, “Henry Don’t Got Love”, and new tune “No Owe” left quite a mess on the Google + floorboards, especially as drummer Gabe Serbian threw up water after every other song and bassist Jonathan Hiscke treated the cozy stage as a sauna. They rained sweat. But that’s because they never stopped moving. And although Teri remained barefoot throughout most of the performance–she threw her shoes at her fans, who scooped ‘em up as a prize–she made several advances into the engaging crowd, including some post-show crowd surfing. Punk rock? Perhaps. We’ll just call it violently entertaining… and demand more. -Michael Roffman

Exclusive: Cluster 1 HANGOUT – CoS/C1 correspondents Nick Freed and Michael Roffman hang out with Teri Gender Bender and Jonathan Hiscke at Lollapalooza, pulling crazy hi jinks all around the park. Things get “wild.”

Feed Me – Perry’s – 3:45 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Currently representing deadmau5′s Mau5trap record label, UK’S Jon Gooch broke in the newly renovated Perry’s Stage early Friday under his electro-house/dubstep moniker Feed Me. Gooch kick-started his set by sending effervescent bubbles of electronica, kept aloft with a heavy bass line, across the audience. As the set progressed, Gooch often seemed rushed by the time limitations associated with a festival performance, shuffling between electro-grime, melodic dubstep, and glistening synth runs. As soon as the growing audience could get into a rhythm, Gooch was already pushing a new genre and tempo. Still, there’s little wrong with leaving an audience anxious for a club-setting return. -Derek Staples

Kids These Days – BMI – 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Chicago’s own Kids These Days (KTD) made a well-earned splash with this year’s Hard Times EP, a funky simmer of a debut that seamlessly blended blue-eyed soul, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop. At a breezy 23 minutes, the entirety of the record is usually played at their shows, leaving the rest of the set to be filled in with live mash-ups and newer material, as was the case with their Lolla performance. But while KTD’s musicianship and stage presence is consistently uncanny, the more recent tunes feel somewhat insincere and far-reaching, skirting the band’s genre-melding to lean heavier on rapper Vic Mensa. His latest rhymes go for a harder edge than exhibited on the band’s nostalgic single “My Days”, with an entire song devoted to how much he likes to smoke weed. While he’s surely tried the stuff (hell, maybe he does it a lot) and while there are plenty of classic hip-hop songs about that very topic, it appears he wrote it because he thinks that’s what rappers are supposed to do, as opposed to the words coming out of genuine love for the herb. -Dan Caffrey

Cults – Google + – 4:45 p.m.

Photo by Michael Roffman (via Colorizer)

The sun was angled directly at the crowd, but it was also in the 50′s during Cults. Twee throwback does a body good in the middle of the afternoon, and the original Cults duo of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion punch up their sound a bit live by adding three equally long-haired bandmates. However, it was a tentative performance, with Follin’s voice being swallowed up by the festival setting, and it almost seemed like she was afraid to commit to the politeness of the record. When she went for it on “You Know What I Mean”, it was fantastic, and sound and vocal discrepancies notwithstanding, I left their show feeling just the tops, because while they may not have carved out their live sound yet, they can still rest on the laurels of their outstanding songs. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 – Perry’s – 5:00 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Although relegated to the Lollapalooza dance tent, The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 are led by one of the most skilled and enigmatic musicians today, Bob Rifo. During their epic live performance, the classically trained Rifo manned two stacks of synths, the guitar, bass, and was also the sole vocalist, although that mainly consisted of yelling. With Tommy Tea DJing and Edward Grinch on drums, the trio pumped out an hour of sweat-drenched, punk-inspired, raucous electro-house. As soon as the first few notes of “Warp 1.9″ filled Perry’s, the entire crowd broke into hysteria, forcing those not familiar with a Death Crew experience to scurry toward the back. To keep revelers from overheating, Rifo controlled the set’s tempo with periods of atmospheric house and beautiful synth solos. -Derek Staples

The Mountain Goats – Playstation – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats have been plugging away for years and are finally getting their just due. They snagged a prime, late-afternoon spot this year, and I’m sure made some new fans. The band came onstage to loud metal music—something I’m sure metal fan Darnielle handpicked—and an enthusiastic crowd that grew larger and larger as their set went on. Starting slow with Get Lonely’s “Wild Sage”, they blasted through the opening half of their set, which included “Going to Georgia”, “Charles Bronson”, and “Birth of Serpents”, before Darnielle went solo for crowd favorite “You Were Cool”. He then said, “We haven’t been playing many solo songs on this tour, but I couldn’t do just one solo song, so these others have only been so I could play this for you, Chicago.” He then launched into “Cubs in Five”, a song that most Cubs fans miss the meaning of, I think. Darnielle closed out their energetic set with fan gems “No Children” and “This Year”, which included Jen Wasner from Wye Oak, and a fantastic cover of “Babe” by “a favorite Chicago band of [The Mountain Goats],” Styx. -Nick Freed

A Perfect Circle – Music Unlimited – 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Excerpts from The Sound of Music played just before A Perfect Circle entered the stage. It makes sense in some universe, but the band switched moods quickly enough as the short “Annihilation” led into an even more melancholy version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, with James Iha on keyboards. As the band’s logo took up most of the backdrop, lead singer Maynard James Keenan made his presence known throughout the show by stomping along to either the thudding percussion during “Weak and Powerless” or the crunching guitar of “Pet”. “I’ve done this five times,” Keenan said, referring to previous Lolla gigs. “You’ll probably have to speak up. I’m a little old.” His vocal delivery during the one-two punch of “The Package” and “The Noose” sounded like the same man who graced the Lolla stage nearly two decades earlier. -Justin Gerber

Skrillex – Perry’s – 6:15 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Skrillex, aka Sonny Moore, has spent most of 2011 on the festival scene, but that still doesn’t ensure a smooth set, and the onset of Moore’s Friday performance was very, very rough. After some volume issues, Moore was set to drop the bass on a La Roux “In for the Kill” remix, and with just a single, accidental space bar touch, the track lost all definition and momentum. Moore quickly regained composure and spent the next few minutes blasting ear drums with his signature bass aesthetic. Following fan favorite “Kill Everybody”, Moore brought forward a series of remixes, including House of Pain’s “Everybody Jump” mashed up with DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat” and the Jackson 5′s “One More Chance”. Moore will probably remain best known for his bass music, but when he lets the oscillator rest, turns down the volume a few notches, and expands on his melodic undertones, he will get any club rocking, be it filled with househeads, candy-kids, or nu-disco fans. -Derek Staples

Bright Eyes – Bud Light – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Fans who may be weary of seeing Bright Eyes play a huge festival like this because they don’t want to watch Conor Oberst mope around the stage should eat their words and fears, because Bright Eyes easily nailed one of the best sets all day. They were dynamic, fun, loud, and most of all damn entertaining. The crowd grew louder and more enthusiastic as hit after hit was delivered with a precision and an energy no one was expecting. The set list spanned nearly their entire catalog from The People’s Key’s “Jejune Stars” and “Shell Games” (which Oberst said was for “all the phonies in the audience”) back to Fevers and Mirrors favorite “The Calendar that Hung Itself”. The band expertly adapted normally electronic songs like “Take It Easy” and “Arc of Time” into catchy, beautiful rock songs. Bright Eyes filled the huge space and huge crowd like nothing I was expecting or had seen from such an introverted band. Even the slower songs like “Old Soul Song” and “Land Locked Blues” had an urgency that was captivating. Oberst himself spun like a tornado and ran all over the stage during faster tracks like the fantastic “Road to Joy”. By the set’s conclusion, everyone was left thinking the same thing: “Since when did Bright Eyes become such an amazing stadium rock band?” -Nick Freed

Crystal Castles – Sony – 7:15 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

With the sun still occupying the picturesque Chicago skyline, Ethan Kath and Alice Glass of Crystal Castles could not hide behind their trademark panels of white light. The daylight didn’t seem to affect Kath, who is rarely actually seen producing live, but the fully healed Glass never seemed totally committed to the performance. Maybe that’s because it was just too hard to jump in and out of the crowd due to the elevation and distance from the audience of the Sony stage. Glass did come to life during “Crimewave”, stepping atop the drum kit platform and banging away on live drummer Christopher Chartrand’s cymbals. To the crowd’s enjoyment–and the stage crew’s worry–Glass did make it into the audience for the majority of “Baptism”. But just as the sun dipped and Glass seemed to find a spark, the band stepped offstage at least 20 minutes prior to the set’s scheduled conclusion. A smattering of hardcore fans stayed for several minutes chanting for one more song, but the vast majority had already had enough and were more than ready for Friday night’s headliners. -Derek Staples

Ok Go – Google + – 7:15 p.m.

Photo by Jack Edinger

OK Go‘s crunchy power pop has always been a party, but it didn’t really start kicking until they accompanied it with colorful theatrics such as elaborate music videos and jovial live spectacles. Their dusk performance at Lolla was no different. After taking the stage in their trademark solid, pastel suits amidst a sea of rubber balls and bubbles in the audience, the band chugged through the finest from their catalog, adding whimsical but never overwhelming touches such as crowd sing-alongs with set closer “This Too Shall Pass”. The highlight of the evening was an unexpectedly moving rendition of “Return” performed entirely on hand-bells by all four band members. -Dan Caffrey

Coldplay – Bud Light – 8:30 p.m.

“We’re gonna try to rock your fucking socks off this evening!”, lead singer/guitarist Chris Martin promised near the beginning of Coldplay’s set, their first ever at Lollapalooza. It was an evening of colors; for “Yellow”, yellow lights shined across the sea of thousands. Likewise, a purplish light was served out during “Violet Hill”. Rumors of a Jay-Z cameo, heightened even more thanks to a “99 Problems” intro before the band took the stage, were for naught, though “Lost” was performed to a still-receptive audience without Chris Martin’s besty. Cameos weren’t necessary, though. All the crowd needed to whip itself into a frenzy was a beefed-up “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face”, during which Martin and Co. lined up in front of drummer Will Champion for its pounding buildup.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

But the story of the night was the new songs, which is a risk, especially if you’re headlining. In the same time slot last year, The Strokes stuck to their past glories instead of creating new ones. Coldplay opted to go for it, opening with a laser light show with fireworks for the uplifting “Hurts Like Heaven”, indicating an album full of “Lover in Japan”-esque tunes (compliment). Martin claimed the acoustic “Us Against the World” was inspired by a love affair between Bill O’Reilly and Sarah Palin (he was kidding), and they actually finished their encore with “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”. The new songs sound infinitely better live than they do on computer speakers, so that’s certainly encouraging. Fireworks and new songs wound up bookending the evening, as Coldplay continued to defy the critics and entertain their throngs of fans. -Justin Gerber

Muse – Music Unlimited – 8:15 p.m.

It’s only been four years since Muse last headlined Lollapalooza, and god, how so much has changed. Back then, the English trio were a year out in supporting 2006′s Black Holes and Revelations, and they were coming off an oddball supporting slot for, ahem, My Chemical Romance. Now, they return as arena rock saviors. Why? Blame it on Guitar Hero (“Knights of Cydonia”, anyone?), opening slots for U2, Twilight, the Grammys, or that mediocre 2009 effort, The Resistance. Whatever the case, and suffice it to say, America arrived late.

“Thanks for coming out and seeing us,” Matt Bellamy exclaimed. “We know you had options. You chose the right one.” Did they? Sure, highlights ricocheted in a three-hit punch of “Supermassive Black Hole”, “Hysteria”, and “Map of the Problematique”, with the latter syncing up beautifully to a nearby fireworks display, but lukewarm additions of “Guiding Light” and “United States of Urasia” teleported much of the crowd’s energy–and plenty of fans, who likely trekked north to salvage what was left of Coldplay’s set. The mood just fell flat midway through, and it didn’t pick up until they flirted with the trademark riff of “House of the Rising Sun”, which segued naturally into “Time Is Running Out”. As you could have guessed, they closed with crowd favorite “Knights of Cydonia” but not before dusting off “Plug in Baby”. Ah, there’s another Origin of Symmetry track–they punched out “Citizen Erased” earlier–but where were the rest? We won’t ask about Showbiz, either. Yes, things have changed. -Michael Roffman

Photo by Brad Bretz.

Ratatat – Google + – 8:45 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

While Coldplay took the Bud Light stage and wowed fans with an epic spectacle of fireworks and state-of-the-art lights, Ratatat put on a smaller, but equally dazzling show. The only words uttered by the soft-spoken duo were polite thank yous between songs, allowing the band’s bizarre instrumentals and digital imagery to do the talking for them. As random as the footage from Predator may have seemed, the majority of the audio-visuals conjured an aesthetic of perverse classicism, melding the video game guitar and farting robot keyboards of fan favorites such as “Seventeen Years” with projections of fluorescent busts of Venus placed next to a large black woman dancing in a Hawaiian skirt. Elsewhere, synthesized harpsichord bubbled over the band’s twin electronic drum solos and films of blindfolded chamber musicians. “Wildcat” was the crowd favorite of the night, a sparkling gem of lucid performance art where a film of a rhythmically bouncing necklace transformed into the face of a golden cougar with every canned feline growl in the song. -Dan Caffrey

Girl Talk – Perry’s – 8:45 p.m.

Perry’s Stage came off as either a wicked fun dance party or a shitshow, depending on your personal preferences/level of intoxication. I walked over there, and there were six ambulances, two of which had actual patients in them. I don’t recall anyone passing out during The Mountain Goats, nor did anyone appear to be “rolling hard” at Bright Eyes, but the mood shift was jarring. I arrived just at the end of Afrojack’s set, which–come on, dude. It was like being bludgeoned with an inflatable hammer; it was irritating, immature, and totally predictable. He was self-aggrandizing and flippant onstage, periodically just turning his back to talk to his friends backstage while everyone waited for “that drop.” It was condescending to say the least.

Photo by Will Rice

Then Gregg Gillis bounded onstage, hopped up onto his DJ table, yelled, “Chicago come with me!”, and opened with an unaltered “Oh No” from All Day. Perry’s is where you want to be if you favor sensory stroking due to a state-of-the-art sound and light system that rivals any I’ve seen and a barrage of electronic acts that are down to get your hands up. And to be honest, I was in the the right mood to just turn my mind off and play name that tune with Mr. Gillis. Little did I know that I would only really dig it for a scientifically precise 15 minutes. With the displacement of people moving in and out of the very crowded canopied area, it was hard to really be in the fray without having to stop and let someone out (or worse, someone in). But that’s a part of every fest. What bothered me most about Girl Talk‘s show was that it was just too easy, and it felt like a goddamn wedding reception with people around my half shouting lyrics to MOP’s “Ante Up” or Drama’s “Left, Right, Left”.

Photo by Will Rice

When I go to a wedding, I expect to just get drunk and begrudgingly sing along to songs I really don’t care for. I don’t want to do that at a festival. I think I reached my breaking point when Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” was met with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. People went ape; I moved to the back. The thing I like about Girl Talk are the moments of surprise, and there were precious few at the show. (The Waka’s “Hard in the Paint” with Heart’s “Baracuda” mashup got my attention.) Gillis had to cut his set short due to some sort of security issue, adding that security were “straight being dicks” and disparaging Perry’s Stage; he said that he wished he could play on a regular stage “like a normal band could play.” I kind of felt for him, and perhaps if he were given more time to dig deeper into some different mashups, it would have felt less like I was surrounded by my drunk relatives. He (almost) closed with “Shout”. Do you need more proof that this was like your cousin’s wedding reception? Fun but lacking practically anything to remember it by. -Jeremy D. Larson

Saturday, August 6th

Typhoon – BMI – 1:15 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Shortly after Typhoon began their set, the rain started to come down. Coincidence? Well, yes, but the band managed to fight through the conditions and play through their allotted time slot. The music attempted to reach the production swells of In the Aeroplane over the Sea but fell a bit short. The issue with Typhoon wasn’t necessarily the talent; it was having too much talent on the stage. Thirteen members crammed together on one of the smallest stages of the venue made for a claustrophobic experience. The horn- and string-filled sections weren’t allowed to breathe within a lineup that could be condensed by half. -Justin Gerber

Friendly Fires – Bud Light – 2:15 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

The main thing that drew me into Friendly Fires was Ed Macfarlane’s carefree dance moves. He dances like me, and it’s proven (somewhere) that we like things that we can associate with. In addition to the Gumby white-boy dance, Friendly Fires played essential festival music: feel-good, sun-kissed dance tunes with nothing but positive vibes. The fact that their whole show made me forget about how anti-kinetic their album is on speakers was a formidable feat. There may even have been some shivers up and down my arms during “Hawaiian Air”. It’s hard to reject something that uplifting, even if at times they border on 30 Seconds To Mars-esque mugging and cringe-worthy lyrics. (“A thousand butterflies from your lips to mine” makes me angry.) 2:30 p.m. big, happy dance party achieved. -Jeremy D. Larson

Dom – Google+ – 3:30 – 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

I’m still not sure who’s gonna win the Lolla cover battle, but a strong contender might be Dom‘s take on The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry”. I get it, though. I know smaller bands throw in covers so people are like, “What’s that one band that did The Cure?” “Dom, I think.” “Oh yeah, those guys are pretty good, too.” And they are, with their could-give-a-fuck amalgam of sounds from lo-fi garage to chillwave beach tunes, which prevents me from comparing them to any other band. Highlight “Burn Bridges” has this arena chorus that belies the rest of their DIY aesthetic, which makes me think they’ll be on to bigger and later set times throughout their career. -Jeremy D. Larson

TBD Special Guest – Kidzapalooza – 3:45 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Let’s look at the timeline, shall we? 2005: Peter DiStefano & Perry Farrell/Saul Williams & Ladybug, 2006: Patti Smith, 2007: Jim James, Patti Smith, Ben Harper, 2008: Jeff Tweedy, Rogue Wave, Perry Farrell & Slash (complete with cigarette, if memory serves correct), and G Love, 2009: Yuto Miyazawa, 2010: The Verve Pipe, and for 2011? Little Hurricane. Not that anyone’s going to hang out at the Kidzapalooza stage for hours on end, but the surprise guest has always been a fun little break at the festival. This year, it was a letdown, especially given the celebrity presence in Grant Park. Sadly, many left an otherwise tight little set from the San Diego duo. Hard to blame them. Again, it’s just Kidzapalooza, but something special was slightly lost. -Michael Roffman

The Chain Gang of 1974 – BMI – 3:45 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Frontman Kamtin Mohager, smoking a cigarette and dressed semi-Goth, may have given off the perception that this was going to be a dour 45 minutes. Quite the contrary. “It’s a fucking honor to be here,” Mohager declared, and you’d believe him as he launched into “Heartbreakin’ Scream”. The Chain Gang of 1974 launched into a set that had the crowd hopping up and down from the get-go. The reaction to the New Wave-tinged dance music was only enhanced when Mohager brought his mic stand with him into the crowd for “Devil Is a Lady”. There was a dance party at four o’clock in the afternoon inside a forested area. Must be Lollapalooza. -Justin Gerber

PerryEtty vs. Chris Cox – Perry’s – 3:45 p.m.

Photo by Steve Wruble

As if Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell would expand his titular tent to roughly the size of a football field and not take at least one stab at ultra-stimulating the constantly packed crowd. Farrell has long been comfortable with a DJ set–just watch footage of early DJ Peretz–but people still flocked to the tent with hopes of catching the legendary frontman in front of the decks, and he definitely did not disappoint. With Chris Cox spinning the tracks seemingly solo, Farrell was busy fist pumping, supplying vocals, and performing with his wife and third member of the collective, Etty Lau Farrell. The electro set was decent, and with the exception of Farrell at the helm, it did not stand out among the rest of Perry’s international talent. Most likely, PerryEtty vs. Chris Cox will make a return at Lolla 2012, hopefully with a companion Porno for Pyros or Satellite Party set to keep Farrell occupied throughout the weekend. -Derek Staples

Death From Above 1979 – Bud Light – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Canadian duo Death From Above 1979 have released exactly one studio album, 2004′s universally acclaimed, dance metal thrasher You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. The group disbanded citing creative differences, and their recent reunion has been one of the most hyped acts at Lolla. However, their set, while energetic, displayed little chemistry between the members. It’s always a marvel to see how many twisted sounds Jesse F. Keeler can pull from his bass, and drummer/vocalist Sebastian Grainger blazed through spastic yet scary cuts such as the album’s title track and “Romantic Lights” with precision and snarl, but their apathetic communication made you wonder how much fun they were really having. -Dan Caffrey

Big Audio Dynamite – Music Unlimited – 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

There were several elder statesmen represented at Lollapalooza this year, and though Big Audio Dynamite definitely fit the bill as “elders,” their youthful energy was impossible to dismiss. They began with a revved-up version of “Medicine Show”, which saw frontman Mick Jones slinking back and forth across the stage as he’s been doing for over 30 years. “This is the first B.A.D. song we ever wrote,” Jones informed the crowd before beginning “The Bottom Line”. The reception to that song was only surpassed by that for set closer “Rush”. The mud that stuck on people’s shoes, sandals, and feet was being kicked up into the air by the time that classic was ringing out of the Music Unlimited Stage. -Justin Gerber

The Drums – Google + – 4:45 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Many people think The Drums are from the UK, and rightly so as their records could fall right in line with New Order or The Cure. But live they add a drummer, and their sound takes a direct flight to their actual home of NYC with Television bass lines and J. Casablancas swagger. The sort of lackadaisical ennui that singer Jonathan Pierce exudes is dampened by a sneaking suspicion that you could probably kick his ass if you wanted to, which makes his stumbling around the stage and limp posture actually kind of endearing. New song “Money” created the most tenacious earworm of the day and also sees the band taking steps toward carving out their own sound that comes out ahead of post-punk and New Wave revival acts. -Jeremy D. Larson

Exclusive: The Drums Interview – Frontman Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham discuss the new LP, changes in sound, and shifts in lineup.

Local Natives – Sony – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Taylor Rice is related to John Oates, right? Winner of this year’s Best ‘Stache goes to the Local Natives frontman, who led the lineup through their Vampire Weekend-meets-Fleet Foxes musical stylings. “Camera Talk” started things off on the right foot, and you can’t deny the afro-pop sensibilities. “This is insane!” Rice exclaimed. “This is the biggest crowd we’ve played by far.” He echoed the sentiments of Foster the People’s Mark Foster from the day before. Humbled and gracious is the best way to describe the young acts that played Lollapalooza. And mustached. -Justin Gerber

Chuckie – Perry’s – 5:45 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

So, when exactly did moshing and crowd surfing become part of the dance music community? Because I definitely missed the memo. Sure, the bass monsters, like Friday performer Skrillex, can get revelers heated, but one would expect the hip-hop/house arrangements courtesy of Surinese-Dutch DJ Chuckie to result in a more subtle dance party. Chuckie’s deep-house set began with a remix of David Guetta’s “One Love”, then flowed into a mashup of his own “I Like the Way You Move to the Drum” with Justice vs. Simian’s “We Are Your Friends”. Other remixes included Daft Punk’s “Around the World”, the crowd-pleaser “Where’s Your Head At”, originally done by The Bassment Jaxx, Dead Prez’s “Bigger Than Hip Hop”, and “Warp 1.9″, which many in attendance recalled from the Bloody Beetroots’ Friday performance. Chuckie cultivated an amazing flow, but next time, a tiny bit more dancing room would be much appreciated. -Derek Staples

Ellie Goulding – Google + – 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

It happens every year at Lollapalooza: A big fish swims in a small pond. For 2011, the tradition continues with the UK’s latest addictive export, Ellie Goulding. Through power pop numbers “Lights”, “Salt Skin”, and “Starry Eyed”, the 24-year-old multi-instrumentalist — yep, she sings, plays guitar, and hits a drum (sometimes) –bottled up the hearts of every male and female that walked by the Google + Stage. Was it really that hard, though? Try watching one of Goulding’s videos; within two minutes you’re in love. Now, imagine what it’s like onstage. If her cute-as-hell wardrobe didn’t win you over (Those leopard print platform shoes? Puh-lease!), then her little sound bites worked their magic. When she exclaimed, “You’ve been fucking brilliant,” a thousand Americans let her know she’s more than welcome in the States. Some might have offered her a place to stay, too, but yeah, let’s not go there. -Michael Roffman

Lykke Li – Google + – 7:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

The Google + Stage was blessed with the presence of two great back-to-back pop acts. After Ellie Goulding pawed at the crowd, Swedish femme Lykke Li made us work a little harder. Her gothic undertones and tom-centric grooves are easily digestable pop fare but far less “Baby you’re a firework!” than her contemporaries. The allure of Lykke Li is that gothic danger lurking beneath those hooks, made evident by her slithering about the stage in her flowing outfit–sultry and sad. When Li strummed the zither on “I Know Places”, the crowd was rapt in the newborn power being infused in the song. Not long after, though, we’re back to Li attacking her tom and getting everyone moving and shaking to “Youth Knows No Pain” mixed with Kanye’s “Power”. It was a great, brooding set that was as uplifting as it was noir. (n.b. Her cover of The Drifters’ “Please Stay” was inspired, fine, but a far cry from some of the other covers heard at the fest.) -Jeremy D. Larson

My Morning Jacket – Bud Light – 8:00 p.m.

My Morning Jacket is no stranger to the festival circuit, and they were a highly anticipated headliner for day two. The crowd at the Bud Light Stage consisted of fans that had been camped out most of the day waiting for the high-energy jammers to blow them away. When the time came, Jim James and company blasted onto the stage with the opening track to Circuital, “Victory Dance”, and barely took time to breathe as they barreled through song after song. James gave the band a five-minute break to tell the story about how his first concert experience was at Lollapalooza in 1994 and how it was “fucking amazing” to be playing here now in 2011. That was the only break they took.

Photo by Debi Del Grande

The set included tunes from their last four albums all played at a fevered and energetic pitch–everything from new tracks like “Circuital” and crowd favorite “Holdin on to Black Metal” to older tracks “Gideon” and “One Big Holiday”, the latter of which was used as an epic closing jam session. Jim James maintained a breakneck energy level throughout, jumping around the stage, shaking violently like a joyous born-again, and even adding a rock star knee slide across the stage that was met with crowd uproar and a stagehand placing a James Brown-esque cape over his shoulders. In the end, the crowd seemed completely content with the amazing set, while the band was soaked head to toe in sweat: a true sign of a job well done. -Nick Freed

Pretty Lights – Perry’s – 8:30 p.m.

More than ever, the Pretty Lights moniker is fitting for Derek Vincent Smith’s unique fusion of funk, soul, and electro. Perched atop a wall of ever-changing visuals, Smith bangs away at his controllers and dual laptops, as multiple towers of light dazzle grind-happy, well-baked fans. Due to the complexity of the new rig–a look of concern was recognizable on the face of at least one of the stage crew–Smith took the stage 10 minutes late but was still received with a boisterous reaction.

Photo by Derek Staples

With only an hour to perform, Smith shelved his growing list of popular music remixes, choosing instead to start the set with “High School Art Class”, and then he continued to fill the city’s skies with tracks from across his already expansive catalog, including “How We Do” and the Chicago-inspired “More Important Than Michael Jordan” off of Filling Up the City Skies, Passing By Behind Your Eyes‘ ”Sunday School”, and the hip-hop-heavy ”Hot Like Dimes” from Spilling Over Every Side. The vibrant set selection kept the earlier moshers at bay, offering those up front with a sense of relief and a little more safety in cozying up with friends old and new. -Derek Staples

Eminem – Music Unlimited – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Ashley Garmon

A vast majority of those Lollapaloo’ers squeezed into Grant Park’s South Side on Saturday night were raised on Eminem. Hell, my first CD purchase was his 1999 breakout, The Slim Shady LP. But the days of Eminem as Slim Shady/Stan/a captivating yet terrifying rapper who blew minds and caused a generation to bleach their hair (me included) left us long ago. Unfortunately, the Detroit-bred rapper has struggled to find a new identity–sobriety and maturity are double-edged swords–and his headlining performance at Lollapalooza was both unfocused and uninspiring.

The 90-minute set was in part a real-time commercial for Relapse; Eminem’s hype man, D12′s Mr. Porter (aka Kon Artis), has no qualms of squeezing a CD sales pitch into the middle of every song. Another 15 minutes were dedicated to hearing how loud the crowd could scream. Right after Eminem reached back to two of his most exposing narratives, “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” and “The Way I Am”, pop super star Bruno Mars showed up for a good 180 seconds, dishing out a glitzy chorus for Bad Meets Evil’s “Lighters”. There was a tribute to Nate Dogg, then a brief performance of Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor” (sans Dr. Dre). And then, for the most uncomfortable part of the performance, Eminem “tried” to “relapse.”

“I love Chicago so much because Chicago and Detroit are so close to one another, there are so many similarities,” Eminem explained. Apparently, this provided a good enough reason to relive the glory days by “relapsing,” with Eminem then asking the crowd, “Can I relapse with you tonight?” It gets better: After swigging a giant bottle of voda, he proceeded to “leak” through his hoodie. “Give my man a hand for staying sober this long,” followed Kon Artis. Not even his 8 Mile acting chops could save this one.

Eminem relapsed anyway, capping off his set with “My Name Is”, “The Real Slim Shady”, and “Without Me”. For the encore, the rapper dished out his underdog anthem “Lose Yourself”; the song ends with the line “You can do anything you set your mind to.” If Eminem’s goal was to awkwardly bridge two eras that couldn’t be more different, then mission accomplished. -Alex Young

Photo by Dave Mead

Beirut – Google + – 8:45 p.m.

Photo by Debi Del Grande

I have never seen a crowd go nuts for trumpets. Trumpets! Every time Beirut‘s Zach Condon and his horn section would put those things to their lips, people just screamed as if doleful gypsy/mariachi music was the only answer for anything ever. When Condon and his fellow horn section about-faced, stood bolt-upright, and sounded off on “The Shrew”, it was like the crowd was welcoming a guest artist onstage. But, you know, classically trained musicians and composers getting a chance to show off in a headlining spot at Lollapalooza certainly is an occasion worth honoring at every opportunity.

Beirut’s show was a virtuosic display of musicianship, songwriting, and showmanship all while not shoving theatrics and hype down the crowd’s throat (and considering who they were up against, there was a very big turnout for these guys). Condon’s wealth of talent reared its head at every turn, from the drunken waltzes of their earlier material to the chamber-pop celebrations from their latest LP, Rip Tide. The die-hards swooned and sang along to the classics like “Elephant Gun” and the heart-squeezer “Postcards From Italy”, the latter of which purportedly underscored a marriage proposal in the audience. It was a perfect setting for Beirut, not too big to get swallowed but big enough for their strident brass to echo through the crowd.

Photo by Debi Del Grande

I think “East Harlem” might be the best song they’ve recorded, and hopefully it’ll flex a bit more live in the future, as it leaves plenty of room for some improvisation. My only qualm with Beirut’s show is that it seemed scripted and stiff at times. For as talented as everyone is, I’m surprised they didn’t take the opportunity to unpackage their songs a bit more and let sections of songs breathe into the night. Having a tight show has its perks, though, like keeping the Lolla audience rapt for an entire show plus encore. Must be the trumpets. -Jeremy D. Larson

Titus Andronicus – Reggie’s – 11:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

I’ve seen Titus Andronicus five or six times now and was kind of just going to see them raze a small club, but it turns out that it was a pretty special show, as the NJ arena punkers trotted out two new songs. Both were (comparatively) shorter, furious, east coast drunken punk burners, so get excited for that. Of note, too, was the new bass player, who blended well with the group, the commitment Patrick Stickles still has to these golden songs he’s been playing for well over a year on the road, and the cover of Nirvana’s “Breed”, which, if they forgo at Lolla, will be the worst decision they’ve ever made. Another great Titus show in the books. -Jeremy D. Larson

Foo Fighters – Metro – 11:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

“I gotta be honest,” a sweaty, breathless Dave Grohl digressed. “I was kind of looking forward to this, instead.” He wasn’t alone in his sentiments. As the lucky hundreds attested, Foo Fighters‘ Saturday pre-show at the Metro–announced less than 72 hours prior–may have set an unapproachable benchmark for the weekend. With a full performance of the band’s latest acclaimed LP, Wasting Light, a rotary’s worth of hits, and one dazzling opening set by The Joy Formidable to boot, well, you sort of forget about the dried mud on your shoes and ankles.

Amicable as ever, Grohl ingested the surrounding die-hard fanaticism feverishly. It was rare to see him without that hyena-like smile of his or without a chummy quote that always incited laughter. He couldn’t help but note the difference in setting, especially since his arena rocking troupe would be performing to thousands a mere 21 hours later. “You see, tomorrow night we only got two hours, but tonight we can play for as long as we fucking want.” Enthusiastic roars were near-deafening. It was a mini arena rock show.

After being tied down to the stage for Wasting Light and dishing out seven solid hits (“All My Life”, “Learn to Fly”, and “The Pretender”, to name a few), the straggly hair guru abandoned his post during the jammy midsection of “Stacked Actors”, appearing on the balcony above to duel on his guitar with Chris Shiflett, who remained onstage below. Think Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen connects with his fans? Try this on for size: To get back to the stage, Grohl handed his Gibson to adoring fans below, where he trusted them to deliver it to him onstage as he made his way back. It was returned sans a knob, but hey, it was the thought that counted.

The midnight oil could only burn for so long. Two-and-a-half hours in, even Grohl seemed wrecked, adding, “How many songs are we doing? Shiiit.” Still, Taylor Hawkins, more or less a mustachioed drum machine at this point, managed to ignite an electrified closer in “Everlong”. There was no following that. Before he walked off, Grohl waved and said, “Thank you for letting us practice with you.” No problemo; just keep us in the loop for next rehearsal. -Michael Roffman

Gallery by Heather Kaplan

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Sunday, August 7th

The Joy Formidable – Bud Light – 1:00 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

The sun was bright for the Welsh trio’s set, and they met the heat with a towering wall of poppy guitar-gaze and pysch.Ritzy Bryan’s vocals are sharp and powerful, dwarfed only by the sheer volume she pulls from her guitar. It sounded like 100 Fender Strats coming out of the speaker, especially during the second half of “Austere” where the guitar tones were so thick you could have stood on them. Her happiness and elation to be playing Lollapalooza was endearing, and she played for keeps during the finale and smashed that magic guitar against a gong upstage as three black cat heads inflated around the band. A perfect primer to a a very rock-centric day. -Jeremy D. Larson

Rival Schools – Playstation – 1:45 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

And I didn’t really want Joy Formidable to end, so I kind of approached Rival Schools with a bit of a “you don’t love me like my real dad does” vibe. They are in many ways like a step-parent, trying their best to fit in and do a good job appealing to everyone, but it just isn’t the same as, well, real music. It wasn’t as bad as all that, but it was a rather toothless outing that could desperately have used at least some hardcore touches that the band members tout in their artist bio. I think those corners could be sharpened a bit to just get out of the murky waters of indie pop-punk. -Jeremy D. Larson

Exclusive: Rival Schools Interview – Frontman Walter Schreifels discusses what’s next for Rival Schools, festivals and touring, and the alleged third studio LP from Quicksand.

Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses – Music Unlimited – 2:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Ryan Bingham and his bandmates came dressed for a show at a local pub, with Bingham’s cowboy boots as their most telling accessory. They wound up playing one of the main stages at Lollapalooza and kept the audience involved with their alt-country brand. The extended jam during the mid-tempo “Bluebird” saw their lead guitarist attempt to jump upon a speaker, only to slip off in spectacular fashion. He leapt back up and kept playing through the rest of the song, the crowd roaring with approval. The weather was at its hottest during this set, the sun at its brightest, but it wouldn’t last much longer. -Justin Gerber

Lia Ices – BMI – 2:30 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

First, Lia Ices is wearing an evening gown, which effectively makes everyone in the crowd look like her hand servants. Second, the lovely Ms. Ices should really be surrounded by melty wax candles and flowing, slow-motion fabric. As an unapologetic balladeer, Ices cooed and crooned into the shade of the small BMI Stage, evoking a Tori Amos timbre often but adding her own unique vocal quirks–like a quick leap into her upper register at the end of a phrase. If you wanted an escape from the clamor of eager-beaver rock and roll, Ices’ melancholic dirges were your best bet. Her version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” felt right at home, which is not often said when that song is touched on at a festival. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Sony – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Shortly after three in the afternoon, the sugary synths of “Heart in Your Heartbreak” coated the fetid southern fields, where New York’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart reconstructed its latest LP, Belong, onstage. With a crowd as apathetic as the band’s music, frontman Kip Berman kept things relatively “chill”, leaving most of the talking to keyboardist Peggy Wang. It wasn’t like he had a chance to speak, either. Thick slices of distortion concealed much of Berman’s vocals, especially on 90′s burners like “Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now”, “My Terrible Friend”, and “Come Saturday”. It was odd seeing an act that capitalizes on moody noise pop both outdoors and under a lethal, unforgiving sun–though, in hindsight, somewhat humorous, given the sludgy downpours that would follow hours later. However, the quintet’s ample followers enjoyed the set, even clapping at a few beats, which is more than anyone should expect from a shoegazing crowd. Wang appreciated this, exclaiming, “This is the best crowd we’ve ever had.” Well, they have that…which is nice. -Michael Roffman

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Jr. – Google + – 3:15 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Shtick aside (and that may take a while ), Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have the most chutzpa out of any young band I saw at Lollapalooza. Their carpe diem attitude was so sincere I almost pitied them, and I would have if it weren’t for their fully fleshed-out live show complete with perhaps the most fun cover of the weekend, Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love”. Thousands of bubbles blew out from the front of their stage while they delivered happy-go-lucky indie synth-pop that drew more and more people in by the minute. Though they will probably be remembered as the band with the “Your Ad Here” t-shirts, the skeleton-masked helpers, and their band name alone, their closer “Nothing But Our Love” was a damn near perfect song. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Cars – Music Unlimited – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

It’s easy to rag on a group of four old guys. It’s easier when the four old guys act, well, old. For all the hoopla surrounding their reunion, one would like to think Ric Ocasek returned to The Cars for a reason. If one were to find that reason at Lollapalooza, they’d be hard-pressed. With perfect weather and a hungry audience, the legendary Boston quartet had the perfect opportunity to repeat what Devo accomplished in 2010: reclaim their fame. Unfortunately, given the snail-like renditions of “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” early on, it quickly became apparent that wasn’t going to be the case. To be fair, keyboardist Greg Hawkes at least made some attempts to kick things up a notch, but it was the stoic nature of Ocasek that soured things. The prolific songwriter lurched forward through each hit as if he were a depressed animatronic on display, hardly acknowledging his dedicated fans or his music. By the time “Just What I Needed” or “Moving in Stereo” whizzed by, so did the crowds. -Michael Roffman

12th Planet – Perry’s – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

Touted as America’s first king of dubstep, 12th Planet (born John Dadzie) didn’t work into his set, he simply took to the controls and performed a brand-new dubstep production. With the track blasting, Dadzie stepped atop his setup and hyped the crowd of bass fiends. In between his own bass-heavy electro production, Dadzie once again delivered a slowed-down, chopped-up remix of The Bloody Beetroots’ “Warp 1.9″ to the Perry’s faithful and closed out his set with “All of the Lights” by Kanye West, Rihanna, and the evening’s stage closer, KiD CuDi. Throughout the performance, Dadzie was continually working the crowd, getting the audience to jump, calling out beat drops, and spending a considerable amount of time at the front of the stage communicating with fans. -Derek Staples

Cage the Elephant – Playstation – 5:15 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

As Sunday afternoon strolled by, the northern section of Grant Park hosted some of its largest crowds–just as a conglomerate of deadly clouds circulated nearby. Perhaps it was a combination of Flogging Molly fans leaving that band’s set at the Bud Light Stage and the influx of fans turning out for the Cage the Elephant‘s program, but whatever the reason, it was an ocean of sticky flesh for as far as the eye could see. Opening song “In One Ear” grabbed everyone’s attention, though the line “We ain’t got the tunes that’s goin’ to put us on the map” was apparently inaccurate. Halfway through the set, those trusty clouds delivered, and the rain came pouring down. However, like every other act, the band played on. The difference? You can’t beat that hungry, dedicated crowd; no wonder Matthew Shultz jumps into them religiously.  -Justin Gerber

Best Coast – Google + – 5:45 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

Best Coast may have had one of the poppiest sounds at Lollapalooza, but the band was greeted with a torrential downpour that lasted for the entirety of their set. “You can tell your grandkids that you saw a band known for singing about the sun play in the rain at Lollapalooza in 2011,” joked frontwoman Bethany Cosentino. Older audience members (CoS staff included) huddled under umbrellas while gangs of teenagers jubilantly skanked and played in the mud, all while the band blazed through California pop punk gems such as “Bratty B” and the apt-titled “When the Sun Don’t Shine”. The music itself was moodier than on record, with Cosentino’s vocals and Bob Bruno’s guitar both taking on a more ghostly tone. The spacious sound made for compelling juxtaposition; melancholy renditions of sunny songs played in the rain while a celebration happened in the mud. Rays of sun burst through the trees as soon as closer “When I’m With You” began, capping off one of the most memorable and uplifting sets of the festival. -Dan Caffrey

Busy P – Perry’s – 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Derek Staples

Pedro Winter, better known in clubs worldwide as Busy P, is the manager/owner of France’s Ed Banger Records and is currently on a mission to bring real dance music back to the United States. Winter’s electro-house tracks kept the bass on medium, with more emphasis on the middle and high end, resulting in bright bangers more fit for booty shaking than crowd surfing. The pinnacle of the performance came near the end when the first few bars of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” crept over the loud speakers, and the entire crowd screamed the first few verses in their entirety. Let’s all hope that some more French-electro makes its way to Lolla 2012. Well, one big name would do. -Derek Staples

Arctic Monkeys – Music Unlimited – 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

The rain from early in the morning returned late afternoon and soaked all concertgoers straight through what limited clothing they had and turned the field in front of the Music Unlimited Stage into a stinking mud pit. Unfortunately, it also delayed the Arctic Monkey’s set for nearly 20 minutes. The boys from “Highfield, Sheffield, Australia” (as lead singer Alex Turner put it) didn’t let the delay ruin their moment. After blasting through new song “Library Pictures”, Turner returned to the mic to say, “Thank you all so much. We have a short amount of time, so we’re just going to get to it.” The band sounded tight, and Turner was playful and upbeat. The set included highlights “She’s Thunderstorms” (Turner dedicated it to Mother Nature with a fantastic, sardonic laugh), “Crying Lightning”, and set closer “When the Sun Goes Down”. They were the perfect band to get the crowd to shake off the water and mud in order to get back to the business of rocking. -Nick Freed

Modeselektor – Perry’s – 6:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Lollapalooza

One of the bonuses of a DJ set is the lack of set change-over time. Not even two minutes after Busy P left the table, Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary of Modeselektor were already declaring the benefits of “German engineering.” The duo’s set was unlike any performance beneath the massive tent over the three-day festival, based predominantly in mid-tempo IDM. The 75-minute set was mixed atop earth-rattling bass, and neither Bronsert nor Szary were thinking about letting up, even as a torrential downpour soaked everyone in attendance. Modeselektor demonstrated just how much they love their audience as they flipped everyone the bird during “Black Block”; we all chose to take it as a compliment. As the crowd dispersed to seek shelter from the rain, or catch the day’s headliners, the duo had one powerful request: “We need the bass drum! We need the hardcore!”  The rare American performance featured custom visualizations, including the ape face, dripping blood over a static whiteout, and a dark forest scene near the set’s conclusion. -Derek Staples

Explosions in the Sky – Sony – 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Unlike Best Coast, whose sunny sound was fascinatingly offset by the rain, Explosions in the Sky is characterized by dramatic instrumental sweep that felt right at home in the storm. As the band energetically thrashed through opuses of cinematic ether, the clouds swirled, and the mud thickened. When they closed with “The Only Moment We Were Alone”, one couldn’t help but picture the Dillon Panthers trudging through the state playoffs and heartbreak with the band’s fans on the field. -Dan Caffrey

Foo Fighters – Music Unlimited – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

After a merciful reprieve, the rain returned a few songs into Foo Fighters’ headlining performance. Dave Grohl wasn’t phased. “I don’t give a fuck if it’s raining tonight,” he howled to the thousands of adoring fans getting drenched. The feeling was mutual, as plenty leapt up and down throughout the band’s set – especially on a rousing, iconic cut of “My Hero”, just as the torrential downpour hit the hardest. A jam session during “Stacked Actors” put My Morning Jacket to shame, and the chaotic lights during “White Limo” rivaled that of Coldplay’s performance two nights earlier (well, maybe not that so much).

Photo by Heather Kaplan

After playing nearly three hours the night before, the ageless group didn’t seem to be dealing with any exhaustion. Grohl still delivered his screams and shouts during every song but dialed back when the moment called for it, notably for the solo-electric intro to “Times Like These”, before the band returned to blast the song into the rain-soaked fans. As for the new songs, “Bridges Burning” proved to be a worthy intro, and “Walk” seems destined to become a staple for future live shows. Foo Fighters stole the weekend with their passionate shows at the Metro late Saturday night and the Music Unlimited Stage on Sunday. Hell, they might have stolen the whole year. -Justin Gerber

deadmau5 – Bud Light – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Brad Bretz

It has been rare for an electronic artist to headline at Lollapalooza, so deadmau5 seemingly had something to prove Sunday evening. Wearing his customary LED-laden mau5head, deadmau5 (aka Joel Zimmerman) was surrounded by visualizers. Like the tension and acceleration of a deadmau5 performance, the visualizers were only meant to highlight the tracks, not as a crutch to make the set palpable. Zimmerman chose not to bring along a live drummer for the set, a feature that has prevailed during his sets at other electronic festivals, but he did bring along vocalist SOFI. Roughly midway through the performance, the lovely SOFI came onstage to sing “SOFI Needs a Ladder” followed by  ”One Trick Pony”, each off deadmau5′s latest album, 4×4=12.

Photo by Brad Bretz

After SOFI left the stage, Zimmerman paid tribute to another legendary electronic Lollapalooza headliner by remixing “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk. Next, Zimmerman traded the mau5head for a white bed sheet for “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff”, which also featured giant Pac-Man-esque blobs floating their way around the stage. But a deadmau5 set is more than progressive-house thumpers. Zimmerman mixed in electrifying piano/synth runs, techno tracks, and the surprisingly refreshing “Raise Your Weapon”. And the mau5 did it all while sporting an ironic kitty tee. -Derek Staples

The Culture of Lollapalooza – Part 1

Gallery by Brad Bretz

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The Culture of Lollapalooza – Part 2

Gallery by Heather Kaplan

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Lollapalooza by Windows Phone

Images created using Apict & Colorizer

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After pushing up the digitial release for their much-anticipated new album, Zach Condon and Beirut have further tempted those holding out for physical copies by streaming The Rip Tide in full over at NPR’s First Listen. The nine-track, Balkan folk extravaganza is available here in its entirety until it hits brick and mortaer stores on August 30th via Pompeii Records. Score one for digital music.

Because of the quality of headliners Osheaga attracted in 2010, it necessitated an expansion to three full days, a move that proved to be an unqualified success. (Just ask the beer and merchandise vendors!) It was an eventful weekend. The vibe was off the charts, the food was great, beer was literally brought to you, there were spectacular fireworks, and there was even a wedding presided over by Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. Remember what they say: Whatever happens in Montreal…ends up on Consequence of Sound! And the best part of all? Looks like Osheaga is here to stay – The 2012 edition is already scheduled for August 3rd-5th next year!

-Gilles Leblanc
Staff Writer

Friday, July 29th

Sweet Thing – Galaxie Tree Stage – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Toronto pop rockers Sweet Thing got the sixth edition of the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival off to a flying start – Literally! Charismatic lead singer Owen Carrier seemed determined to fire up everyone gathered at the scenic Tree Stage for the long weekend ahead. He let some patrons up front shake his streamer-laden tambourine, and he also took a swig from a unsuspecting festivalgoer’s beer. I don’t think he left a tip, but here’s one from me to you… Check Sweet Thing out, especially the song “Change of Seasons”, recently featured in the trailer for Crazy, Stupid Love. -Gilles Leblanc

Kid Koala – BlackBerry River Stage – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

After Kid Cudi’s cancellation, due to illness the morning of the festival, the festival managed to find another Kid…albeit in a koala bear costume. “I am not Kid Cudi,” Kid Koala announced through some booing from the audience before he launched into a light DJ set. Due to the last minute booking of his performance, he didn’t have his laptop with him, forcing him to stick to old fashioned record spinning at the turntable. Vintage yet unsuccessful, leaving much of the crowd to dissipate. Oh well. -Stewart Wiseman

Lights – Sennheiser Green Stage – 4:20 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Lights is the alias for Valerie Poxleitner, a lovely young girl from the same Northern Ontario town as Shania Twain. She plays cutesy electro pop with a tinge of guitar, which the young women not already at the main stage area for Eminem ate up. I don’t mean to accuse her of something like this, as she’s obviously talented, but it looked like her mic was on a bit too much of a fade at times, if you know what I mean (as in she MAY have been lip-synching). I caught her later happily posing for pictures at the artist’s entrance, so all is well as far as her fans are concerned! -Gilles Leblanc

The Knux – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 4:40 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

After a short DJ set, New Orleans’ own The Knux were welcomed to the stage with the crowd shouting “Knux! Knux! Knux! Knux!”. Oddly enough, the fanfare died down and festivalgoers remained rather stoic, despite suggestions by an energetic Krispy. But, here’s an act that’s different than many in the highly contested genre. For one, the members can fill in on instruments when they’re not rhyming. During “Capuccino”, Joey laid some guitar solos down that worked behind Krispy’s flow. It was this versatility that brought the crowd up again, and by the time they reached “Bang Bang”, their closer for the set, the crowd knew they were seeing quality rappers with a bright future to come. -Stewart Wiseman

Uncle Bad Touch – Galaxie Tree Stage – 5:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

No creepy, incestuous in-laws back at the Tree Stage, just some straightforward, honest-to-goodness garage rock by a band from Montreal titillatingly called Uncle Bad Touch. With a healthy dose of Led Zeppelin thrown in. Not only that, two of their four members are female, including a tambourine player named Julia who was making her debut with them. And I found out from singer/bassist ‘Mikey’ that they’re coming to Toronto in a few weeks to play a free show with Parlovr – Formidable! -Gilles Leblanc

Charles Bradley – BlackBerry River Stage – 5:20 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

At 63 years old, it’s a wonder why Charles Bradley wasn’t discovered earlier. At Osheaga, the new legend performed one of the most beloved sets of the weekend, and songs like the soul stirring “This World (Is Going Up In Flames)” had the whole audience grooving along. The good vibes carried out until the end, when Bradley finished his set with a surprise cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”, reworked in an unimaginable soul comb over. That sent the Canadians over the edge – but also Bradley himself. The grateful look in his eyes hinted that he’s finally found his place in music: amongst the great soul voices of our time. -Stewart Wiseman

Broken Social Scene – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 6:10 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

The Canadian indie-rock pioneers attracted the first big crowd of the day, and vocalist Kevin Drew thanked Montreal for how well they’ve been treated over the last 10 years, stating how the band can always depend on the city to be there for them. Opening with “KC Accidental”, Broken Social Scene bled out their trademark raw energy, issuing solid cuts of “Forced to Love”, “Texico Bitches”, and a cover of Modest Mouse’s “The World At Large”. A couple of surprises, though. For “Almost Crimes” (off 2002′s You Forgot It in the People), Brendan Canning invited local singer Arielle Engle to join in for the biggest rocker of the set. And while “World Sick” didn’t make the 50 minute set, they did throw in “Meet Me in the Basement”, performed by not so much a band but better yet a tight family that maintains a very healthy relationship. -Stewart Wiseman

Bran Van 3000 – BlackBerry River Stage –  7:05 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

With Kid Cudi withdrawing due to illness, recently reunited Montreal collective Bran Van 3000 moved up a slot. It became somehow appropriate that they followed Broken Social Scene, as you could argue that they were the late-’90s precursor to BSS’ formation in Toronto, only more electronic. When telling other music fans that I was going to Osheaga, I was surprised to hear how many people not only remembered BV3, but wished they could come with me to hear songs like “Drinking in L.A.” (from their 1997 album Glee). Newer stuff from their 2010 comeback The Garden was very well received too, namely “Grace (Love on the Block)” and “Jahrusalem”, which incorporate rapping/hip hop along with costumes on stage. One girl dressed up like a peacock! -Gilles Leblanc

Joseph Arthur – Sennheiser Green Stage – 7:15 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

So it didn’t draw the most, but Joseph Arthur held quite an intimate evening set. The Akron, OH folk singer started the block in nontraditional fashion – by painting. After finishing a modernist Picasso-esque piece, Arthur turned to his band of foot pedals, and swam about in his sea of loops. As much as the crowd asked him to play “Into the Sun”, he never touched it and stuck mainly to material from his latest effort, Graduation Ceremony. Lyrical lessons arrived in the form of “Black Lexus” and “Honey and the Moon”, the latter highlighting his essential strengths of providing words of wisdom via poetry. Where else would you see a spoken word piece involving oil paints? -Stewart Wiseman

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Galaxie Tree Stage – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Another Canadian draw, The Rural Alberta Advantage (RAA) took to one of the festival’s smallest stages, which in turn produced the most excited (and packed in) audience of the day. Travelers from all over – Calgary and St. Johns, to name a couple – arrived to see the group. So appreciative this crowd was – the last time RAA performed at Osheaga was ’09 – that at moments, the die-hards sang louder than singer Nils Edenloff. Still supporting their latest effort, 2011′s Departing, the set was quite heavy with newer material, with one standout being “Tornado 87″, thanks to its irresistibly catchy chorus. A key to the band’s success is their wide range of sounds. From the beautiful “In the Summertime” in which Amy Cole and Nils Edenloff traded vocals, to the rocking finale “The Deathbridge In Lethbridge” where drummer Paul Banwatt was at his best. Because of this, the RAA are a band loaded with songs for every musical taste, and their performance on Friday night was only a glimpse into what’s to come. -Stewart Wiseman

Janelle Monáe – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 8:05 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Janelle Monáe didn’t just take advantage of the huge crowd waiting for Eminem; she knocked a home run right out of Parc Jean-Drapeau and into the Saint Lawrence River with a performance that had Montreal raving about her so much, she became a trending topic on Twitter. It was funky to the max, energetic beyond belief, and boundlessly creative. With her backing band sharply decked out in varying degrees of black and white, Monáe entered fully covered in a cloak accompanied by two similarly dressed “druids” before shedding her garment and launching into “Dance or Die” off her breakthrough album The ArchAndroid. We got her hits “Cold War” and “Tightrope” back-to-back, as well as an absolutely KILLER cover of “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. We even got to see her artistic side as she painted an impromptu picture in glitter during instrumental parts of songs. -Gilles Leblanc

Eminem – BlackBerry River Stage –  9:20 p.m.

One word heard all night Friday during Eminem’s return to Canada as a headliner was « malade. » Translated, it means sick, with a similar meaning to how English-speaking kids use it today slang-wise, only more amplified, more frenzied. Yeah, I’d say it’s a suitable way to characterize the Osheaga-record throng of 38,000 ‘hip hop heads’ who came to see Mr. Mathers before he hits Chicago for the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza. Eminem sure wasn’t afraid to play up that we were witnessing something historic, from the dramatic opening video to the hard road he’s been on that led to his latest chart toppers Relapse and Recovery, pausing occasionally to remind Montreal how much he’s missed the city.

Photo by Bobby Foley

I don’t know about momentous, but there were an abundance of highlights – Royce da 5’9” made a guest appearance for “Fast Lane” and “Lighters” (Em even wore a white Bad Meets Evil T-shirt to commemorate the occasion). There were tributes to 2Pac and Nate Dogg. But the biggest cheers were saved for Eminem’s greatest hits medley, where he rapped a verse from each of “My Name Is”, “The Real Slim Shady”, and “Without Me”. That is until everyone lost their collective $#!% when they heard the riff to ‘Lose Yourself’ after a short encore break. An explosive finish to a stellar Day 1 of Osheaga! -Gilles Leblanc

Saturday, July 30th

The 222s – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 1:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

The thing that was maybe most impressive about Osheaga in 2011 was how receptive the crowds were to so many bands, even The 222s, who were probably NEVER up this early back in their late-1970s punk prime. Hailed back then as one of the genre’s first ever bands from Quebec, they reformed last year for North by Northeast, but this was their debut at a fest like Osheaga. And it doesn’t look like this will be just another one-off, as they had people bopping their heads to their fun fun fun Ramones-indebted songs like ‘I Love Suzan.’ -Gilles Leblanc

The Midway State – BlackBerry River Stage –  1:30 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Montreal and Toronto aren’t always the best of friends, for reasons that extend far beyond music. The “Centre of the Universe”, as Toronto is sometimes called derogatively outside its borders, actually had quite a heavy presence at Osheaga 2011, including alt-rockers The Midway State. They just released their second album, Paris or India, a couple of weeks ago, and were in full showcase mode Saturday afternoon. By the reaction new tracks like “Alive”, “Fire!”, and “Lightning” got when they were played, it was as if a busload of Torontonians had made the 6+ hour trip to the festival…and encouraged everyone else to cheer them on! -Gilles Leblanc

Manchester Orchestra – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

“I took French for seven years and failed every year of it,” frontman Andy Hull announced to an adoring crowd. Luckily, he didn’t need his French skills to communicate to the French speaking crowd; from the first strum of his guitar the crowd was already into it. Atlanta, GA’s Manchester Orchestra knocked out 40 minutes of catchy pop-rock. With vocals that ranged from soft-spoken to aggressive rage, Andy Hull made the crowd familiar with his music, which seemed fitting given that the first time they played in Montreal there were only 18 people in the crowd. “Shake It Out” turned things up a notch, building a chin dance from the crowd. All in all, a very surprisingly enjoyable set. -Stewart Wiseman

The High Dials – Galaxie Tree Stage – 2:10 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

In need of some shade after being out in the open and exposed directly to the sun, I headed to the comfortable Tree Stage for the first time Saturday to take note of The High Dials from Montreal. They didn’t help cool me off much, as their psychedelic rock-meets-power pop got bodies working up a sweat, and when their saxophone-playing friend joined them for a handful of songs, forget about it! And I must say, they also had the most radical-looking amplifier case of anyone I covered at Osheaga, as it was littered with stickers of admirable bands like The Kills and Franz Ferdinand as well as places they’ve conceivably travelled to in the relatively short time they’ve been together. -Gilles Leblanc

Hey Rosetta! – BlackBerry River Stage –  2:40 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Hey Rosetta! has been receiving more and more attention as of late, and their set at Osheaga helped them win over many new fans. The folk-rockers from Newfoundland mainly played songs off their latest LP Seeds, and proved to the audience why they were put on the Polaris Prize short list. The crowd picked up “Yer Spring” relatively quickly, and echoed the line “I’m going up!” along with vocalist Tim Baker for the song’s entirety. Smiles were apparent on the faces of many in the crowd, and it seems that Hey Rosetta!’s music has a way of lifting the spirits of a whole audience. This was quite apparent when the band closed with a cover of The Constantines’ “Do What You Can Do”, an anthem about doing more to help others, which Hey Rosetta! definitely did on Saturday by helping make Osheaga a memorable event. -Stewart Wiseman

Mother Mother – Galaxie Tree Stage – 3:10 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

After taking a quick beer break, I was amazed by how many more people were now at the Tree Stage in anticipation of Vancouver’s Mother Mother. Once mohawk sporting singer/guitarist Ryan Guldemond and the rest of his band got going, it was easy to see what all the fuss is about. I don’t know if the same holds true for the rest of the country, but these guys (and two girls, including Ryan’s sister Molly) are gaining a lot of steam in Toronto – Two songs from their 2011 album Eureka, “The Stand” and “Baby Don’t Dance”, have been getting significant airplay on modern rock radio station 102.1 The Edge, and they’re booked to playSound Academy this September. -Gilles Leblanc

Tokyo Police Club - Budweiser Mountain Stage – 3:20 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Over 40 minutes, vocalist and bassist David Monks’ high-energy antics kept the crowd in line, which happened to be the first great gathering of Saturday. Pulling from 2008′s Elephant Shell and 2010′s Champ, the Canadian outfit received the best response from earlier work, especially the tender “Tessellate” and “Nature of the Experiment”. In a smart move, they closed their set with the very fitting “Your English Is Good”, a song which united the voices of the French and English speaking people into one universal language. Much has changed here, and for the good. -Stewart Wiseman

John Butler Trio – BlackBerry River Stage –  4:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

I learned at Osheaga that Australia’s John Butler Trio have some pretty hardcore Canadian fans. They were the only band I can remember where people brought handmade signs for them – One in particular was from a “Sheila” claiming she had trekked all the way from Vancouver (nearly 5,000 kilometres, or 3,000 miles) JUST to see them!  I also learned that the John Butler Trio were one of the more rocking bands at Osheaga; when Butler himself wasn’t getting’ down and bluesy with his lap slide guitar, he was kickin’ up a proverbial storm playing banjo-fuelled bluesgrass. An easy highlight of the entire weekend for me. -Gilles Leblanc

Sam Roberts Band – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 4:50 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

When Arcade Fire headlined Osheaga in 2010, it showed how powerful the Montreal crowd can get supporting a major hometown act, and that’s exactly what happened when Sam Roberts and crew hit the stage. The much anticipated set started with the heavy hitting “I Feel You”, off his recent critically acclaimed effort Collider, and from there the crowd just continued to ignite. His first performance at home, at least in support of his latest LP, Roberts worked with a devoted following, which altogether felt more or less like a homecoming. As a result, he brought out some close friends, including Elizabeth Powell (lead singer of Land of Talk), who performed backup vocals on “Longitude”, and renown Montreal sax man Chet Doxas who joined Roberts’ brass section. To close out the set, Roberts shouted to the audience, “On va chanter ensemble mes amis,” before kicking into “Brotherdown”. In any other festival in the States, Sam Roberts might just be a second thought on a festival lineup; but in Montreal he was one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend. -Stewart Wiseman

PS I Love You – Galaxie Tree Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

PS I Love You are rapidly becoming the type of band you don’t ever get tired of seeing live, as something memorable is always bound to happen. When I saw them a little over a month ago at NXNE, Paul Saulnier and drummer Ben Nelson blew out an amp by the sheer force of their rawk. At Osheaga, Saulnier ‘only’ broke a string off his guitar, but he hardly bat an eye as he was too busy trying not to bite his protruding tongue. He also showed a good deal of wit, saying things like, “Don’t cheer, I’m just the roadie,” and “We’re PS I Love You, and we only have 12 minutes left.” I foresee big, big things for these Kingston boys. -Gilles Leblanc

Lupe Fiasco- Budweiser Mountain Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

After a day chock full of rap and hip hop, Lupe Fiasco had all of Saturday to own the genre. Chicago’s finer export kicked off with “Shining Down” which saw him parade around the stage in glory. Unlike some other acts, Fiasco didn’t need to try hard to pump up the crowd, as they were ready and willing to party. Where many rappers rely on beats to accompany their music, Fiasco’s band blended rock sounds with his rhymes in a surprisingly good combination. Things got weird halfway through his set, however, when Fiasco went on an anti-American rant that had many scratching their heads instead of cheering, but then again this is the same rapper who labeled President Barack Obama as “the biggest terrorist”.  Oh well. Closing with his biggest hit “The Show Goes On”, Fiasco brought the energy back and the party started once more. No new fans per se, but those who turned out had a blast. -Stewart Wiseman

Death from Above 1979 – BlackBerry River Stage –  7:25 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Having seen Death from Above 1979 less than two weeks before at the Quebec City Summer Festival, I didn’t think they could get much more intense, but they may have actually topped what drummer/singer Sebastien Grainger himself called the best show so far on their reunion tour. The mosh pit at the main stage bordered on the insane, but what was even crazier (yet infinitely cool), was how several of Grainger’s friends in music, such as Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and Jimmy Shaw from Metric (who he owns a recording studio in Toronto with), came out to support him and Jesse F. Keeler from down in front, in the photographer’s area, as opposed to side stage. -Gilles Leblanc

Ratatat – Sennheiser Green Stage – 8:15 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

A friend of mine who’s more well versed in electronica than yours truly insisted I see Ratatat, touting them as the “American Daft Punk.” I don’t know if I agree entirely with his declaration, but I’ll give Ratatat this: They know how to draw a crowd and throw a heck of a unique dance party, complete with a glassy, monolith-shaped projection system to add to everyone’s, um, trip! Dope, hand waving beats from mastermind producer Evan Mast were accentuated by bendy guitarist Mike Stroud. They were fun, but the festivities at the Green Stage would only get louder and more penetratingly pulsating as the weekend wore on… -Gilles Leblanc

Bright Eyes – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 8:15 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

To follow Fiasco’s fiesta was a little unfortunate for Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes. As a result, he arrived to a much smaller crowd, though this didn’t affect the band’s performance at all. Opening with “Four Winds”, the female-heavy audience serenaded Oberst with his own lyrics; a trend which continued throughout most of the night. “Poison Oak” started out soft and mellow, like the majority of Bright Eyes songs, but had an emotional climb towards the end of the song, building up higher and higher and making it one of the highlights from their set. “The Calendar Hung Itself” was a particularly dark and moody number, contrasting slightly with the other more upbeat songs. Performing closing duties, “One for You, One for Me” rang loud as a perfect anthem and one of the best of the night, leaving their many fans with a message of endearing hope. Much needed today. -Stewart Wiseman

Elvis Costello & the Imposters – BlackBerry River Stage –  9:20 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

The second night of Osheaga was, er, a bit of an anomaly compared to the rest of the festival. Once the carnage had subsided following Death from Above 1979, it was time for Elvis Costello’s carnival to roll into town; he even brought a go-go dancer and strongman scale. (The “Hammer of Songs.”) Unfortunately for the 40 year music veteran, the assembled masses couldn’t have been more indifferent – At best, it was maybe a quarter of the size of Eminem’s audience from Friday. Not much of a ‘mass’ by any means. And that’s a shame, because it’s not like he didn’t belong there; his “Watching the Detectives”, “Everyday I Write the Book”, “Alison”, “Radio Radio”, “Bedlam”, “I Want You”, “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea”, and “Clubland” all form the basis of present-day alternative rock. And he gave it his all, too. Those who were there will tell you they had a rollicking good time. I felt bad for ol’ Elvis, but that said, I still left before his encore to see the end of Fucked Up’s set at the Tree Stage. Any guilt I may have been feeling went away rather quickly when Damian Abraham presented Sebastien Grainger as a special guest to ‘sing’ a F’ed Up song with him and do some crowd surfing among his francophone peeps! -Gilles Leblanc

Fucked Up – Galaxie Tree Stage – 10:10 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

At a festival where most of the people could be labeled as pot-smoking hippies, the Fucked Up crowd of punks and hardcore fans was a rare sight. After Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham brought out his son for an appearance, the band arrived too and wasted no time in getting the crowd psyched up, starting with “Queen of Hearts”. The song didn’t even start yet before Abraham was interacting with all his fans from the photo pit, and it only took two songs for him to lose his shirt, crowd surf, and join the romping mosh pit. Naturally, Osheaga sent their toughest security guards to work this set, and they were the busiest they had to be all festival. Admittedly, the messages in these songs can often be lost due to the loud nature of the show, but Fucked Up has put together some great love songs, which is often a challenge for hardcore bands. Of course, that’s the last thing anyone’s thinking about while they’re performing, but on record, especially their latest LP,  David Comes To Life, it’s something to always consider. There’s much more to this shirtless maniac than what meets the eye. -Stewart Wiseman

Sunday, July 31st

Elephant Stone – Galaxie Tree Stage – 1:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

After everything that had happened at Osheaga over its first two days, it wouldn’t have surprised me in the least to have heard someone on the Montreal Metro say, “You know what this festival REALLY needs? A band to seriously rock a SITAR!” Enter Elephant Stone, the brainchild of Rishi Dhir, a former member of The High Dials, who of course played the day before. There are sonic similarities between the two competing groups, but where Elephant Stone takes psychedelia to a new level is when Dhir stretches barefoot on a raised area to jam with his Indian imported instrument. Groovy, man! -Gilles Leblanc

The Sheepdogs -Budweisier Mountain Stage – 1:00 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

The Sheepdogs cracked open Sunday with some good old fashioned rock and roll. The Saskatoon natives have been making the rounds, thanks to their fame via Rolling Stone, but they back up the words on print. Ewan Currie is everything a rock and roll frontman should be: great voice, works with the country rocker look, and enjoys cold beer for breakfast. Musically, it’s just as picture perfect. Country rocker “I Don’t Know” sounds like it came straight out of the 1970’s, with Currie and bassist Ryan Gullen trading vocals, while a song like “Southern Dreaming”, specifically that guitar hook, kept the crowd awake and dancing. Good things to come. -Stewart Wiseman

Typhoon – BlackBerry River Stage –  1:30 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

No, not every indie musical ensemble who prominently feature string and horn arrangements in the 2000s are Arcade Fire rip-offs. (Or is that Shark Attack now?) But when you play the same stage as they did the year before, in their hometown no less, there are bound to be comparisons. Portland, Oregon’s Typhoon didn’t make anyone at Osheaga forget who Arcade Fire is; however, they definitely won themselves some new fans with their determination to make it to the festival combined with outstanding musicianship. Anyone with dueling drum kits is worth a listen! -Gilles Leblanc

An Horse – Sennheiser Green Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Seeing all these different instruments producing such great sounds, I was taken aback somewhat to discover Australia’s An Horse are only a two-person band who probably would have fit in better yesterday. At first glance, I guess you could call them a “reverse White Stripes,” as there’s a girl named Kate Cooper on guitar and Damon Cox on drums (Sex = Male). I found them slightly underwhelming; if anything, they made me yearn for The White Stripes even more…or at least The Raconteurs. Sorry to digress, but I’d like to ask the Osheaga organizers to book Jack White, Brendan Benson and company for next year’s festival. Now! -Gilles Leblanc

Eels – BlackBerry River Stage –  2:50 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

The enigmatic Mark Oliver Everett brought his bearded Eels to Montreal for one of the more anticipated slots of the Osheaga Festival. He looked to be ecstatic to be there, high fiving bandmates after songs and yelling nonsensical things like “We did it!” Focusing mainly on his recent Eels album trilogy (Hombre Loco, End Times and Tomorrow Morning), I’d say it was a triumphant return to Canada for the man simply known as E – It rocked, it was soulful in a Blues Brothers kind of way, and it was plenty weird, but we’ve come to expect that from him since Beautiful Freak introduced us to E’s world in 1996. And I think he was the only artist to express his love for poutine. And maple glazed donuts, apparently! -Gilles Leblanc

The Sounds – Budweiser Mountain Stage –  3:30 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

Does anyone reading know the Swedish equivalent for “Damn?!”As in “Damn, are The Sounds ever awesome!” Considerably more rocking than ABBA, but not quite as punkish as The Hives…I think the majority of people at the Budweiser Stage would concur with me that their “new” New Wave was just right for Osheaga. I KNOW a lot of red (and white)-blooded males in the audience were transfixed on sexy Sounds lead singer Maja Ivarsson. And I know it got awfully hot in Montreal that weekend, but those little black bicycle shorts she was wearing? All I can say is…DAMN! (Or is that jävla?!) -Gilles Leblanc

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Sennheiser Green Stage – 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

As luck would have it, my feet were hurting pretty bad by the time New York City’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart took to Osheaga’s Green Stage. It didn’t take long for them to be joined by my ears, but in the best manner possible. Their driving, all-out guitar assault was pure bliss to me. I can see why their album Belong has been so highly regarded this year. I must look into this “Nu Gaze” movement more, as I definitely heard echoes of NYC’s own Sonic Youth, Gish and Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins, and My Bloody Valentine. I especially found it cool how singer Kip Berman even stopped at one point to acknowledge someone wearing a MBV T-shirt. -Gilles Leblanc

Cypress Hill – BlackBerry River Stage – 4:20 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Sunday saw a fun, nostalgic site: Cypress Hill. Whether it was intentional or not remains to be seen, but the veteran hip hop stars performed at 4:20 p.m. and naturally the smell of weed was inescapable near the stage.  With the exception of The Flaming Lips, the West Coast rappers attracted the biggest crowd of the day and they were definitely the most adrenalized. B-Real started the set with a short freestyle before calling on Sen Dog to join with him on “Shoot ‘Em Up”, which had fans making finger guns in the air. “Are you fucking high right now?” B-Real asked the crowd to mass applause, edging them on to smoke more and more. By the time the set ended with “Rock Superstar”, it was hard to find one person in the front row whose eyes weren’t bloodshot, a mission accomplished for Cypress Hill. -Stewart Wiseman

Viva Brother – Galaxie Tree Stage – 5:00 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

A music festival just doesn’t seem complete without some flair and flavor from the UK. Thank goodness latest buzz band Viva Brother made the trip to Canada. They describe their sound as “Gritpop”, or a grittier version of mid-’90s Britpop as practiced by Blur and Oasis. Speaking of Oasis, if you were to tell me Viva Brother frontman Leonard Newell was a relative of the Gallaghers, I’d probably believe you. His eyes also seem to have a bit of a Thom Yorke ‘droop’ to them; if that’s not a perfect pedigree for rock ’n’ roll success, I’m not sure what is. If that wasn’t enough, they had someone in a full-blown gorilla suit (and Viva Brother T-shirt) show up at their Osheaga set and bounce nonstop with their arms in the air! -Gilles Leblanc

Beirut – BlackBerry River Stage – 5:50 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

“It’s great to be back in the land of poutine,” vocalist Zach Condon joked early in the set, before speaking to the crowd in surprisingly good French. Beirut’s music was able to put all the festival goers under a trance, creating a relaxing atmosphere for the evening set. “Nantes” had the entire crowd clapping and cheering along from the moment Condon raised his trumpet. Zach Condon’s a talented multi-instrumentalist, but bad luck hit him when his ukulele’s sound failed to be picked up across the speaker system. After trying a few times, he decided to give up and move onto “Scenic World” which literally moved the audience. Overall, the combination of poetic lyrics and rousing horns won over the crowd, and Beirut’s set was spoken about for the rest of the evening. -Stewart Wiseman

City and Colour – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 6:35 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

City and Colour started their performance with “Sleeping Sickness”, welcomed by cheers from the crowd, which only grew louder when Dallas Green invited Tragically Hip vocalist Gordon Downie to the stage to sing a verse. Alexisonfire and City and Colour could not be further apart musically, and the introspective music had the crowd pleased and clapping on songs like “Weightless” and “Fragile Bird” from this year’s release, Little Hell. The set wrapped up not long after that with “Sometimes (I Wish)”, leaving fans disappointed as the band only played 30 minutes of the 50 that they were supposed to play before the delays. (Fans that caught Toronto’s critically acclaimed rapper Shad’s set at 8:00 were treated to a surprise in his opener, as he brought out Dallas Green to sing the chorus to his song “Live Forever”.) To make up for their short set, City and Colour promised to be back in Montreal soon for a full length concert; leaving their many faithful waiting for the day where they can enjoy Green’s poetry once again. -Stewart Wiseman

White Lies – Sennheiser Green Stage – 6:55 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

White Lies’ Harry McVeigh struck me as having an amazing beautiful ‘alternative’ singing voice, reminiscent of Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode. They have some downright gloomy sounding songs and lyrics (i.e. “Holy Ghost”, “Death”, and debut album To Lose My Life), yet I found them fairly pedestrian, almost gentlemanly, especially compared to the rougher-around-the-edges Viva Brother. I loved how they joked about this fact, saying how while it may have looked like they were crying occasionally, they were actually sweating. Polite like Coldplay, but with more underground indie credibility…for now! -Gilles Leblanc

The Tragically Hip – BlackBerry River Stage – 7:25 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

It’s hard to watch The Tragically Hip and not solely focus on Gord Downie running around the stage with odd-ball antics, apparent right from the start on opener “Grace, Too”. Too much time is often spent watching Downie, that the guys behind him actually making the music are left under-appreciated, but guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker were superb at their craft and were critical in the great performance The Tragically Hip put on. Songs like “Bobcaygeon” and “New Orleans Is Sinking” had the entire crowd roaring the lyrics back at the band; a true testament to how influential The Tragically Hip have been for almost three decades in shaping the sound of Canadian music. The band closed with the rocker “Little Bones” that lifted the spirits of the entire crowd, many of whom came to the festival for the sole purpose of seeing the Hip; and by the end of the set everyone knew why The Tragically Hip will go down as Canadian legends. -Stewart Wiseman

Crystal Castles – Sennheiser Green Stage – 8:15 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

It’s not that I don’t or can’t appreciate club-style electronica at a rock festival – I think it’s brilliant that Osheaga has the Piknic Electronik as a place for people to dance or chill out. That said, I don’t think I’m the only one who doesn’t ‘get’ Crystal Castles’ strobe-flashing, seizure-inducing live show. Seriously, why does Alice Glass have a mic? It’s not like we can ever make out what she’s singing, and she doesn’t really add much else other than inciting crowds even further by jumping into the sea of bodies to surf. Security didn’t like how her actions inspired some to climb trees either. They did end with their cover of The Cure’s “Not in Love”, even though it took us all a minute to recognize it because of all the distortion. -Gilles Leblanc

Death Cab For Cutie – Budweiser Mountain Stage – 8:25 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

For a band coming out of Washington state, the pressure is always there to match up to other local greats like Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, and Pearl Jam. For 10 years and counting, Death Cab for Cutie has managed to rise to fame without the roaring rock ‘n’ roll, commanding a devout legion of fans, all of whom can recite any of their lyrics in their sleep. This extends out into Canada, of course. After an extended intro that saw Ben Gibbard go from guitar to piano, “I Will Possess Your Heart” launched the group into a slightly erratic set. Two songs into their performance, Ben Gibbard’s guitar started acting up on him, and after replacing it with another guitar that wasn’t working, he showed his professionalism when he sat down at the edge of the stage to serenade his loving fans instead of stopping the entire song. Favorites like “Soul Meets Body or “The Sound of Settling” worked well, but so did new single “You Are a Tourist”. Technical problems aside, the gig was a joy. -Stewart Wiseman

The Flaming Lips – BlackBerry Stage – 9:25 p.m.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Before The Flaming Lips started their festival closing performance, frontman Wayne Coyne advised the audience about his strong strobe lights and to be careful with his giant space bubble; but what he should have warned the crowd about was that his performance may induce acid trips. Right from the very beginning with the band members walking out of an illusionary door in an LED screen, the audience knew they were experiencing perhaps the most jaw-dropping rock show they’ll ever see. Coyne eagerly anticipated this performance and told the crowd that he last played Osheaga in 2006, and that Osheaga is not just one of the greatest festivals in Canada, but is one of the greatest in the entire world.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Alongside a cast of characters dolled up a la Wizard of Oz, Coyne & Co. rolled out their 1999 masterpiece The Soft Bulletin in full (with the exception of “Buggin’”) to a crowd that may not have been familiar with their work, but who knew theatrics when they saw it (this is the city where Cirque du Soleil was born after all). Halfway through the performance, however, Coyne (looking truly emotional) told the crowd that sometimes this album has the power to “fuck him up” and that this may be the last time that anyone ever sees it performed in full live. This would be a shame, especially since it builds to quite the climax. The end of the album is just electric, and on Sunday, “The Spiderbite Song” attracted cheers from all who were there to witness the end to a great weekend at Osheaga 2011.

Photo by Stewart Wiseman

Before finishing his set, though, Coyne called upon one of his many Dorothy’s and another man dressed as the Cowardly Lion for a wedding ceremony. Coyne announced that the two were from Calgary and that they met at Osheaga that morning, took 10 hits of acid each, and then decided to get married. “With all the power vested in me by the universe, The Flaming Lips, Montreal, and LSD; I now pronounce you man and wife!” Coyne proclaimed for the new happy couple, before launching into “Do You Realize??” -the last song of the set. Now, how were you planning to get married again? -Stewart Wiseman

MSTRKRFT – Sennheiser Green Stage – 9:50 p.m.

Photo by Gilles Leblanc

There’s no use trying to review MSTRKRFT’s DJ set other than they altered the entire space near the Green Stage into the biggest rave I’ve ever seen! Standing side-by-side at an oversized steel table, donning headphones occasionally but always with a smoke in their mouths it seemed, DFA 1979’s Jesse F. Keeler and his longtime friend Al-P pushed the sardine squished crowd to a veritable fever pitch with their high-speed, aggressive, bone-rattling rhythms. It was an unconventional way for anyone with leftover energy to get themselves tired and ready for a long sleep after a weekend unlike any other, but hey, it worked for me! -Gilles Leblanc

The Culture of Osheaga

Gallery by Gilles Leblanc and Stewart Wiseman

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You’ll now be able to purchase Beirut’s latest LP, The Rip Tide, four weeks earlier than planned. The album’s digitial release has been pushed up to this coming Tuesday, August 2nd. The album’s physical release remains August 30th. Below, you can stream the album track, “East Harlem”.

Also, you can see Beirut on tour:

Beirut 2011 Tour Dates:
07/29 – Portland, ME @ State Theater
07/31 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music Festival
08/02 – Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix $
08/04 – Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix $
08/05 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/09 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
08/10 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
08/12 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
08/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Music Festival
09/02 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
09/04 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
09/06 – Manchester, UK @ Academy
09/08 – Amsterdam, NL @ Pardiso
09/10 – Berlin, DE @ Berlin Festival
09/12 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
09/14 – Brussels, BE @ AB
09/16 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
09/21 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/22 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/26 – Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
10/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/09 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/11 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall
10/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National
10/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10/29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
11/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

$ = w/ Owen Pallet

At the beginning of this month, we asked you — the ever-enchanting reader — to tell us your favorite album and song of 2011. Well, we listened. We also collated all the results into a tight, easy-to-read list for your leisure. Why are we so good to you? Who knows!

Despite such an eclectic readership — c’mon, we have fans of 311, Skrillex, and Eleanor Friedberger co-existing together — you collectively assembled quite a knock out of a list. If there’s one thing we learned, however, it’s that Bon Iver wins in any party. Justin Vernon’s latest LP took off with this list, quickly claiming the throne with many votes to spare. And despite all the complaints over Radiohead’s latest effort, it still managed to squeeze in the top three, and also reign over the top songs with, of all tracks, the very Thom Yorke-heavy “Lotus Flower”.

Not too many surprises, either. In fact, most of the entries in the top 10 albums were all CoS Top Star winners, with the exception of Radiohead, TV on the Radio, and Arctic Monkeys. What does that tell us? Nothing really, but something intriguing to note. We were a little surprised to see Panda Bear so low and The Strokes so high — how did that happen? Perhaps those comments on the reviews aren’t always telling. Hmm.

Anyways, it’s a pretty nifty list. Hard to argue too considering, well, you put it together. Ah, it feels good to take the proverbial “weight” off our back. Enjoy.

Best Albums:

01. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
02. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
03. Radiohead – The King of Limbs
04. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
05. James Blake – James Blake
06. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
07. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
08. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
09. The Antlers – Burst Apart
10. Cut Copy – Zonoscope
11. Yuck – Yuck
12. Cults – Cults
13. The Strokes – Angles
14. The Decemberists – The King is Dead
15. Panda Bear – Tomboy
16. Tyler the Creator – Goblin
17. Destroyer – Kaputt
18. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2
19. Wild Beasts – Smother
20. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up

Best Songs:

01. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
02. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”
03. Tyler the Creator – “Yonkers”
04. Bon Iver – “Holocene”
05. Foo Fighters – “Walk”
06. Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
07. Battles – “Ice Cream”
08. Panda Bear – “Last Night at the Jetty”
09. Radiohead – “Separator”
10. The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”
11. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
12. Fleet Foxes – “The Shrine/An Argument”
13. My Morning Jacket – “Circuital”
14. Bon Iver – “Towers”
15. My Morning Jacket – “Holdin’ on to Black Metal”
16. Toro Y Moi – “Still Sound”
17. TV on the Radio – “Will Do”
18. Beirut – “East Harlem”
19. Cults – “Abducted”
20. Bon Iver – “Perth”

Enter the Red Hot Organization, a group responsible not only for some of the best compilation/tribute albums of the past two decades (2009′s stellar Dark Was the Night among them) but also for raising over 10 million dollars in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Red Hot’s 1996 Red Hot + Rio outing saw David Byrne, Sting, and Stereolab join bossa nova veterans on updated reworkings of their classics. The result was a critical and commercial success that shed light on an issue and a genre that, it’s safe to say, would largely go ignored without this sort of mainstream exposure.

Red Hot + Rio 2 comes over a decade after its predecessor, loaded with all manners of contemporary artists whose work is informed by Tropicália’s lively stylings. The tracklist reads a bit like a who’s who of today’s music world. Beirut makes the cut, as do Cults, hot off the success of their self-titled debut. Left-field hip-hop auteur Madlib makes an appearance, where feral horns and drums sound surprisingly at home under Joyce Moreno’s warm Portuguese vocals, paying their dues to the legends. Alt-rock icons David Byrne and Beck also stand out. Beck’s fresh take on his 1998 semi-hit “Tropicalia” with the help of samba vet Seu Jorge is easily among the album’s highlights.

While there are some dicey points–the inclusion of the (relatively) very normal, English-sung “Panis et Circensis” is made even more puzzling, as it’s sandwiched between the rousing strums of Beirut’s “O Leaozinho” and of Montreal + Os Mutantes’ spazzed-out take on the latter’s “Bat Macumba”–the sheer quality that Red Hot + Rio 2 maintains over the course of its two discs and 33 tracks makes this a very noteworthy effort. With massive star power that’ll surely go a long way in luring a fair share of new fans over to its side, Red Hot + Rio 2 makes for an ideal introductory point to Tropicália’s rich history, with enough deep cuts and exclusive material to warrant attention from those already familiar with it.

Beirut will support the August 30th release of their new album The Rip Tide (the artwork is above!) with their first national tour in four years. Along with a slew of dates set for this summer, Zach Condon and co. have tacked on an additional 11 U.S. stops for this fall, beginning with a two-night stint in New York City on September 21st and 22nd. The band’s complete touring schedule is posted below.

Joining Beirut leader Zach Condon (ukulele, trumpet, piano, vocals) on the road is Perrin Cloutier (accordion, piano), Paul Collins (electric bass, upright bass), Ben Lanz (trombone, piano, tuba), Nick Petree (drums), and Kelly Pratt (trumpet, euphonium).

Beirut 2011 Tour Dates:
06/30 – London, UK @ Hyde Park &
07/03 – St. Gallen, CH @ Montreuz Jazz Fest
07/05 – Ferrara, IT @ Castello Piazza #
07/07 – Novisad, HR @ EXIT Festival
07/09 – Trencin, SL @ Pohoda Festival
07/12 – Arles, FR @ Festival Les Suds
07/14 – Meco, PT @ Super Bock Super Rock Festival
07/16 – Benicassim, ES @ Benicassim Festival
07/18 – Lyon, DR @ Festival Nuits De Fourviere
07/20 – Nyon, CH @ Paleo Festival
07/29 – Portland, ME @ State Theater
07/31 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music Festival
08/02 – Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix $
08/04 – Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix $
08/05 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/10 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
08/12 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
08/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Music Festival
09/02 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
09/04 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
09/06 – Manchester, UK @ Academy
09/08 – Amsterdam, NL @ Pardiso
09/12 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
09/14 – Brussels, BE @ AB
09/16 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
09/21 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/22 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
10/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/09 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/11 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall
10/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National
10/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10/29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
11/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

^ = w/ Twin Sister
& = w/ Arcade Fire
# = w/ The National
$ = w/ Owen Pallet

Summer always feels like it’s owed to me — not like it’s a reward, but rather a lump sum payment for the debt that winter worked up. It’s taxing, that winter. If you work indoors all day, you could quite possibly go days at a time without seeing the sun and then Seasonal Affective Disorder (or, you know, SAD) kicks in and the world just seems like it’s blowing a freezing wind in your face at all hours of the day. I don’t envy those who live in subtropics because you don’t deserve summer. That’s right, you’re just a buncha jerks doing jerk things in the relatively warm air all year long. You take 65 degree evenings for granted whereas it’s a dream come true when the first evening hits where it you don’t have to put on another article of clothing to go outside.

What I’m getting at is that there’s an aura around summer that makes everything that much more special including the music you play. The song playing in the car with the windows down, or at the cookout, or late at night relaxing outside — summer is about freedom and these albums that are dropping soon are set to soundtrack any number of specific moments you may encounter during the next couple months. What song is going to define this summer?

For me, every summer can be loosely fit between the bookends of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” and Violent Femmes’ “American Music”,  but maybe it’s time to shelve those records and find some new ones. Yeah?

-Jeremy D. Larson
Content Director

Beyoncé – 4

We live in truly chaotic times. Pop music is dominated by the avant pop of Lady Gaga and the “I bet she’d be sticky if I touched her” trash pop of Ke$ha. But with all the queens vying for the crown, when Beyonce drops her fourth solo LP tomorrow, that game of thrones is all but over and done. While 2008′s I Am…Sasha Fierce brought the public booming radio hits, 4 offers up “minimalist” ballads and creations influenced by Teena Marie and Fela Kuti musicals. And with a rare cameo by Andre 3000, along with production and writing by Kanye West, No I.D., Babyface, and newcomer/OFWGKTA’s Frank Ocean, 4 has the power to be one of the most dominant records of Queen B’s entire career. How ya like that, Shakira? -Chris Coplan
Release Date: June 28th via Columbia

“Girls (Run the World)”

Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital

Sex sells. I mean, for all you XY’s out there, sometimes summer often becomes about “hot chicks”. As you can see from the non-Best Buy version of the album art, Dan Boeckner, lead singer of Handsome Furs, knows the score. However, the actual music on the album is empirically less sexy. The industrial synths and anti-establishment lyricism may not prove to be the strongest of aphrodisiacs, but a Handsome Furs album is always ready to party. Couple that with Wolf Parade bandmate Spencer Krug’s solo album, and it’ll be like they never decided to go on an indefinite hiatus. Now that’s a sexy thought. -Jeremy D. Larson
Release Date: June 28th via Sub Pop

“Repatriated”

Incubus - If Not Now, When

There’s something to be said about stamina; no, not the little blue pill. For the past 16 years or so – since 1995, specifically – Incubus have been pummeling fans with their blend of loose funk rock and hard alternative jams. This July, the California quintet, still led by one Brandon Boyd, flex their muscles again with their seventh studio effort, If Not Now, When. Sure their fans from the early days have traded in their bongs for baby bottles, but everything evolves and Incubus have perfected their song writing craft. Boyd has once again entranced us with his infectious lyrics and melodies, while Mike Einziger’s guitar work is nothing short of seductive. So far, the album’s first single, “Adolescents”, is the perfect soundtrack to those long summer days and memorable nights. And if you don’t expect the hard rock anthems of yesteryear, you’ll instead find something warm and curious. Nothin’ wrong with that. -Daniel Torres
Release Date July 12th via Epic Records

“Promises, Promises”

Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles

No matter how many mixtapes, features, singles and the like rappers dole out, people keep asking about the album. Chicago’s Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish, aka The Cool Kids, have been pestered about When Fish Ride Bicycles at least since their much-loved 2008 EP The Bake Sale. Finally, on July 12th, those questions will be answered. With production from Pharrell and Travis Barker, as well as appearances from Ghostface, Bun B, and more, the LP looks to justify all that hype. If there’s more of the same old school hip hop revival beats (and with a track called “Penny Hardaway”, it looks that way) and more of the Cool Kids brilliantly self-aware rhymes, this should outlive the summer biking and ride into best of the year conversations. -Adam Kivel
Release Date: July 12th via Green Label Sound

“Swimsuits” (feat. Mayer Hawthorne)

Portugal. The Man - In The Mountain In The Cloud

Skeptics insist that releasing an album per year risks quality, that true creative genius can’t be brought to fruition that often. Well, haters gonna hate, and Portugal. the Man‘s heavily anticipated sixth album in as many years, In The Mountain In The Cloud, is due July 19th. Dangling the new material over fans’ heads through 30 second teaser videos on the band’s YouTube channel, releasing “Sleep Forever”, an extended two song music video (via IFC), and littering set lists with new tracks such as “Got It All This Can’t Be Living Now” and “Senseless” have furthered the hype – and rightly so. The band sounds more together and intense than ever — as John Gourley wails “You got it all til the revolution”, it’s pretty clear that the revolution is imminent. What it comes down to is this: when the guys that brought us “AKA M80 The Wolf”, “Lay Me Back Down”, and all of The Satanic Satanist are saying that this release will be their best, it’s time to expect greatness. -Caitlin Meyer
Release Date: July 19th via Atlantic

“Got It All This Can’t Be Living Now”

Theophilus London – Timez Are Weird These Days

If James Bond and Kool Moe Dee could somehow have a child, that offspring would be Theophilus London.  The Brooklyn MC/pseudo-singer may have only been on people’s radars for a short time, but he’s already culled an impressive Rolodex of friends courtesy of his February debut EP, Lovers Holiday, including Sara Quin of Tegan & Sara, Beyonce’s baby sister Solange Knowles, and TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek. Now, with his debut album Timez Are Weird These Days dropping July 19th, the genre-blending rapper has hit the big time with Warner Bros., imported some of those collabos onto the full-length, and is prepared to take the rap world by storm. Last name London, first name Bomb Diggity. – Chris Coplan
Release Date: July 19th via Warner Brothers

“Last Name London”

Little Dragon – Ritual Union

In 2010, Swedish electronic soulsters Little Dragon went from Gothenburg’s best barely-kept secret to band-on-everyone’s-radar thanks to a collaboration and support slot with Gorillaz. This summer, the childhood friends will release their third album, Ritual Union, and continue performing mesmerizing live gigs, including sets at the Roskilde and Outside Lands Festivals. Little Dragon has been showcasing tracks from Ritual Union during their 2011 tour and on their American television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Word on the street is the upcoming third album will bridge the gap between the R&B and jazz infused sound of their self-titled debut and the irresistible electro-pop of Machine Dreams. -Frank Mojica
Release Date: July 26th via Peacefrog/EMI

“Ritual Union”

Moonface - Organ Music, Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped

With Wolf Parade on an indefinite hiatus, the temporarily defunct band has members turning to their solo projects, Spencer Krug included. Krug will be lending his vocals and instrumental work to his first full length, Organ Music not Vibraphone like I’d Hoped, under his moniker Moonface. If his Dreamland EP was any indication, this full length promises to feature Krug’s prominent yelps and tunes heavy on organs, or “random half-pop songs.” Fans will have a chance to check out Krug going solo when he takes Moonface on the road this summer. -Lauren Rearick
Release Date: August 2nd via Jagjaguwar

“Fast Peter”

The Horrors – Skying

If you heard the Horrors’ 2009 album, Primary Colors, you already know why Skying is a must-listen. Their last record was a breakthrough success, winning over critical adoration and picking up a Mercury prize nomination. Now, they’ve returned with a self-produced LP, a first for the band. The first single, “Still Life”, is awash in reverse synths that explode like fireworks for the chorus. Joseph Spurgeon’s sharp drumming cuts through the atmosphere and Faris Badwan’s vocals are smoother than ever. If you’re not convinced yet, give the song a listen. You quickly will be. -Joe Marvilli
Release Date: August 9th via XL

“Still Life”

Game – The R.E.D. Album

In the ebb and flow of rap music, Game‘s fourth LP couldn’t come at a better time. Call it the natural rhythm of the genre or just the state of the world, but hip hop as a whole is in dire need of some good old fashioned gangsta rap. With the long-delayed effort finally dropping on August 23rd, the world will get its nickel-plated shot in the grill with an album that’s been in the final works since 2009. Reportedly featuring cameos from Lil Wayne, Drake, Chris Brown, and Lupe Fiasco, along with production from Cool and Dre, The Neptunes, and a reunion with West Coast cohorts Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, The R.E.D. Album could more than make up for the delays with some of the most hard knock rhymes and bangin’ beats to hit the streets this summer. Hopefully. -Chris Coplan
Release Date: August 23rd via Aftermath/Interscope

“Red Nation” (feat. Lil Wayne)

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Mirror Traffic

Stephen Malkmus had a lot to live up to post-Pavement.  While his self-titled solo debut was a perfect collection of charismatically bizarre yet hooky tunes, the album was unfairly compared to the work of his former legendary act.  Time has been kind over the years, with Malkmus and crack backing band The Jicks developing their own fan base over four excellent albums rife with spacey effects, classic rock musicianship, and the singer’s trademark wordplay and playfully macabre imagery. All of this makes Mirror Traffic something to look forward to, as evinced by first single “Senator.”  It’s as close to political as SM is ever likely to get (the refrain barks “the senator wants a blowjob!”), and it perfectly marries Pavement’s experimental flourishes with The Jicks’ meaty jam band chops. -Dan Caffrey
Release Date August 23rd via Matador Records

“Senator”

Beirut – Rip Tide

Based on Zach Condon’s oeuvre, the fact that he spent the winter in upstate New York recording the album, and perhaps by the cover art above for the first single “East Harlem”, you might think that Beirut‘s Rip Tide will be another lonely, wintery album. But no, it belongs smack dab on this list. “I write sad songs when it’s nice outside”, said Condon about the album. “I write warm and happy songs when I’m up to my neck in snow for three months.” The pep in the step of “East Harlem” is sunshine enough, but those string and horn arrangements brighten up the whole track. And when you include the other tracks at their live show, Beirut’s album will make the grass waver in the wind all summer long. -Jeremy D. Larson
Release Date August 30th via Pompeii Records

“East Harlem”

Male Bonding – Endless Now

A year ago, Male Bonding were cutting their teeth on some opening slots for tours across the globe serving up rough punk gems. But then they dropped “Bones” — a six-minute race to the finish that stakes new claim in the long-since abandoned town of pop punk. The UK trio aren’t a nostalgia act, but for anyone with a soft spot for those early aught bands like Jimmy Eat World or Saves the Day, Male Bonding is sort of like the next logical step if those lyrics about high school don’t really cut as clean as they used to. -Jeremy D. Larson
Release Date September 30th via Sub Pop

Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You

For this legendary quartet of Californicators, there hasn’t been such a drastically publicized lineup change since Dave Navarro popped up on One Hot Minute — an album that saw major sonic landscaping, favoring relentlessly dark subject matter. I’m With You is slated to be guitarist Josh Klinghoffer’s studio debut with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, following the departure of experimental wailer John Frusciante, so the questions become: Will the new sound be too jarring? Will the Peppers remain a summertime rock staple? Will this be romanticized like By The Way, or reckless and lust-laden circa Mother’s Milk?

I bought the ’06 double-album, Stadium Arcadium, one summer late, but it was played on repeat for the better part of three months. Barring all band membership inquisitions (given Klinghoffer’s live performance history), I’m With You garners immense anticipation by virtue of West Coast bravado alone. -David Buchanan
Release Date August 30th via Warner Bros.

Blondie‘s forthcoming LP Panic of Girls doesn’t hit U.S. shores until this September, but the band is offering another early taste in the form of their Beirut cover, “Sunday Smile”. For the rendition, which is available below, Deborah Harry and company transformed the ukulele-led indie-pop charmer into a sunny, reggae-inspired track.

As previously reported, Panic of Girls was recorded recorded in Woodstock, New York with producers Jeff Saltzman (The Killers, Fischerspooner) and Kato Khandwala (Paramore, Papa Roach). Along with the cover, the LP features a guest spot from Beirut mastermind Zach Condon, who plays trumpet on a track. You know, ’cause you can never have enough Beirut.

Panic of Girls Tracklist:
01. D-Day
02. What I Heard
03. Mother
04. The End The End
05. Girlie Girle
06. Love Doesn’t Frighten Me
07. Words in My Moth
08. Sunday Smile
09. Wipe Off My Sweat
10. Le Bleu
11. China Shoes
12. Horizontal Twist (Bonus Track)
13. Mirame (Bonus Track)

Each year, a mix of newcomers and festival veterans come to the farm to feel the magic – and it’s that same feeling that keeps people coming back. Yes, it was hot as hell. And yes, the dust was worse than it’s ever been. But none of that mattered once you entered Centeroo – you were in a musical utopia. The music of the theme song lends itself to the musical diversity you can find on the farm – its mix of bluegrass and jazz blends right in on the farm, where at any given time you might be able to catch a country show or a metal band, perhaps some hip-hop or a little jam band action. There’s something for everyone at Bonnaroo if you look for it.

This year certainly felt like a birthday celebration; from the fireworks show on Saturday night to the parachuters lighting up the night sky on Friday. The watchtower received a makeover – we now had our own bizarro cuckoo clock that played Dr. John’s “Desitively Bonnaroo” whenever it rang. And speaking of Desitively Bonnaroo -  the album where the festival got its name finally made its way to the farm in the form of Dr. John and the original Meters performing it on Saturday night. It was a pitch-perfect way to celebrate the festival’s past and look forward to the future.

Photo by Max Blau

The birthday party was obvious by the inclusion of some of the festival’s unofficial ambassadors – My Morning Jacket were there, making their sixth appearance on the farm. Widespread Panic also played for their sixth time, while Béla Fleck and Les Claypool were both there with their original bands, after having played the festival many times in many different iterations. It felt like a reunion of old friends coming together to celebrate a birthday, and we can’t wait to be celebrating year 20 in 2021. Who knows what the festival will look like then? But for this year – yes, it was hot. It was dusty. But throughout the whole weekend, no matter where you were, you could easily reach out your hand and feel the magic.

-Carson O’Shoney
Senior Staff Writer

Thursday, June 9th

River City Extension – This Tent – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

It was only fitting that after an 18+ hour drive from Boston, the first song I heard approaching my first set of the festival was “Too Tired To Drink”. It must be daunting to be the first act to open the tents, but River City Extension did a more than admirable job. Frontman Joe Michelini’s energy was matched only by backup vocalist Sam Tacon – the pair stomped the stage and beckoned the crowd to join them at every opportunity, including clapping along to album standout “New Intelligence”. Dan Melius clearly loved every moment of the gig, blowing his trumpet to bits when he wasn’t thumping his chest and belting out vocal parts that weren’t even his. It took some effort at times to get the audience totally hooked, like the lackluster sing-along during “Something Salty, Something Sweet”, but the band never stopped giving it their all. To their great credit, they certainly had some new fans by the end. -Ben Kaye

Greensky Bluegrass – On Tap Lounge – 4:00 p.m.

After pulling an all-nighter waiting in line to get onto the campgrounds, Michigan’s bluegrass quintet Greensky Bluegrass‘ soaring harmonies, rapidly-picked banjo and sweet melodies were the perfect start to Bonnaroo 2011. As the set progressed through highlights such as “Into the Rafters”, typical bluegrass fare extended jam sessions, and an appearance from a Pee-wee Herman doll on a stick, the modest crowd swelled into a sweaty mess of dancing that far exceeded the small set-up for the On Tap Lounge and surely guaranteed them an audience at their sets later in the weekend. -Caitlin Meyer

Hayes Carll – The Other Tent, 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

Opening a tent on Thursday is not an easy task. Most years the crowds are small because the people just aren’t there – Thursday is a travel and setup day for many. But since Bonnaroo opened the gates early this year – Wednesday afternoon instead of early Thursday morning – the farm was already hopping by the time the tents were open for business. Playing to a decent sized audience, Hayes Carll and his five-piece band played a strong set of the good kind of country – no gloss, no fake pop – just a down to earth set of old style country songs. The crowd was really into it – Carll had them howling and cheering over the hilarious “Another Like You”. He played mostly songs from latest effort KMAG YOYO, with a few from earlier albums, including a personal favorite – his cover of Tom Waits’ “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”. -Carson O’Shoney

Band of Skulls – That Tent – 8:30 p.m.

If there’s one thing this band proved during their early evening set, it’s that rock and roll is alive and well, and it breathes in England. Everything Band of Skulls did, every crashing crescendo, every tasty lick, every “How you doin’, Bonnaroo?!”, was met with raucous approval from the front rails to beyond the edges of the lawns outside the tent. Whether it was hits like “Light of the Morning” or “Death by Diamonds and Pearls” or new tracks they didn’t even know yet, the crowd devoured every moment, including the pick tossed by Russell Marsden into their hungry hands as the band slammed into “I Know What I Am”. The track “Impossible” was transformed into an impressive closer with a monstrously extended breakdown, making it a standout in a Thursday night highlight. -Ben Kaye

Wavves – This Tent - 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

Wavves‘ packed set at This Tent didn’t truly start until it was almost over. Although Nathan Williams’ sloppy, loud sound matched the energy of the records, it just wasn’t suited for an outdoor, sandy festival setting. The show began with a run of newer and really old tracks, both of which were lost upon the casual listener expecting solely “Post Acid” and “King of the Beach”. A reprimanded crowd surfer resulted in Williams (in typical anti-establishment fashion) demanding that the crowd do whatever they want to have fun and completely ignore security. Following this spiel, Williams launched into a run of songs off last year’s King of the Beach – finally engaging the crowd. “Linus Spacehead” was especially well-received, with Williams’ screams of “I’m stuck in the sky/I’m never coming down” resonating particularly well in the suspended smoke above the crowd. -Caitlin Meyer

Freelance Whales – That Tent – 5:30 p.m.

The strange appeal of Freelance Whales baffled me, for the most part — here is an act with enough of a pop lean to tweak some lyrical structure for easy radio airplay, whose vocalist isn’t even a stone’s throw away, and this band has chosen an ethereal indie route that you can take or leave. Bonnaroo heated up brutally fast, and following the more country-centric vibe of Futurebirds with cheerful positivity was a sorely-needed departure in helping the crowd forget the sun temporarily. Sure, it was a tent with shade, but let’s get real…humidity knows no bounds, so we take what we can get. This includes happy indie pop like the phenomenal Freelance Whales. Now, excuse me while the hippie who spilled his beer on my shoe buys me a brew. Cheers! -David Buchanan

Karen Elson – The Other Tent – 5:45 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

A night before her divorce party, Karen Elson put on her own kind of fiesta on the farm. Bringing along 3/4ths of the Greenhornes (or 1/2 of the Raconteurs, if you prefer) – Elson and her band tore through selections from The Ghost Who Walks along with a couple of covers – including a fantastic take on Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” and her Lou Reed cover and Record Store Day single “Vicious”. The band sounded better than ever – they’ve come a long way since she first started playing shows last year. Elson was in total control of the crowd. They were simply enthralled by her and it showed, in both their reactions and her performance. -Carson O’Shoney

Best Coast – The Other Tent – 7:15 p.m.

Photo by Mark C. Austin

Besides Sleigh Bells, Best Coast had the biggest crowd of any Thursday act. Inexplicably, they were both in the smallest main tent at the festival. Bethany & co. took the stage to huge applause, then proceeded to play mostly selections from their latest effort, Crazy for You. Unfortunately, the band didn’t impress on stage. Most of the songs just bled together and it led to a pretty boring set. The crowd still went crazy for “Boyfriend”, and many didn’t seem to care that everything sounded the same – but for those of us hoping for more from a band that has written some solid songs, this was a big disappointment. -Carson O’Shoney

J. Cole – This Tent – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Bonnaroo’s Thursday night lineup is notorious for nabbing acts on their way up. Acts like MGMT, Vampire Weekend and the xx have graced the farm on past Thursdays. This year, J. Cole was the obvious choice for Thursday’s about-to-blow-up act. He was the first act signed on Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label, and he’s poised to release his debut album later this year. For fans who caught his show, it was a great chance to see him before he starts playing main stages – and he proved his worth with a high energy set. He got the crowd jumping, and they followed his every move, from throwing diamonds in the sky to a legit lighter salute – something rare in today’s concert scene. Look out for J. Cole – he’ll be all over the radio in due time. -Carson O’Shoney

The Drums – The Other Tent – 8:45 p.m.

Since it was mid-June in Tennessee, The Drums‘ vibe couldn’t be more suited to the temperatures, even excluding chilly coastlines elsewhere. There truly is little to be said for an act whose first big LP release has been repeatedly hailed by independent blogs, so we’ll stick to the current events.

You really had to be there to sink your teeth into a bite of something so surfer-oriented that you could imagine water coming down. It wasn’t a Centeroo fountain, but nobody complained — the sun had already been down for quite a bit. Songs like “Let’s Go Surfing” or “Best Friend” created a bubbly dance party that even frontman Jonathan Pierce took part of – without sweating too much, either.

With Thursday being the second worst afternoon to be billed on this week, we accept that The Drums could have half-assed their way through a whole short set. We’re happy they did not. -David Buchanan

Twin Shadow – This Tent - 10:00 p.m.

With the pain of having to choose between The Walkmen, Sleigh Bells, and Twin Shadow still fresh, George Lewis did his best to swoon the crowd in his favor. Although he may have lost in numbers, he won in performance – the dazzling blue and yellow lights, lush synthesizers, and low, tender voice in top-notch shape as he rolled through Forget‘s finest. Limited crowd interaction usually seems standoffish, but Lewis’ almost non-presence lent itself to an entrancing, rich set that matched the vibe and depth of the recordings perfectly. “I Can’t Wait” and “When We’re Dancing” proved to be show highlights, as the crowd swayed back and forth in pure ecstasy. - Caitlin Meyer

Sleigh Bells – The Other Tent – 10:15 p.m.

The full effect of the new Wednesday gate openings could be seen and felt by anyone who attended the Sleigh Bells set. In my four ‘Roos, I have never seen a crowd like this one on a Thursday, nor ever at the Other Tent in general. As the Brooklyn duo burst into “Crown On The Ground” and the crowd surged forward, the first thought was “this should’ve been at a bigger tent.” When Alexis Krauss called out, “This one goes out to the back” before fan-favorite “Rill Rill”, she was talking to the people pressed against the fences to the right, up towards the water slide on the left, and beyond the trees in back. It was rowdy, almost scary, but behind a battering ram of bass and a wall of light and color turned solid by dust kicked into the air by dancing hordes, it was proof that these are two people totally at home throwing a party for upwards of 20,000 people, and rocking each and every one of them breathless. -Ben Kaye

Childish Gambino – This Tent – 11:30 p.m.

Photo by Mark C. Austin

Donald Glover’s rapper side-persona is starting to become a more recognizable name than his real one. While in ways that’s always been part of the Childish Gambino experiment, this was his first real test in front of a festival-sized crowd. He entered hard with the Youngbloodz sampling “Let Me Dope You”, but recent smash “Freaks and Geeks” had a strange mix and caught Gambino out of breath, slow on just his second song. Though he mumbled through most of his crowd interactions, his confidence grew with his energy as he bounded about stage, climbing atop a speaker to begin “Yes”. The crowd was with him the whole way, chanting his name during no fewer than five interims, and rushing the stage as he mounted the rails for “I Be On That”. In short-shorts and a Garth Brooks “The Cat in the Hat” t-shirt, he certainly didn’t cut the typical rapper image, but the speed showcased on the Kanye sampling “Break (All of the Lights)”, the vocal versatility of “My Shine” (he can sing!), and the gruffness closing out “Lights Turned On” show he’s actually got the chops to be a recognizable force in hip-hop. -Ben Kaye

Beats Antique – The Other Tent - 11:45 p.m.

Classifying Beats Antique‘s unique blend of every genre imaginable is immensely difficult – and the same applies to their live show. The bass was heavy, but not enough to warrant dub step dancing; the percussion reeked afro-beat, but the grooves weren’t long enough to really get into. For a stoner-friendly world fusion jamming show, the set was plagued by prematurely ending songs and an abnormal amount of talking. That being said, though, the audience packed into the tent without complaint and spilled onto the surrounding grass, enjoying the musicianship as the band frequently switched around instruments and laughing at the attempt to organize the ‘world’s largest simultaneous clap’. -Caitlin Meyer

Friday, June 10th

Sharon Van Etten – Which Stage – 12:15 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

Sharon Van Etten is no stranger to middle Tennessee. As she proclaimed during her Friday morning set, she lived in Murfreesboro (a much maligned college town) for a few years and, as she put it, “I’m not ashamed!”. This year marked her first performance at Bonnaroo, bringing her back to the region where she went to college. She seemed humbled by the experience – saying she was “a little overwhelmed” – as well as visibly flustered by the heat. But she pressed on and put on a pleasant early afternoon show. The sun was punishing, but the crowd didn’t let it distract them from Van Etten’s nuanced melodies. With a two piece band backing her up, she worked her way through songs from both of her albums, eliciting some strong reactions from the sparse but constantly growing crowd. A woman near me wiped tears away, while others near me attempted to dance – a difficult task for an introspective songwriter. Whatever the reaction, the crowd sure seemed appreciative. -Carson O’Shoney

Kylesa – That Tent – 1:45 p.m.

Two drummers going at it behind a keyboardist who adds ambience with a theremin? Can you say sci-fi horror with a twist of lime? Kylesa, while pounding through a heavy helping of Static Tensions and Spiral Shadow in pure rock fervor, tore down barriers of sound live, and there was not a single still body by the end of it all. If you needed evidence, all you had to do was look down towards the ground, where packs of crushed American Spirits and shattered Ray-Bans lost in a sand-locked mosh pit during “Running Red” and “Scapegoat”. Sincerely…Kylesa is not your usual metal band, and far from the quieter end of progressive, but throw in some Mastodon and you might as well call the infirmary ahead of schedule. You’ll need it. -David Buchanan

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones – Which Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Béla Fleck got the band back together last year – well really, the Flecktones never actually broke up, but for the first time since 1992 they’re back with original member Howard Levy. As the first major festival on their schedule since then, Bonnaroo was a perfect fit for their instrumental brand of bluegrass fusion, especially since Béla Fleck is one of the unofficial ambassadors of the festival – he’s been at the festival in some capacity more years than not. The four-piece wowed the substantial crowd with their incredible musicianship – the Wooten brothers seemed to be having the time of their lives, and Béla was masterful on the banjo. They mostly drew from their latest album, their first with the original lineup since 1992, Rocket Science, but they still found room for older classics like “Big Country”. Béla will be back, but this particular set will last as one of his most special at Bonnaroo. -Carson O’Shoney

Justin Townes Earle – The Other Tent – 2:30 p.m.

The first full Bonnaroovian day found Americana sounds taking over the smallest tent, and Justin Townes Earle lent his honest voice and songs to the scene. Joined on cello for the first third of his set by the man who played just beforehand, Ben Sollee, Earle put on an impressive display of guitar plucking and folk/country stylings. The set was made almost quaint by his constant reference to the crowd as “ladies and gentlemen,” though that illusion was dashed when he introed “Slippin’ and Slidin’” by saying, “Now ladies and gentlemen, as most people know I like to do a lot of drugs. So this song is about my sort of unwillingness to compete in the game of life sometimes.” Like I said, the man’s honest. A high-stepping, intense cover of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “My Starter Won’t Start” was a highlight of a simple yet glowing mid-day performance. -Ben Kaye

The Sword – That Tent – 3:30 p.m.

If the album art from Warp Riders wasn’t a big fat indicator of the direction The Sword comes from, you have a lot to learn about classic rock. From covering ZZ Top to dancing in and out of their three-disc catalog during the hottest part of the day, The Sword re-injects absolute metal into the current mainstream, on tools of the trade every band should acquire — not the least of which being sheer stage presence. Unfortunately, while all of the general pieces fell into place, Kyle Shutt appeared to be in some other place entirely for the majority of the set, particularly on opener “Unearthing The Orb”. What could have made for a fine throwback to Heavy Metal wound up a sub-par rendition of anything The Sword stands for, but the crowd didn’t seem to care at all. -David Buchanan

Abigail Washburn – The Other Tent - 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Despite starting 15 minutes late and having early sound issues, Abigail Washburn‘s set was undoubtedly one of the weekend’s best. Starting with City of Refuge‘s title track, dabbling in old material, and playing an extended version of traditional gospel song “Keys to the Kingdom”, her vocal prowess and impressive clawhammer banjo playing were the epitome of musicianship. It wasn’t all show though, as she danced around the stage as her bandmates each took a solo and eagerly interacted with the audience throughout. Round out the set with an incredibly talented pair of violinists, horns and a guest appearance from hubby Béla Fleck and Washburn just couldn’t lose. -Caitlin Meyer

Walk the Moon – Cafe Where? – 4:30 p.m.

The cool-down factor of the shaded Cafe Where was totally negated as it became a party packed with Walk the Moon fans mostly hailing from the band’s home of Cincinnati. With a sincere yelp of “So pumped!”, the band got right to work with “The Liftaway”, jumping about and smiling joyfully. The track “Lisa Baby” was given a ridiculously fun vibe setting the whole tent bumping, and it was simply superfluous to preface “Anna Sun” by saying, “Let’s get a little crazy, we’re at Bonnaroo!”. To introduce what would be the first encore I witnessed at the festival, they said, “This song is appropriately titled ‘Me and All My Friends.’” It was indeed apt, as a group of friends is exactly what this band feels like on stage. At one point, the woman next to me leaned in: “I don’t think they’re signed, dude, which is insane. I’m gonna get them signed.” Good luck with that, lady, because after that crisp, electrifying set, they fully deserve it. -Ben Kaye

Opeth – That Tent – 5:15 p.m.

Opeth is on the cusp of dropping its 10th album release, so for tattooed and well-worn traveling fans of this Swedish prog-metal powerhouse, expectations wavered sporadically between “We want new shit” and “We want classics.” The difficulty lay in deciding what constitutes “classic”, and with zero unheard tunes making the set, we settled for a sufficient  seven or eight song doling out of the past. Ghost Reveries’ “The Grand Conjuration”, alongside Watershed‘s “Hex Omega” and “The Lotus Eater”, bookended a seven-strong setlist, all centering on a quaint Deliverance slow-burn, “In My Time Of Need” — this is not at all the ideal series, but with nods to both Blackwater Park and one half of my favorite de facto metal double-album, it was convenient. It’s a mild appetizer to sate taste buds, pending their 2011 Heritage tour. -David Buchanan

Givers – On Tap Lounge – 5:20 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Yet again proving the On Tap Lounge stage to be the weekend’s hidden gem, Lafayette, Louisiana’s Givers‘ energetic and fun set added some life to a long Friday afternoon. Sugary sweet male-female vocal harmonies alongside whimsical melodies resulted in a thoroughly danceable and enjoyable set. Singer Tiffany Lamson made sure to graciously thank the crowd after almost every song, and the genuine excitement was really refreshing. Highlights included EP favorite “Meantime” as well as tracks from their upcoming debut LP, and an extended version of poppy, psychedelic “Up Up Up” to close the show. -Caitlin Meyer

The Decemberists – What Stage – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

“We’re The Decemberists. We’re pleased to be here. We’re gonna play some songs for you. This first one starts like this.” So quoth Colin Meloy as the midday heat began to fade and his band started their show with “July, July!”. That little speech set the stage perfectly, as the performance was simple, straightforward, and full of witty banter. This was the band’s first festival gig without Jenny Conlee, and Meloy sent her regards. “She says hello,” he said, “and she’s doing well. Now here’s a song about the end of the world.” He then chugged straight into “Calamity Song”. Conlee’s replacement was serviceable, though she wasn’t nearly as charming or vocally strong next to Meloy. Still, the band played a pleasant set heavy on cuts from The King is Dead, though in the end the commentary was perhaps more memorable than the music. -Ben Kaye

Wanda Jackson - The Other Tent – 5:45 p.m.

Photo by Mark C. Austin

The First Lady of Rockabilly made her triumphant debut at Bonnaroo this year by transporting her audience to a different time. When she took the stage, suddenly we weren’t on a farm in Manchester. We were in Memphis in the late ’50s, sitting in on Wanda Jackson taking us on a tour of the music of the time. She covered a wide range – from country to rockabilly to gospel, with even a little yodeling in there. During her set she often spoke about her experiences with Elvis, proving to the younger generation her importance and experience. She also talked a lot about Jack White – prompting the crowd to freak out, hoping for an appearance by Mr. White himself. Alas, he did not show up, but she played some great renditions from the album that he produced, The Party Ain’t Over. Her backing band, The High Dollars, were extremely tight and made everything sound even better. She summed up her set quite nicely while introducing her biggest hit – “We’re gonna do “Let’s Have A Party” – why not? It’s Bonnaroo!” -Carson O’Shoney

Florence + The Machine – This Tent – 6:45 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

The crowd for London’s Florence + The Machine at the This Tent (or, as the result of one of numerous sign failures, the ‘S Tent’) stretched back to the famed Mushroom Fountain. That many feet kicked a lot of dust into the air that when mixed with the early setting sun’s glare made for a difficult view of the stage if you weren’t under the tent. Even if they couldn’t quite see her, they spiritedly sang with her for the “Drumming Song” refrain and the gorgeous chorus of “Cosmic Love”. The otherworldly voice she’s become famed for matched her stage nature, as she swirled about theatrically in a flowing black robe, jumping and writhing to the beats, at one point bowing low as if performing for royalty. She didn’t speak much, but that seemed fine with a crowd who wanted nothing more than to hear that wondrous voice or just bask in her presence, as sometimes still silence from the stage received the loudest ovations. -Ben Kaye

NOFX – That Tent – 7:00 p.m.

For a group who has habitually exhibited a “Don’t Give A Fuck” mentality over the years, NOFX‘s seemingly random inclusion at Bonnaroo was given to plenty of aggro-laced anarchy. Sadly, the display felt more like a cross between lackluster track pickings and a bad comedy routine. With an entire arsenal of aggression to draw from, with a means to literally destroy a crowd that was most likely high on something, “Stickin’ In My Eye” and “Linoleum” were thrown into the mix lazily, while NOFX itself spent the majority of time acting 20 years younger than they actually are. I expected immature antics, I expected crazy and stupid. I did not expect vicarious adolescence to be so god-damned boring. Thankfully, the circle pit managed to rock its own show out. -David Buchanan

My Morning Jacket – What Stage – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

This year, their sixth at Bonnaroo, My Morning Jacket finally made their What stage debut. It wasn’t in the spot that some were hoping – confining them to a two hour set doesn’t give them justice, especially after their four hour late night marathon in 2008, but the Kentucky boys made the best of it. A trumpeter opened the set with the opening notes of “Victory Dance”, then Jim James & co. appeared and sent the audience into a frenzy. James, sporting amazing boots as usual, was turned way down for the first part of the opening song, which led to some confusion among the crowd. The problem was fixed quickly and then MMJ were off and running. Donning a new stage setup, the band powered through mostly songs from new album Circuital – all of which sounded great live, but reached into their expansive discography for some old crowd favorites like “Off the Record”, “Steam Engine”, and “Mahgeetah”. The Nashville Horn Association helped them out throughout their set, then they got an extra boost from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for a rowdy rendition of “Highly Suspicious” (that it was right after “Holdin’ On To Black Metal” made for a great one-two punch of fun)  and “Dancefloors”. After ending with their classic “One Big Holiday”, there was no doubt that My Morning Jacket are still the unquestioned Kings of Bonnaroo. -Carson O’Shoney

Primus – Which Stage – 9:15 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

Hot off the heels of a stellar performance in Raleigh, NC, the three men of Primus fame decided to pay a visit at Bonnaroo’s esteemed Which Stage, complete with paratroopers and falling blue lights (anyone who caught a little black ribbon with an iPhone scanning square, please tell me what the fuck that was). The challenge in catching an act twice in a row is running through the redundancy of a repeat setlist, so Primus was tasked with changing things up. Les Claypool led the way, and though alterations were minor, the mood was most definitely a far cry from some dinky auditorium in North Carolina’s capitol city.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

A sea of stoned faces jumped to “Harold On The Rocks” and my personal favorite, “American Life”; those who weren’t moving were mesmerized by the blue lights overhead, the random green lasers others packed for just such an occasion, and the disturbing realism of Claypool’s pig mask (and yet again, no “Mr. Krinkle”). Primus could have feasibly pulled all the stops at ‘Roo, but decided to stick relatively close to their touring set. Insider information aside, we do know that Primus did not give it 100%, and for reasons known only to fans of Primus, the atmosphere had not been dampened a bit — save by the humidity. -David Buchanan

Big Boi – The Other Tent – 12:45 a.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Ever since the release of Sir Lucious Left Foot, Big Boi has gone on the road and become one of the most dependable live hip-hop acts around. It doesn’t hurt when you have an extensive back catalogue from one of the greatest hip-hop acts of all time to cull music from. He did play through plenty of OutKast’s greatest hits – all of which hyped up the crowd to extreme levels. The “new shit” also went over really well – he played the best cuts from his solo album like “Shutterbug”, “Daddy Fat Sax” and “General Patton”. He also had plenty of people dancing – both on stage and in the audience. His crew of jumpsuit-wearing backup dancers were great, but they had nothing on the little kid that was just going crazy front and center for a good chunk of the set. Ultimately, many left the set early to go see Lil’ Wayne (seriously Bonnaroo, that conflict is brutal), but it was Big Boi who ended up stealing the show and put on the best hip-hop set of the night. -Carson O’Shoney

Arcade Fire – What Stage – 11:00 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

If Coachella was their coming out party as one of America’s most important modern bands, then this was their confirmation. The display was almost identical to that other festival’s, with the Grindhouse trailers and theater marquee, but there was a triumphant quality that could not have been present in California. For years, fans have clamored to get Arcade Fire to the Tennessee farm, and it was immensely gratifying to hear Win Butler step to the mic to say “We are very fuckin’ happy to finally be here. We’re so happy. Ok, here we go,” before diving into “Keep The Car Running.” It was a homecoming for a band that never lived here, and it was perfection.

Apposite opener “Ready To Start” had every band member and every audience member wilding out. The sheer power of watching six musicians simultaneously step to their mics to scream “Hey!” during “No Cars Go” has chills crawling up my arms even as I write about it. Pianos pounded, guitars wailed, accordions hummed, and everyone danced.

Butler spoke of his appreciation for the heat, saying that “being from Texas, summer should be hot and humid. It’s nice to feel proper humidity again,” before changing a lyric in “The Suburbs” to “and drive to a field in the middle of Tennessee with my friends” to cacophonous cheering. They exploded from that track into highlight “Month of May,” turning suddenly into an honest-to-goodness rock-and-roll band. This persona continued through “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” and the ferocious transition into “Rebellion (Lies),” ending in a drum being thrown across stage for the final shattering note.

As the lights came up for the encore and the crowd pushed forward to fill the gaps left by those thinking a late-night set would be better than this, Butler said, “We wrote this song to play in front of 20 people. It took some getting use to to play it for a field full of people.” With tens of thousands singing along, “Wake Up” felt built for this venue size. If it hadn’t been proven already, giving the final song to Régine Chassagne for “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” solidified that this isn’t just Win Butler’s crew, but a formidable band in it’s prime. You just have the honor of living at the same time. -Ben Kaye

Lil Wayne – Which Stage – 1:30 a.m.

Photo by Mark C. Austin

There has been a grand amount of hooplah regarding MCs at Bonnaroo, this year. Ever since Kanye West’s late arrival back in 2008, plus a severe lack of urban vibes at a festival known for its recycling benefits, this was an unexpected docket member to spot. Nonetheless, alongside Big Boi, Wiz Khalifa, Atmosphere, and Eminem…here lies Lil Wayne‘s set.

Despite some new Carter IV material, a rump-shakin’ audience of females, the bombastic introduction (which would no doubt be topped later), and persistent hype amongst fans and detractors alike, this performance was easily the least engrossing or original rap output all weekend long, and this is a real shame.

I’ve been told that Lil Wayne’s bass-heavy beatdown came overlapping Mumford & Sons, that the general audiences were split into semi-factions of rap versus folk rock. Typically,  one vies for a cleaner cut-off point, such as what was present when Buffalo Springfield faded on “Rockin’ In The Free World” to launch Eminem’s blasts shortly thereafter, instead of wishing one was in the Silent Disco. A rap show, drum-and-bass do not make. Let’s hear the damn lyrics, already! -David Buchanan

Pretty Lights – That Tent – 2:15 a.m.

Derek Vincent Smith aka Pretty Lights used his coveted latenight spot to introduce a new stage show. Though it was almost a half-hour late, it was a pretty cool set to behold. Through the dust and haze, he cut a shadowy figure amongst towering light structures that lit up like a cityscape. Various waves and swarms of colors and shapes varied from song to song, swirling out across a constantly pulsating crowd. Though samples of Pink Floyd’s “Time”, Kanye’s “All of the Lights”, and the Steve Miller Band/Seal’s “Fly Like An Eagle” made appearances, it was a slow start, as at one point he cut the music to bellow, “How many of ya’ll in here are real Pretty Lights motherfuckers?! Come on!”, apparently unsatisfied with one track’s response. The tempo picked up, though, and if it didn’t before, at least his stage show lives up to his name. -Ben Kaye

Shpongle – This Tent - 2:30 a.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Wow is the only word that comes to mind when trying to verbalize “The Shpongletron Experience”. Opening with “Divine Moments of Truth” and launching into a nonstop onslaught of lasers, blinking eyes, warped faces, hooping girls on-stage, psychedelic imagery, glow sticks, and, oh, music – the show was almost too much. But it wasn’t. Simon Posford, hidden in the top shelf of his contraption wearing a feathered hat, kept the hallucinogenic dream/nightmare, depending on your state, going strong for close to three hours, pushing ravers and curious passersby to the limit after a long day in the sun. -Caitlin Meyer

Saturday, June 11th

Alberta Cross – That Tent – 12:15 p.m.

The beauty or curse of early sets on Saturday is that most people are too wiped from the overexcitement of the previous night’s late-night sets. Thus, the crowd at the first show of the day, U.K. blues rockers Alberta Cross, was pretty sparse, though a handful of devotees were right up from. These fans got the pleasure of lead-singer Petter Ericson Stakee right in their face for “Rise from the Shadows”, getting a chance to belt into the mic along with him, and one lucky fan even got to keep Stakee’s tambourine. The set was full of newer tunes, some never before played live, though older tracks like “Old Man Chicago” and closer “ATX” were standouts. The mix was a little heavy on the lows, often masking the piano and vocals, but altogether it was a rocking way to start the day. -Ben Kaye

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - This Tent – 12:30 p.m.

Black Joe Lewis is a near-perfect early afternoon festival band. High energy bands are a valuable resource in that time slot. Luckily, they were put right where they belong and they kicked off Saturday afternoon with a bang. With the band decked out in classy black & white, they kicked it into high gear early and often with their mix of blues and funk. Plenty of other acts got their audience up and dancing, but few did it with the swagger and soul of Black Joe Lewis. -Carson O’Shoney

Hanggai – The Other Tent - 12:45 p.m.

Making their American debut and kicking off the day of gypsy punk music curated by Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, Chinese folk band Hanggai set the bar for the rest of Saturday’s artists incredibly high. Seamlessly blending throat singing, a wide variety of traditional stringed instruments, and phenomenal harmonies, songs such as “Xiger Xiger” were breathtaking, to say the least. Unable to express his excitement and gratitude for the day in English, the lead singer just smiled and danced. The energy was contagious, and standout tracks such as “Drinking Song” eased a skeptical crowd into shamelessly indulging in the exotic beauty of Hanggai. -Caitlin Meyer

You Choose The Cover: Lelia Broussard .vs. The Sheepdogs – This Tent – 2:00 p.m.

This was a unique show featuring two acts competing for a deal with Atlantic Records and the Holy Grail of music publicity, the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. L.A.’s Lelia Broussard and Canada’s The Sheepdogs had made it through various rounds of voting to get down to Tennessee. SNL’s Jay Pharoh was on hand to MC and ask audience members to text their choice after the performances, but it was clear who the winners would be before things even got started. Canada’s presence was in full force, with flags and beach-balls bearing the maple leaf bouncing and waving around. Little Lelia Broussard came on stage dressed in a day-glow yellow top and red face paint, her band dressed all in black. She cheerily busted out poppy songs about “fucking like a teenager” and “hipsters when they’re bitches,” and a good portion of the crowd was really into it.

The vibe was totally different when The Sheepdogs ascended the stairs. The considerably increased crowd sent up woots and hollers as the foursome personifying 70’s Southern rockers plugged in their instruments. One of the greatest rock moments of the whole festival came as lead-singer Ewan Currie looked for a bottle-opener for his beer. “Someone get this man a bottle opener,” bellowed Pharoh to the stage crew. As a fan tossed a lighter to Currie, applause and cheers rang out. They reached their apex as Currie popped open his beer, tossed the lighter back, and took a swing. “Never mind!” cried Pharoh over the din. “Give it up for The Sheepdogs!” Then the first bluesy chords of “Who?” struck, and for me, the contest was over. If not then, then surely after the cheering and singalong for “I Don’t Know,” the winner was clear. Maybe they just fit better at Roo, though, as the contest website shows Broussard with far more Facebook likes and Tweets. You know where my vote went, though. The Sheepdogs rocked. -Ben Kaye

Old Crow Medicine Show – Which Stage – 2:00 p.m.

Photo by C. Taylor Crothers

So enamored was I by The Sheepdogs, that I only managed to get in two and a half songs of Old Crow Medicine Show. Thankfully, the first one and a half were “Wagon Wheel” and “Tell It To Me”, both featuring the horns section from Mumford & Sons. “Feel that cool breeze when we played that “Wagon Wheel?” asked Ketch Secor. “It was like a gust of air conditioning blown off the highway.” I didn’t feel that, but I heard a jamming hoedown and an encore of “Tear It Down”. Before they played that, Secor screamed out, “You can’t come down to Manchester, Tennessee and not sing a song about a mule!” Well, glad I got to hear it then. -Ben Kaye

Forro in the Dark – The Other Tent - 2:15 p.m.

Directly following Hanggai was no easy task, but Brazilian world dance band was definitely up to the task. Dressed in coordinating button ups and ties, the five-piece continued to dole out extended jamming doses of percussion-heavy, danceable rhythms with an undeniable South American flavor. The Other Stage curator Eugene Hutz made a guest appearance, to an explosive positive response from the audience. Between the on-stage banter, long-winded but hilarious band member introductions and phenomenally performed music, the set was yet another testament to Hutz’s ability to book bands, and on the last soulful trumpet solo, it was tough to watch them leave the stage. -Caitlin Meyer

Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas – Which Stage – 4:00 p.m.

There is always more than a fair share bluegrass and grassroots music at Bonnaroo, and while this was no Dr. John or Greensky Bluegrass, Alison Krauss and her band of country pluckers never ceased to dole out the spirited vibrations at their Which Stage performance. Inevitably, passers by stopped to take a gander, and those arriving a shy late still soaked in Ms. Krauss’ angelic voice and killer southern charms.

Alison Krauss & Union Station are a staple in the world of folk and country, while their leading fiddle-strokin’ lady has made her mark beside the likes of Robert Plant (who totally should have made an appearance here) and Brad Paisley. Nonetheless, seeing this set was a lot like visiting family in the mountains for a bonfire and a jug of homemade wine. Comfortable. -David Buchanan

Portugal. The Man – That Tent - 5:00 p.m.

About halfway through Deer Tick, rabid Portugal. The Man fans began to infiltrate That Tent, pushing to the front. That eagerness was mirrored in the band’s performance too, as John Gourney excitedly recounted the band’s last time at Bonnaroo when the band finally took the stage. Blasting through The Satanic Satanist‘s staples “Do You” and “People Say” alongside two new tracks from the upcoming, In The Mountain, In The Cloud, and a sampling of older material, the band could do no wrong as the swirling mix of Gourney’s vocals, psychedelics and impressive guitar riffs exuded energy and passion. With any luck, next time they swing through the farm, they’ll have a night time set to finally do their entrancing light show justice. -Caitlin Meyer

DeVotchKa – The Other Tent – 5:15 p.m.

Around 5:30 p.m., the gathered audience at the Other Tent began to get impatient – 15 minutes had gone by since their scheduled set time with no sight of DeVotchKa. However, a couple minutes later, Gogol Bordello walked on stage and gave a surprise three song acoustic set. This pleased the crowd at Eugene Hütz’s Gypsy Punk Revue stage, but they were even more taken when DeVotchKa finally walked on at 6 p.m. – then got really crazy when Gogol came back on stage to help them play their second song. Playing a good selection from their albums while focusing on the new one, the band sounded solid as usual as frontman Nick Urata crooned his way into the audience’s heart. The icing on the top was the aerial burlesque dancer, who ascended two strands of thick ribbon to the top of the tent and performed a stunning dance routine while the band played. It’s become standard for their shows, but it doesn’t make it any less magical when you do get to experience it. -Carson O’Shoney

Mumford & Sons – Which Stage – 6:15 p.m.

Photo by Mark C. Austin

The problem with repeating acts from year to year is that they now have to play up to the expectations set by the previous appearance. Mumford & Sons set last summer was phenomenal, and while this one was good, it just didn’t have the umph as their tent show did. Still, it was the biggest Which Stage crowd of the day, with fans hanging off walls and trees, and there were improvements: the harmonies on “Timshel” were tighter than ever, and their banter was better. David Mayfield and dobro master/produce/Union Station member Jerry Douglas joined the band for “Awake My Soul”, and future album standout “Lover of the Light” continues to be an impressive live rocker. The absolute highlight had to be when members of Old Crow Medicine Show, The Apache Relay, Douglas, and Cadillac Sky joined in for an encore of “Amazing Grace”. A total of 19 people were onstage, and that makes it two years running that Mumford has brought a band not on the schedule to the festival. -Ben Kaye

Loretta Lynn – That Tent – 6:45 p.m.

Photo by Michael Hurcomb

“Y’all ready for a real country show?” – that’s what Loretta Lynn‘s bandleader exclaimed at the beginning of her first Bonnarooo set. It was the perfect place for her old school country – she now lives in Tennessee so it was something of a hometown show for her. The band played a song without her first, then her twin daughters came on stage for one song before she finally greeted the crowd to huge applause. You never know what you’re gonna get vocal-wise when a singer is pushing 80 years old – but Lynn put any questions aside and sounded absolutely fantastic. She did put on a real country show – her own catalogue acts like a tour through country music history on it’s own – but she also covered some standards by Conway Twitty, Patsy Cline, The Oak Ridge Boys and more. When she transitioned into her gospel section towards the end, it sounded just as fantastic as everything else. This was yet another set where Jack White was mentioned and sent the crowd into a frenzy – but she claimed that he had “left her out to dry” after she asked him to join her on stage. “Just wait till I see him next…” she said jokingly. This was disappointing for some – but she more than made up with it throughout her set, which ended with what everyone was hoping for – “Coal Miner’s Daughter”. -Carson O’Shoney

The Black Keys – What Stage – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

The Black Keys have become a well oiled machine live. Sometimes, this can be a good thing. For example, the band – weather it was just Patrick and Dan, or their expanded band they brought on for the middle portion of the set – sounded extremely tight. And they were playing the songs that the extremely and ridiculously large crowd wanted to hear. But the problem with a machine is that it leaves no room for improvisation. When a band consists of two people and touts a fantastic and substantial back catalogue, you expect them to be able to cull from a large number of songs and play a different show each night. The White Stripes used to do it all the time – they knew their material like the back of their hand and could play pretty much anything on a whim on any given night. Unfortunately, the Black Keys forgo this and more or less play the exact same hour and 10 minutes every show, regardless of time or place. Most bands realize that Bonnaroo is not just another stop on the itinerary. Some bands play multiple shows, others promise special sets with special guests, others take advantage of their time and play perhaps one of their longest shows ever (Radiohead comes to mind). Instead, the Black Keys ended their set 20 minutes short and didn’t come back on for an encore – even though they probably had the biggest crowd for a non-headliner. It’s always nice to see bands really appreciate the farm and the fans that brave all the elements to see them there. And it makes it that much more disappointing when a band doesn’t live up to the challenge. -Carson O’Shoney

Buffalo Springfield -Which Stage – 9:30 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Buffalo Springfield was unquestionably the most unique “get” for Bonnaroo this year. Neil Young’s first band, with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, reunited last year for the first time since 1968. This was their lone festival date of the year, after a short run of headlining dates leading up to the fest. They unceremoniously walked on stage and went right into “On My Way Home”. The sound was very quiet – a recurring theme at the Which stage, prompting the crowd to chant “turn it up!” or “loud-er! loud-er!” between songs. They eventually balanced the sound out – but it was never as loud as it should have been. It was no bother though, as the band seemed to be having a good time on stage and their energy was contagious. The crowd, a good mix of young and old, showed great appreciation for being able to see this legendary band in such a setting. That setting was not lost on the band, either – towards the end of their set, Neil Young proclaimed “This is the biggest gig we’ve ever done. This is about 10 times as many people as we’ve ever seen as a group before.”

Photo by Max Blau

While Stills and Furay together have more songs in their catalogue than Young, it was Young who stole the show – he had more energy than the rest of them combined, and his rendition of “Broken Arrow” may have been the best single song performance. Well, that or their rocking set closing version of Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”. Young was by far the crowd favorite – they cheered every time he showed up on stage or began to sing. He led the crowd in some arm waving – he made his arms into an “O” while shouting “Bonnarooooooooooo” and the crowd ate up every bit of it. A lightning storm threatened to cut the set short, but it ended up just being about 15 minutes of medium rain and actually added to the set – the strong winds made for some great natural hair-blowing-in-the-wind effects. Even those who weren’t familiar with the bands work were surely impressed – seeing Neil Young wail on guitar is simply one of the better things in all of music. But the final three knockout punches of “Broken Arrow”, “For What It’s Worth” and “Rockin’ in the Free World” were what really solidified it as one of the best sets of the weekend. -Carson O’Shoney

Matthew and the Atlas – On Tap Lounge – 10:40 p.m.

Watching a folk group who build their music upon sweet vocal harmonies while Buffalo Springfield was moderately audible certainly made for an interesting juxtaposition. Matthew and the Atlas‘ brand of orchestral folk, though, and their immaculate, passionate performance demanded the audience’s full attention. Pushing through songs from their assorted EP’s, notably “Within the Rose”, their performance was heartfelt and honest, as was the band, as they were profoundly surprised and humbled near the end by how many people had trickled into their show. Riveting narrative lyrics, chilling harmonies – the next time these guys are on the farm, they definitely won’t be playing such a small stage. - Caitlin Meyer

Eminem – What Stage – 11:00 p.m.

Have you ever been to a concert where everything went so inexplicably smooth, you’d swear the crowd reactions were scripted under duress? So impeccably spot-on, the rehearsals alone would make sweatshops look like air-conditioned cubicle office spaces?

Eminem is back in the rural south…and we were there.

Everyone — the thoroughly baked, the recklessly drugged, those mercilessly aching for a direct-to-camp teleportation device — stood before the What Stage to witness Eminem’s Recovery (and then some), wondering what the selection had in store.

Marshall Mathers & The Recovery Band whipped the once-fatigued audience into a frenzy, offering a reliable Em medley — “Won’t Back Down”, “3AM”, “Square Dance”, “W.T.P.”, “So Bad”, the works — followed closely by our first real surprise all evening, the entrance of Royce Da 5’9, forming rap duo Bad Meets Evil as though it were Voltron (thus prompting a harmonious expanse of handheld fire during “Lighters”).

The rest of Em’s performance was wrapped around expected fare, notably some naughty call-and-response, and hit songs “Love The Way You Lie” and encore track “Lose Yourself”. Was it all default settings? Undoubtedly, but the key factors at play were Eminem’s overall energy — consistently explosive, to put it lightly — and the swaying arms that wafted left and right all into the late, late hour.

Eminem did a very by-the-book show, and he came at it 110%, never once dropping the ball. He entered with swagger, he exited with class; he gave respect where it was due, he sent appropriate shout-outs to past collaborators and longtime friends, the late Nate Dogg and Proof. By Saturday night, most of us were ready to call it quits (AM DJ sets, notwithstanding), but the What Stage lawn saw very little inactivity come the arrival of Detroit’s prodigal son.

Photo by Max Blau

The sing-along set ended with a bang come fireworks, and a pilgrimage to the Tennessee farmland was wasted none, even when most of us wondered why Lil Wayne, being in the vicinity prior, had not joined in for a “No Love” reprisal. Either way, welcome back to the south, Em. -David Buchanan

Dr. John – That Tent – 12:30 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

One of the biggest attractions of the weekend was undoubtedly Dr. John‘s late night set. What better way to celebrate a birthday than by inviting the man who inspired the name of the festival? Bonnaroo did just that – and Dr. John brought a few friends along to perform his album, Desitively Bonnaroo, in its entirety (the album that, of course, gave Bonnaroo it’s name). The legendary Meters – with their original lineup – served as the backing band while also opening the show with a set of their own classics. Once their 45 minute career-spanning set was over, there was a short break before they came back on stage and were joined by Alan Toussaint and, finally, Dr. John – who received a hero’s welcome. With a who’s-who of classic New Orleans music on-stage, including the original backup singers from the album – they ripped right into album opener “Quitters Never Win”. From the opening all the way to closer “Desitively Bonnaroo”, That Tent was overtaken by the New Orleans sound – there was surely not a more funky party this year at Bonnaroo. -Carson O’Shoney

Omar Souleyman -The Other Tent – 12:30 a.m.

Omar Souleyman is a Syrian artist, specializing in his own unique brand of genre-bending traditional Middle Eastern and dance music, whose set rounded out the eclectic group of artists hand-picked by Eugene Hutz for the gypsy punk celebration. Despite the live show only including keyboards and Souleyman’s trademark stoic delivery, the outrageous beats were still delivered cleanly to the increasingly impatient Gogol Bordello crowd. While standouts such as “Hafer Gabrak Bidi” and their infectious melodies worked, the set, on the whole, lent itself to monotony, as an hour and a half was too long. -Caitlin Meyer

Scissor Sisters – This Tent – 12:45 a.m.

I had only cursory knowledge of Scissor Sisters before this show, so I wasn’t expecting much, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. It was by far the most positive vibe I felt all festival, lewd as it was. How lewd? “To all the girls who are scantly clad today,” proclaimed Ana Matronic, “You look like whores. Good job.” But that idea of loving who you are, whatever that is, was pervasive, and it made for a damn good time. Pillars of flames shot up for “Fire With Fire”, and their cover of “Comfortably Numb” transformed the song into a totally new, spectacular beast. Tongue firmly in cheek, they showed they knew exactly who they were when they introduced “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” as “your mom’s favorite Scissor Sisters song. And your grandma’s, too.” That sort of self-awareness and confidence is what kept having to walk away from Dr. John from being utterly depressing. -Ben Kaye

Late Night Parade with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Portugal. The Man – Centeroo – 2:15 a.m.

As soon as Dr. John’s set ended – people started seeing flashes and hearing cheers coming from side stage. What emerged from the backstage area was the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, complete with My Morning Jacket’s Patrick Hallahan, leading the crowd in Bonnaroo’s late night parade. Bonnaroo had tweeted about this earlier that day, alluding that the parade would lead to “something crazy you don’t even know about…”, so people followed. The end result didn’t matter to most – everyone was having a ball walking beside and behind the PHJB, marching in step and clapping along. A few were quick to ask “Where’s Jack White?” between songs, but most just let loose and had a good time following them from the That Tent through Centeroo, past Girl Talk at This Tent. The destination ended up being somewhere between Which Stage and the Cinema Tent, along the outside fence of Centeroo, where a band was waiting on a float like you’d see in a parade with Mr. T’s head. Smoke obscured the band as we walked up, then the PHJB gave their final notes and Portugal. The Man took the spotlight. By the time they started playing, it was 2:45 a.m., and it happened to be their lead singer’s birthday. They celebrated by popping bottles of champagne all over the crowd and handing it to them to drink. They played three songs before the power went out – they seemed disappointed but walked off stage, but no sooner did they get off the float that the power came back on, so they went back up and finished a solid 45 minute set. It’s truly moments like these that makes Bonnaroo so special. -Carson O’Shoney

Sunday, June 13th

The Head and The Heart – The Other Tent – 12:00 p.m.

Photo by Mark C. Austin

Nothing against the city, but Seattle wasn’t impressing me on Sunday. First off was The Head and The Heart, whose indie folk tunes brought out quite an impressive crowd for the time slot, but had little heart and too much head. The majority of the band focused so intensely on playing as tightly as possible, that it lacked the joy of a live show. This wasn’t always true: Tyler Williams constantly looked like a happy puppy behind the drums, while Charity Rose Thielen shined on “Lost In My Mind”, enjoying it so much she applauded along with the audience at the end. “Ghosts” showed Josiah Johnson as the stronger of the two frontmen (Jonathan Russell needs to loosen the hell up), and the Iron & Wine horns section provided such impressive backups that even the band watched in awe as they closed out the song. There’s definitely potential in this young band, they just need to stretch their legs some more. -Ben Kaye

Smith Westerns – This Tent – 12:30 p.m.

It’s exciting to see notable transformation in a band’s live show, and Smith Westerns have come so far since their small club shows last year. The Omori brothers were no longer hesitant to interact with the crowd, the performance was tighter – they earned that spot and This Tent. With the setlist featuring a healthy mix of both Dye It Blonde and Smith Westerns, songs such as “End of the Night” and “Dreams” were executed fast and clean, epitomizing the fine line between glam and garage rock that the Smith Westerns tend to walk. Although the crowd refrained from getting too into the danceable tracks, the responses to Omori calling a portion of the set ‘smoke time’ and lines such as “If you didn’t like this set, fuck you” were more than enthusiastic. -Caitlin Meyer

Mavis Staples – What Stage – 1:15 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

It was a stroke of genius to schedule Mavis Staples for an early Sunday morning set. Those who showed up early at the What stage ended up not missing church – because Mavis took everyone there for just over an hour. She’s become one of the most dependable fixtures in the festival scene – she’s just so masterful at what she does that it’s infectious. Not everyone, especially at a music festival, will be into the message of her set – but no one out there shouldn’t be able to appreciate her talent. She covered everything from her father’s “Freedom Highway” to a classic in her set, “The Weight” and even “For What It’s Worth” – an appropriate choice after Buffalo Springfield played the night before. She also played selections from her illustrious career, including crowd-pleaser “You Are Not Alone”. -Carson O’Shoney

Fences – Sonic Stage – 1:15 p.m.

Photo by Ben Kaye

Fences was another Seattle letdown. I’d heard nothing but greatness about Christopher Mansfield’s indie band, but only saw sparks of it here. The man himself seemed fairly disinterested in the small-stage set, despite apparently having jumped at the chance to play it. He barely looked at the audience, and seemed to turn his back on them at every solo. He seemed bored, so I was bored too. It’s worth noting that some of the highlights, “Sadie” and “The Same Tattoos”, had keyboardist Jonathan Warman focusing on his guitar. Not that he’s a bad keyboardist, just an observation. -Ben Kaye

John Waters – The Comedy Theatre – 3:00 p.m.

Where do I begin? Well, I guess I should start with the openers. The Gregory Brothers, better known as the Auto-tune the News guys, opened the set and they were…interesting. They basically showed their clips on screens and then performed live versions of the songs they made out of them. The audience wasn’t really sure how to react, and it didn’t help that the screens shut down after a couple songs, making everything make much less sense. They did cheer for “Bed Intruder Song” and “Double Rainbow” – but I think any Bonnaroo crowd would go crazy over someone just saying the words ‘double rainbow’. Tig Notaro was up next – perhaps best known as Tig the lesbian cop in the Sarah Silverman Program. Her short set was very subdued, and she could tell the crowd wasn’t totally into it, but she was pleasantly funny regardless.

Then the fabulous John Waters finally came on stage and immediately proved that his depravity knows no bounds. His entire set was basically a non-stop stream of consciousness rant about anything and everything – things he loves, things he hates, his (sexual) fascination with Alvin the Chipmunk, turd terrorism, bears, adult babies, blossoms, ultimate nudity and more (google those last few at your own risk). I think he summed it up nice when he said, “I’ve had murderers call me fucked up!” He kept going further down the rabbit hole, daring his audience to keep listening as he introduced them to new sexual things that we’ve never heard of. “John my ears are not garbage cans!” he said, imitating his audience as they listen to him – “Well, they are today!” In reality, he was everything we were hoping for and more. Way more. -Carson O’Shoney

Daniel Lanois’s Black Dub – This Tent – 3:30 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

This set surprised me, as it quickly crept into my top five of the festival. The crowd was sparse, as many probably don’t know Daniel Lanois, despite having produced seminal albums for U2, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Those who weren’t in attendance missed what had to have been one of if not the best female vocalist on the farm in Trixie Whitley. That deep, soulful voice coming out of this thin, hipster-looking knockout on songs like “Nomad” and “Silverado” was simply jaw-dropping, and “Surely” still tickles me in ways I didn’t think music could. When she sat down next to the skankiest drummer at the festival, Brian Blade, and grooved along, it was pure magic. Blade plays his kit like a child discovering all the wonderful things a new toy can do, slinking and flowing over it with Sammy Davis Jr. suavity. The band had one of the sexiest sounds and the sexiest singer on the farm, hands down. -Ben Kaye

Galactic – What Stage – 3:30 p.m.

Galactic proved to be the perfect soundtrack for the final afternoon of Bonnaroo. Patrons played frisbee, hid in the limited shade and lazily lounged, enjoying some down time and calm tunes. That’s not to say that the band itself was calm, though, as Galactic’s set proved as funky as ever, in true New Orleans fashion with blasting horns and stellar bass grooves. With Ben Ellman fresh off of a fun, danceable set on the Sonic Stage with his side project Gypsyphonic Disko, the gang was in top notch performing shape, delivering solid versions of “All Behind You Now” and “How Many More Times”. -Caitlin Meyer

Iron & Wine – Which Stage – 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

Acoustic, lethargic songs sung to thousands of people in 90 degree sun is the recipe for an afternoon nap. Luckily, that’s not what Sam Beam did, taking the stage with horns, female vocals and an assortment of random instruments. Watching songs such as “Boy With A Coin” come to life, with dimensions added previously unimaginable, was moving. Beam was personable throughout, donning a snazzy suit and chatting casually with the huge audience. While the song transformations didn’t always work and purist fans may consider the set to be one of the weekend’s most divisive, the strung out versions of tracks, a clean rendition of “Tree By The River” and obligatory performance of “Flightless Bird” were immensely enjoyable. -Caitlin Meyer

Beirut – The Other Tent – 6:15 p.m.

Robyn’s encore was the worst possible thing that could happen to a Beirut fan, as it only lengthened the already intolerable amount of wait time for elusive Zach Condon and company to finally take the stage. When they did, though, it was all worth it – skipping the Strokes, missing Superjam, wading through the glitter-adorned masses of Robyn fans. With the signature opening accordion of “The Concubine”, the crowd exploded into a massive collective of swaying and swooning, Condon’s impeccable voice atop the pattering percussion and timid trumpet.

Progressing through a healthy portion of The Flying Cup Club, sporadic Gulag Orkestar and throwing in two songs from the upcoming LP, their momentum was interminable. Condon charmed the audience with his surprise at the endless applause, and continued pouring everything he had into each word he sang. As the end drew near, the sun set and the band closed with a one-two punch of “Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)” and “The Gulag Orkestar”, both done with chilling power and raw emotion. Deafening ‘one more song’ and encore chants brought a bewildered Condon back to the stage, insisting that they only had one song left they could play. A hearty chorus of “ohs” got the whole crowd dancing and singing – a perfect end to both the set and a phenomenal weekend. -Caitlin Meyer

The Strokes – Which Stage – 6:45 p.m.

Like the Black Keys, The Strokes are another seen-em-once-seen-em-1000-times band, at least in their most recent shows since Angles was released. They didn’t take advantage of their longer set time – they came out late and ended early – they didn’t change up the setlist, and they didn’t even have their simple-but-effective light show in tow. This was likely due to the fact that they had to take the stage in the sunlight – which was quite humorous, as Julian still had to look his coolest and wore a leather jacket in the unbearable heat. The Strokes have never been a very active band on stage, but at other shows they had their light show to make up for it. Without it, they just looked bored on stage and did not seem to be giving their all. At the same time, I heard raves about the show – perhaps if I hadn’t already seen them twice in the past year, I would have enjoyed it more. I’m sure for first timers it was a blast hearing those songs. But for me, it wasn’t up to par with even the other two shows I saw in the past year, including last year’s headlining show at Lollapalooza. The Strokes don’t have the most expansive catalogue, but they’ve gotta learn to change it up a little and stop being lazy if they want repeat customers. -Carson O’Shoney

Superjam ft. Dan Auerbach and Dr. John – That Tent – 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Max Blau

For many, the return of this fabled event was a festival highlight before it even happened. During the 30 minute, highly directed soundcheck, the anticipation was palpable. What was actually going to happen? What would they play? If you’d noticed that the hat atop the Bonnaroo arch was Dr. John’s from the cover of Desitively Bonnaroo, you could’ve guessed that this special jam would focus on his music and the funky jazz sounds of New Orleans. The man cut a stoic figure up on stage, his face barely moving despite his powerful vocals – a bizzaro parallel to Auerbach’s visible child-like thrill. Joined by My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan (whose main job was to bang a bongo or tambourine and take swigs from his beer) and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the set featured Dr. John standards like “Jump Sturdy”, a wonderful rendition of Betty Harris’s “There’s a Break in the Road”, and the one song everyone in attendance could name, “Iko Iko”. Standouts were the bombastic “Little Sister” and the packed “St. James Infirmary”.

Photo by Max Blau

It was spotty at times, but it was pieced together in just a week’s time, and the pure joy of it all made any slip-up forgiveable. After all, you were watching Auerbach shred his guitar and Dr. John pound his piano (as one crowd member put it, “how many fingers does he have?”) together, a once-in-a-lifetime combination. The most lasting image of all came after Dr. John was left onstage for a solo performance of “Such A Night”. A white towel draped across his neck, Auerbach returned to thank the crowd and, along with the Dr., receive his much deserved applause. As he led the man of the hour slowly from the stage in the pale blue lights, turning for one last wave, the crowd showered their appreciation on the pair. For me, that image of two great musicians leaving behind a unique, hour-long masterpiece of a performance was the perfect embodiment of the end of another successful Bonnaroo. -Ben Kaye

The Culture of Bonnaroo

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Oh, and welcome back to the real world.

– Watch Yeasayer debut a brand new song live.

– Electric Daisy Carnival announced its 2011 lineup.

– Red Hot Chili Peppers revealed the tracklist for I’m With You.

– OFWGKTA’s Frank Ocean is hitting the studio with Kanye and Jay-Z.

– Jack White and Karen Elson ended their six-year marriage with a party.

– For your next family game night, pick up the Metallica version of Monopoly.

– Lil Wayne became just the second rapper ever to appear on MTV Unplugged.

– Check out a brand new song from The Rapture, via James Murphy’s turntable.

– Watch brand new videos from Neil Young, Bad Meets Evil, Belle & Sebastian, Bright Eyes, Best Coast, MellowHype, and Shine 2009.

– Get ready for new albums from Wu-Tang Clan, Beirut, Mates of State, Nick Lowe, The Jayhawks, Twin Sister, and Male Bonding.

– Paul McCartney is kicking off his 2011 tour with his first-ever gig at Yankee Stadium. Also, check out the CoS premiere of a remastered version of “Every Night”.

– Ra Roa caught up with The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne to discuss the band’s gummy fetus amd stompbox, a possible Nick Cave collaobration and more.

– Finally, Clarence Clemons, the legendary saxaphonist of Bruce Springsteen & the Street Band suffered a stroke over the weekend. Our thought are with him and his family.

The sheer volume of music disseminated every week always freezes me in my tracks, like, deer-in-the-headlights anxiety and over-stimulus. Twitter feeds roll, emails pile up, and that stray text from a friend saying “did you hear that new [...] track? duuuuuude…”  Full transparency: this new feature is partially a therapeutic compartmentalization tool for myself and Winston Robbins here, as we try to find the tracks that demand to be invested in, that excite and invent, that stick and delight, and most importantly, bring some outstanding tracks that got our attention this week directly into your ear brains.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here is the first installment of our Top 10 mp3s of the week.

Active Child  - “Playing House” (feat. How To Dress Well)

Pat Grossi, under the recording alias Active Child, has supreme vocal prowess, and here is no deviation from the norm. And couple that with the uncharacteristically assured tones of Tom Krell, under the recording alias of How To Dress Well, and it’s another reason we’re excited about white dudes who listened to more r&b than most growing up.

Male Bonding – “Bones”

British fuzz punks are back with a new album coming out, and its first noise is four chords for six-and-a-half minutes of fifth gear, first rate music. That lazy guitar line that seeps in at the three minute mark is something special and it only gets better from there on out.

G-Side – “I’m Sorry” (feat. P.H.)

Dirty south gets a fresh paint job with G-Side. He claims he’s not ATL, and it shows, as the Alabama rapper exhibits an earnest flow and markedly more atmospheric production. “Smart gangster,” he says, and we say it, too.

Beiruit – “East Harlem”

“And sound of your breath in the cold,” Zach Condon sings, amid down-stroked guitars and chamber-pop orchestration, “And oh, the sound will bring me back home again.” Beirut is back.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – “Senator”

It sounds like he’s just having fun, tossing off acerbic lyrics, reveling in alt-pop, and saying “blowjob” a whole bunch. It’s a great thing.

Stephen Malkmaus and the Jicks - "Senator"

Pretty Lights – “Pretty Lights v. Radiohead vs. Nirvana vs. Nine Inch Nails”

Pretty Lights is appearing basically everywhere this summer/fall, especially in the festival circuit. Thus, you should get to know him. And what better way than with a dubstep mash-up (using both terms very loosely) which includes samples of three songs already inducted into rock and roll’s canon: Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place”, Nirvana’s “All Apologies”, and Nine Inch Nails “Closer”.

Pretty Lights vs Radiohead vs Nirvana vs NIN

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground – “World’s Entire”

The first showing from their sophomore effort Introducing Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, “World’s Entire” is a track fraught with bright landscapes (and an immensely catchy chorus) just in time for summer. Truly, Kay Kay live in a blissful world of baroque pop all their own.

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - "World's Entire"

The-Dream – “Body Work/F*** My Brains Out”

Playful (and filthy) as the title may be, this epic nine minute jam by The-Dream is no joke. His high tenor rolls slowly over the “Body Work” portion of the track, and he pushes into the next realm of sexy (and filthy) with his vocals on the “Fuck My Brains Out” segment.

Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”

Jamie xx’s first solo track since remixing the late Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here, is as promising as his work with his full-time project, The xx. ”Far Nearer” takes his signature dubstep into a realm of calypso and dreamy bass beats previously undiscovered that leaves one aching for more.

Kasabian – “Switchblade Smile”

And, so it is, Kasabian is back. But far more exciting (all due respect to Kasabian) is the resurgence of the somewhat solitary producer Dan The Automator, who provides the dark, borderline industrial beat that drives this gleefully ominous track. It’s the first taste of Kasabian’s forthcoming, Velociraptor!, set for release in September.

Thus concludes the first week of what we’re sure will be many. An eclectic week, as far as genres go; from Beirut’s sweet baroque brass to The Dream’s paradoxically debonair “F*** My Brains Out”, no base is left uncovered. As long as the ubiquitous mp3s keep pouring in, we’ll keep our ears to the ground and keep you up to date on what’s hot.