No. 27: Rogue Wave

Rogue Wave was formed in 2002 by lead singer Zach Rogue (Zach Schwartz) after being laid off and devoting much of his newly found free time to recording music. The band has released 4 albums to date, Out of the Shadow, Descended Like Vultures, Asleep at Heavens Gate and most recently Permalight in March of 2010. Rogue Wave has been compared to Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins.

Probably one of my favorite bands, and probably one of my favorite stories to tell as well. Pat Spurgeon, Rogue Wave's drummer, was born with just one kidney and his struggles with touring, dialysis on the road, and the search for a donor are featured in the documentary D-Tour which was on the series Independent Lens, and the twist in this story is really stranger than fiction. Check out this film, it's a beauty. The band's three earliest albums are some of my favorite chill listening, good albums for your hangover Sunday's, can't go wrong with Harmonium, Catform, or Bird on a Wire. Rogue Wave's Permalight paints a brighter picture with songs that have a little more punch and pop, Permalight and We Will Make a Song Destroy are good examples of their maturation.

The band plays Saturday at 1pm and it doesn't matter who they're playing against because you shouldn't miss it.

Rogue Wave's video for Chicago X 12 was directed by actor/comedian Bob Odenkirk.


Bob Odenkirk's - Rogue Wave "Chicago x 12"



bob MySpace Video

No. 28: Stars

Stars is a Canadian rock band that, on first listen, sounds a lot like Broken Social Scene. That would make sense, as the members of Stars also play with Broken Social Scene. Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan share singing duties, and it makes for a nice mix.

I'd describe Stars' sound as "pleasant." Since I have been in a big Broken Social Scene mood lately, I'm finding Stars somewhat appealing, but they don't carry the same energy or feel. A lot of their songs are a little too slow for me. So I wouldn't mind listening to Stars every once in awhile, but I don't see myself checking them out at Lollapalooza this year. If you're a big BSS fan, it might be worth attending their set to see if they are joined by Emily Haines from Metric (and also a fellow Broken Social Scene member).

Stars plays on Saturday at 2:15. They're not really up against anyone special, so they might draw a decent crowd.

Stars on MySpace

No. 29: Deer Tick

Deer Tick is a folk rock group from Providence, Rhode Island. Lead singer/guitar John McCauley sings with an interesting raspy voice -- but I can't make up my mind if I like it or not. Deer Tick reminds me a little of Dr. Dog, with maybe a little more folksy feel. The group currently features former Titus Andronicus guitarist Ian O'Neil.

I like this band, but I'm not sure if I'd like to see them at a festival like Lollapalooza. I think a small club on a Friday night would be perfect for this band. They have a pretty good timeslot -- 5:00 on Saturday. And they really aren't up against anyone else I want to see, so it's possible that I go check them out. Or I might use this time to get some food before Spoon and Cut Copy...

Deer Tick on MySpace

No. 30: The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are what you would call a Canadian indie super-group.  Most of the band were all known in the Vancouver music scene before they formed.  Members of the group include well known solo artists Neko Case and AC Newman.  They have been putting out solid material for the last decade now and consistently make albums that definitely sound like a mish-mosh of many talented musicians.  They focus mostly on straight power-pop with crowd pleasing ballads and sing alongs.  Their album, 'Together', that came out this year has the old familiar rhythmic hooks and energy that the last album, 'The Challengers' was missing.  This is not to say the album doesn't have slower introspective songs as well, but The New Pornographers shine best when nailing that triumphant verse.  Like say, Rilo Kiley, this is a band you and your girlfriend could like for different reasons.  The guitar riffs are fun and sunny and sometimes come crashing down to reality.  In recent years front man AC Newman's lyrics have become more dark and cryptic.  Neko Case is not featured as much, but the sweet melodies contributed to with Kathryn Calder are still lovely.  There is definitely a lot to take in when seeing The New Pornographers live.  They have 8 members in the band and countless other contributors from bands like, The Dap Kings, Okkervil River, St. Vincent, and Beirut. You will here prominent piano, horns, and violin in just about every song.  If you have a chance to take in a few songs in I would.  They are playing on Friday at 4pm and as far as I can see Devo is the only competition they are up against.  The Black Keys are on after them so it might not be a bad idea to camp out and check em out.

Single from 'Together', "Your Hands"

No. 31: Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts from Kendal in England's Lake District have drawn some standard geographical comparisons to bands like Elbow and I Am Kloot. Their sound isn't as similar as their roots but I can see where a comparison may have been made. I tend to compare the band to one of my favorites, The Talking Heads.

With all that said and the high standards their comparisons have set I'm not all that big a fan of the music and that's for one main reason, the lead vocals. I've heard this complaint from others before in reference to bands such as Passion Pit, Modest Mouse, and Gomez among others and have had a similar problem with The National and Wilco, but after enough listening learned to live with and then love the peculiar vocals. My thought has always been if the music is good the vocals will fall into place. I'm not sure if that theory will continue to fly with Wild Beasts.

Hayden Thorpe's voice is said to be countertenor, and I can't take it or at least a whole albums worth. I enjoy some of their songs especially Devil's Crayon and All the King's Men and of their two albums I think I slightly prefer their latest Two Dancers, but as an entire collection his voice tends to turn me off. It may end up growing on me, it's not looking good though. Wild Beasts got a pretty good time slot on Saturday at 1:15, I may try to catch them after Rogue Wave and hope that the music drowns out most of the vocals.

Wild Beasts on MySpace

The Official Site of Wild Beasts

No. 32: Chromeo

Chromeo is a 2-person electronic band from Montreal. Their music sounds straight out of the movie "Weird Science" or some other similar '80s flick. It's funky, it's pretty cheesy. I could see Chromeo being a total guilty-pleasure band. They remind me a little of Hot Chip, but with more of an '80s feel.

P-Thugg and Dave 1, as they are known, started Chromeo in 2001. They will be releasing their third album, Business Casual, on August 17. They play Lollapalooza Friday night at 7:00, right after Hot Chip. I'm not sure if I will be in attendance. I think I would have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy these guys live. And by right frame of mind, I mean really drunk. But I think it might be fun.

Chromeo on MySpace

No. 33: Blues Traveler

Who hasn't heard of Blues Traveler or John Popper, pretty much everyone. This New Jersey band obviously took off back in 1994 with their album Four and hit songs like “Run-Around” and “Hook.” I actually enjoyed their next album Straight On till Morning and their second album Travelers and Thieves back in the day. I think they took a tumble when bassist Bobby Sheehan overdosed and passed away in 1999. Their albums really haven’t been as solid since. With a collection of 10 albums at this point, they have not seen much commercial success with any other album. Blues Traveler has become a standard festival band where they can pull a bigger crowd in that atmosphere because of their past fame. I've seen them a few times at these fests. Definitely not a band that is going to blow your mind, but you may want to grab a burger (or Pad Thai in OD’s case) and pop a squat on the lawn. I’ll probably be waiting in line for a Kumas Corner burger myself since they are a vendor this year. If you miss them and would like see them live, don’t fret, I’m sure they will be back next year. They play at 1:45 on Saturday.

MySpace
Band Page

No. 34: X Japan

Clappers, get a load of X Japan. If you like hair bands and songs that sound like Vince Neil singing Motley Crue songs with a mouthful of marbles, then you just might dig the hell out of X Japan. If you are a fan of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network like I am, you probably already know what these guys sound like. You know how certain Japanimation cartoons like Cowboy Bebop always have those sappy songs during the end credits that are a mix of Japanese and Engrish? Well, that's X Japan in a nutshell, folks.... The band has been around in Japan since 1982, which explains the hair, and rode a wave of success in their native land up until around the early '90s and subsequently broke up around 1997. The members soon went their separate ways with some of them even joining cults. Guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumo went on to work on his solo career as well as his new band, Spread Beaver (Yeah, he went there.), but soon after died in 1998.

The band announced its return in 2007 and booked shows all over the world including the Taipei World Trade Center and Madison Square Garden among other coliseums and arenas. X Japan announced earlier this year at the Midwest Animation Promotion Society Convention that they would play at Lollapalooza, much to many an ecstatic manga nerds' delight. I'm always looking for new dynamic musical experiences, so I think I will check this band out.

Video For "Tears". Dry your tears with love, people... Dry your tears with love.

Note: X Japan doesn't really have a Myspace or a website... at least an American website... They sort of have a Myspace... But as you can see, it's a ghost town. Basically all I had to go on for this review is the half a song they have on their Myspace plus that "song" in the video, so I apologize to all X Japan fans who are reading this if my article seemed a bit lopsided.

No. 35: Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear is what I would call a solid band. The Brooklyn foursome isn't flashy, but they make really good music. I guess I'd describe their sound as a variety of experimental folk. Their 2009 album, Veckatimest, was one of my top 5 albums from that year, and I still listen to it quite often. I haven't listened to much of their older albums, but I can tell you from Veckatimest that they are a very technical band -- it sounds like they worked really hard to make their songs sound great. And I think the hard work paid off.

I've never seen Grizzly Bear live, but I've read they bring the same intensity and meticulous nature to the stage (which I definitely respect a lot). As much as I like this band, I have in fact passed up on seeing them a couple times. I feel like they're a very skipable band at a music festival for some reason. Like they're the band you want to see, but instead go get a slice of pizza. This year at Lollapalooza has the potential for me skipping them again -- they play at 4:15 on Saturday, conflicting with both Gogol Bordello and Dawes. So I'm not really sure if I will be checking them out, even though I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed at all.
Grizzly Bear on MySpace

No. 36: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have appeared on Claptrapped before and in my first review I wrote that they sounded a bit 'chanty' and over joyous but they were no doubt a band even your Mom might like.  I even picked their single '40 Day Dream' as one of my favorite tracks of '09. Over time I have now come to respect them more.  They are a hard touring band and have made 4 stops in Chicago in the last year alone.  I love bands that work hard for the money.  They now have songs featured in Ford Fiesta commercials and the soundtrack to the John C. Reilly flick 'Cyrus'.  They have really made some headway for a relatively new band.  More of the songs off the record have grown on me and I can see myself bringing their debut record 'Up From Below' on camping trips with me for the rest of my life.  Its a great summer disc and one that will continue to accompany other camping favorites like Fleet Foxes, Rusted Root, Old Dylan, Otis Redding, and acoustic Zeppelin.

I would definitely check out Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Lolla.  I have never seen them live, but they appear to be crowd pleasers.  Their music is simple and perfect for an outdoor festival.  With only one album out so far you will be sure to hear one of your favorites. Bring a wide angle lens if you plan on taking pics since they have a whole mess of people in the band. If you can't seem them at Lolla they are playing an after show at Lincoln Hall for 14 bucks.

Check out the Tiny Desk Concert they played for NPR.

No. 37: Raphael Saadiq

You like old school R&B, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, The Supremes, Motown, Detroit? (okay not so much Detroit) Well if you answered a resounding Yes! you'll probably want to check out Raphael Saadiq Friday at 2pm on the South stage at Lollapalooza. The singer songwriter has been the modern representative of classic R&B since the late 80s when he was performing in the group Tony! Toni! Tone!

It's hard to criticize or praise an artist for recreating such a classic sound, it's obviously been done before, but I will say that Raphael Saadiq does it quite well. Old school bass lines, call and answer vocals, and back beat tambourines are all found in Saadiq's latest record The Way I See It, which features guest apperances by Josh Stone, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z.

The Official Website of Raphael Saadiq

Raphael Saadiq on MySpace

No. 38: The Temper Trap

Diet Coke anyone? The Temper Trap, from Melbourne, Australia, are probably best known for the commercial success of their song "Sweet Disposition" which has been featured in advertisements for Diet Coke, Chrysler and Rhapsody.

They play an alternative pop style with strong drum beats and harmonious vocals and I enjoy their debut album Conditions. The Temper Trap drew a tough time slot when closing out the Sony bloggie stage Sunday night at 6:30, overlapping the end of MGMT and the beginning of The National. That being said I will try to check out this band or at the very least the beginning of their set.

The Official Site of The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap on MySpace

No. 39: MUTEMATH

MUTEMATH is an alternative rock band from New Orleans. They have a bit of a futuristic sound, using keyboards and samples, but nothing that stands out to me in particular. I guess I don't mind the music side of this band, but they lose me when it comes to the vocals. They are poppy and, at times, cheesy. And I really don't like them.

I don't know, I could see people digging this band, but to me they seem kind of boring. They play at 5:00 on Sunday at Lollapalooza. They're up against Erykah Badu and Frightened Rabbit. I probably won't be going to check these guys out, but will opt for Frightened Rabbit instead.

MUTEMATH on MySpace

No. 40: Hockey

Portland, OR-based Hockey is the only band returning to Lollapalooza this year after playing it in 2009. They have become more well-known since last year, but they did not blow up by any means. I basically feel the same way about them as I did when I previewed them last year. They still sound like a mix of the Strokes and LCD Soundsystem. I feel like I should like this band more than I do, but for some reason, their songs don't really hook me.

Hockey ended up releasing their debut album, Mind Chaos, last October. They will be playing at a more impressive timeslot this year at Lolla -- 3:30 on Sunday. I did not end up seeing Hockey last year, and unfortunately, I will probably not be stopping by their set this year. It overlaps with both Mumford & Sons and Yeasayer.

Hockey on MySpace

Here's a video of one of their Strokes-esque songs, "Song Away."

No. 41: Metric

Hah, Canada. Metric, originally from Toronto, is an indie/punk/rock band fronted by Emily Haines, who has also performed with The Stills, The Stars, KC Accidental, Jason Collett and along with guitarist James Shaw in Broken Social Scene. That's where I'd start when describing the band: as an underwhelming Broken Social Scene with some Silversun Pickups and possibly even a little Cyndi Lauper.

The band has released 4 albums over the last 8 years, and for the most part I think they're pretty thin. Metric's members all have at least one side project and this may be a reason for the inconsistency and sometimes muttled sound.

Metric plays the Playstation stage at 5:15 on Saturday, up against Social D, AFI, and Deer Tick. I may wander by in this time slot to check out Metric, having no huge interest in any of the other bands, but I wouldn't call that a recomendation either.

Metric on MySpace

The Official Site of Metric

No. 42: Switchfoot

Switchfoot comes from San Diego and plays the definition of Alternative Rock. Which would be any band immediately played on radio station Q101 here in Chicago. Nothing bad but nothing extraordinary or unique, just pretty safe music. They are led by singer/songwriter Jon Foreman, who is also in the band Fiction Family with Nickle Creek guitarist Sean Watkins. Switchfoot is compared to Jars of Clay often because their Christian Rock influences and participation in some large Christian festivals, but I think they're a bit harder rock than Jars of Clay. They have produced 7 albums since the start of the band in 1996. The Beautiful Letdown is one of their more acclaimed albums mainly because of the song "Meant to Live" which received extended playtime on the air waves. All and all, not my kind of band but they do have a handful of solid tunes. They are playing on Sunday at 1:00 against the Dodos so I will not be in attendance.

MySpace
Band Page

No. 43: Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons is a four-piece folk rock band from London. They have a soft, nice sound and use a lot of vocal harmonies. Think of a somewhat mellower Fleet Foxes with a touch of bluegrass. They also remind me a little of Frightened Rabbit. I have heard a lot of buzz about this band recently, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they are like live.

The group formed in 2007 and just released their debut album, Sigh No More, last February (in the U.S.; the album was released in the U.K. in October 2009). I like the album a lot. It's soothing, but not too slow, and I could really see it growing on me more and more as I continue listening to it.

Mumford & Sons plays at Lollapalooza on Sunday at 3:00. They are up against Minus the Bear, so I have a feeling I will be checking these guys out.

Mumford & Sons on MySpace

Here's a video of their song, "Little Lion Man."

No. 44: Nneka

Nneka sings a style of hip hop with reggae and jazz beats accompanying her soulful voice. Born in Nigeria to a German mother and Nigerian father she remained there until the age of 18 when she moved to Hamburg, Germany, where she pursued her singing career. She has released three albums to date, I prefer her later Concrete Jungle which presents Nneka in a broader spectrum.

I enjoy Nneka and would compare her, obviously, to Lauren Hill and The Fugees, and slightly less obvioulsy, to The Roots, Speech Debelle (if you don't know her you should), and Stevie Wonder if you want to jump in the wayback machine. Nneka landed one of the worst time slots early Sunday from 12:15 to 1pm against Claptrapped favorites The Antlers and Frank Turner, as if we needed another reason to wake up early that day.

Nneka on MySpace

The Official Site of Nneka

No. 45: American Bang

American Bang is a Southern rock band from Nashville. They remind me a little of pre-"Sex on Fire" Kings of Leon. Similar to KOL, they draw from classic rock influences to make some energetic, rocking songs -- but it's nothing particularly original.

If you're at Lollapalooza on Friday afternoon and in the mood for something similar to the Black Crowes, maybe head over to the Sony bloggie (?) stage and check out American Bang. I however, will probably pass on these guys and get my Southern rock fix later in the day from the Drive-By Truckers -- a much more solid option in my opinion.

American Bang on MySpace

Here's a video of a performance from the Bottom Lounge in Chicago last year.

No. 46: Fuck Buttons

Fuck Buttons are an English noise-electronic band. It's a two-piece group, made up of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power. I had never listened to Fuck Buttons before researching them for this review. I have to say, they will be one of the few bands I will listen to in the future that I hadn't heard before. (So far, at least. The other band I've really liked being Cymbals Eat Guitars.) They kind of have a Dan Deacon or Animal Collective feel to them, without the vocals.

The Buttons make spacey instrumental songs that flow into each other, while sounding pleasant and abrasive at the same time. I'm a pretty big fan of their 2009 release Tarot Sport, with its soaring crescendos and head-nod-inducing grooves.

I definitely look forward to listening to more of these guys in the future. However, I'm going to have a tough decision on whether to see them at Lollapalooza this year. They play at 5:00 on Friday -- directly up against the Dirty Projectors and Matt & Kim. It's probably between Fuck Buttons and Dirty Projectors -- but all three groups have me interested. This is unfortunate considering there is so little I am excited for on Friday.

Fuck Buttons on MySpace

No. 47: Jamie Lidell

Jamie Lidell is an English soul singer. I think his music style will bring a nice change of pace for Lollapalooza this year. It's not really my preferred type of music, but I find Lidell's style easy to listen to.

His latest album, Compass, which was released this past May, was produced by Beck and also features him as a collaborator. (Side note: when is Beck going to play Lolla? This needs to happen soon.) Despite the connections to Beck, I find the album to be pretty average at times. But songs shine at times, and I would recommend at least checking it out.

Lidell plays on Friday at 6:30 at Lollapalooza. I probably won't be checking him out, as his set will be overlapping with Hot Chip and Black Keys.

Jamie Lidell on MySpace

No. 48: Son of a Bad Man

Son of a Bad Man classifies themselves as Rock / Pop. I think it sounds more like Pop / Country pre-made for cheesy teen movies. They could have been the entire soundtrack of Varsity Blues. Their single of the debut album is called "20 Missed Calls" and it sounds just like you would imagine it. They hail from Jacksonville Florida and are led by a young lead singer, Shawn Fisher. Their music is just very cookie cutter and seems to have no imagination. I know I'm really hating on this band but I just don't get it. They play on Sunday at 11:30 on the BMI stage.

Myspace