A first

This year will mark the first year since the inception of this website that no Claptrappers will be attending Lollapalooza. It seems strange, because Lolla has been such a focal point for this site, and has always been the highlight of the summer of music for us.

But Perry Ferrell and Co. really dropped the ball this year with the lineup. I often find myself complaining about the headliners at Lolla (aside from the year we were treated to Radiohead and Rage Against the Machine), and this year was no different. I had been dreading a Coldplay announcement for a while. I have no interest in Eminem. Muse wasn't a headliner a few years ago, and they still aren't a headliner.

But headliners aside, it was the mid-level acts that really fell short this year for me. Usually these mid-tier bands are what make the festival fun. Last year saw such bands as Blitzen Trapper, The New Pornographers, and Spoon hit the stage in early timeslots. This year has a spatter of bands that intrigue me slightly but not enough to make me want to fork over the $200 for a ticket.

However, some people must be OK with the lineup. All three-day passes -- as well as single-day passes -- are sold out. I just think it was a disappointing lineup to feature for the festival's 20th anniversary. Have to wait for next year, I guess.

Lollapalooza lineup game

Lollapalooza today unveiled a "Give Me an 'O'" lineup announcement for 2010. All bands are listed, but only the letter "O" shows up in each group's name. The Chicago Tribune, among other sources, has reported the festival's headliners will include Lady Gaga, Green Day, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Soundgarden, and Phoenix. This lineup "announcement" seems to support those reports.

Other rumors include Hot Chip, The xx, Spoon, and Devo. What other bands can you guess from the "Give Me an 'O'" game? View the lineup here.

2010 Lollapalooza suggestions

Today, the Lollapalooza mailing list sent out an invitation to suggest 5 bands that fans would like to see at next year's festival. Unfortunately, I can't find a link to the voting, so I think you have to access it from the fan email list.

I think this will be my 5 suggestions:

1. Arcade Fire
2. Beck
3. Wolf Parade
4. Yeasayer
5. M83

Who would you vote for?

The Best Show Ever

Possibly a bit of an overstatement, but given the circumstances I don't believe I could have been more pleasantly surprised.

Dan Auerbach guitarist from the super duo The Black Keys and his new band the Fast Five were playing with the young, up and coming Kentuckians known as Cage the Elephant in a Lollapalooza aftershow at Schuba's. That venue, which barely holds 200, with either act has the potential to be a great show, but both of them together makes it a no miss, even when you consider that it came at the end of a long hot second day at Grant Park.

Or at least it sounds like a good idea, until you reach the end of Lolla that day and standing in a small room with poor ventilation and a hundred or so sweaty dudes seems only slightly ahead of throwing yourself into oncoming traffic. Maybe a little harsh but coming from the remember we used to be great set, known as Depeche Mode, my level of excitement and energy had just about run out.



Luckily Cage front man, Matt Shultz, would provide enough excitement and energy for the entire room. If you have never heard of Cage the Elephant you may want to check out Paul's Lolla preview to better prepare you for the young hard hitting southern rock band. The stage, or any for that matter, was much too small to contain the band's sound let alone Matt as he jumped on, in and through the crowd, hung from the rafters and frequently stared and screamed through the front row of people. I was now revived and ready to see what Dan and the Fast Five had to offer.

After a short break Auerbach and his band took the stage that was already teeming with there instruments, keyboard, multiple guitars, a bass, and two drum sets, while additional fans filtered in knowing that the main act was about to begin. Dan played a loud energy filled set that extended the excitement in the room set by Cage.

Photos taken by Kristen Waszkowski.

Lollapalooza recap

Leading up to the festival, Lollapalooza 2009 didn't appear to have the headliners of past years. And while this proved to be true, the midlevel acts certainly held their weight, making for a great three days. Here are some of my thoughts:


Day 1:

The rain had already started by the time I walked through the gates around 12:15. I was pleased to see a much shorter line for three-day wristbands. Last year's wait pushed an hour, but I was able to walk right in this time. First up was Manchester Orchestra. At one point, lead singer Andy Hull remarked that it was the most people ever together in one place enjoying their music. I don't think the large crowd affected the group's performance negatively, though. It looked like they were having a great time on stage throughout their solid set.

Next, I caught Amazing Baby on the Citi stage. I was half-expecting this band to disappoint me. After really getting into their debut album, Rewild, I was eager to see how it would transfer to the live setting. I'd have to say it sounded pretty damn good. The lead singer, however, needs to practice his microphone twirling -- or just stop doing it.

After a strong set by Heartless Bastards and an interesting performance by STS9, I navigated through some lake-size puddles to the Playstation stage to catch the last half of Fleet Foxes. As always, they were really good. Vocals were dead-on, just like the other times I've seen them. My only complaint was that I didn't hear them play anything new. I've basically heard identical setlists all three times I've seen them.

To finish off Friday, I saw Andrew Bird and Kings of Leon. Andrew Bird was a treat, and KOL was WHO I THOUGHT THEY WERE. They actually started off with 5 or 6 old songs, which was nice. But then once the newer stuff started trickling in, the show started to go downhill.


Day 2:

I was most looking forward to Saturday, but it ended up being kind of disappointing. Joe Pug took the BMI stage (which was awesomely in the shade) with a full band. This gave his music more of a country feel than I was expecting. It wasn't a bad set, but it just wasn't want I anticipated.

Gomez played to a sun-beaten crowd. I had never seen them before, and I enjoyed it -- especially their excellent version of Led Zeppelin's "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp." That's probably my favorite Zeppelin song, so it put a smile on my face.

Saturday night, I was pumped to see TV on the Radio. Unfortunately from where I was standing they did not sound good at all. When they went into "Golden Age" early in their set, I didn't recognize it for a good minute. I'm not sure if it's the wind or what, but it seems like the Budweiser stage has the most issues with sound.

A bit dejected, I told myself Animal Collective wouldn't let me down. For a year now, I've been talking up their outstanding performance at Pitchfork 2008. I figured Saturday night at Lolla would be a perfect opportunity to recapture that magic. However, Animal Collective decided to waste about 40 minutes of their 1-hour set. Instead of pumping people up with a song like "Peacebone," they meandered through an extended "Daily Routine." The set did eventually pick up, when they played "Fireworks" into "Brothersport." But with all the time they wasted in the middle, they were unable to bring "Brothersport" to a close before Tool took the stage at 8:00 sharp, drowning out Animal Collective.

I'm probably not the right person on Claptrapped to write a review of Tool. I will say that I enjoyed them, and that I think they were probably the best headliner of the festival. But I wish I could have seen the band better. The stage's screens played videos, rather than footage of the band. For such a "mysterious" band, I was hoping to get a better look at them.


Day 3:

Sunday was my favorite day by far -- and I had thought beforehand that it would be the worst day. Things started out with a rocking performance by Portugal. The Man. They effectively built up intensity to the point of all-out fist pumping. I was very impressed and look forward to seeing them again sometime.

The next highlight of the day -- and possibly the best performance of the festival -- was Dan Deacon. Accompanied onstage by the Dan Deacon "ensemble" (comprising four synthesizer players, three drummers, and a mallet section) and, later, a full marching band, Deacon (pictured right) got the crowd jumping, dancing, and smiling at will. His songs build and build, all over crazy, distorted vocals. Deacon orchestrated crowd participation unlike anything I had ever seen. He instructed the crowd to start a giant conga line -- something I would never think would work, as well as a large circle, where one of his crew members led the crowd in an interesting interpretive dance. The dance culminated with him launching empty water bottles into the air. Soon the entire crowd was doing the same -- all in time with the beat of the music. (Check out this video to see what the hell I'm talking about.)

After solid performances from Passion Pit and Dan Auerbach, I was really looking forward to Band of Horses. Lou Reed, who was playing on the Budweiser stage -- across from where Band of Horses would be going on -- started 15 minutes late, so that pushed BOH's start time back 15 minutes. I was pretty annoyed, figuring Jane's Addiction would end BOH's set early since they were the "headliner." But when Jane's took the stage at 8:30, BOH lead singer Ben Bridwell shouted they would "blow that shit out!" The crowd went crazy, and BOH finished off an amazing performance. They played every song I wanted to hear, plus one new song. It was a perfect ending for Lollapalooza for me.

No. 1: Jane's Addiction

Jane’s Addiction has been around (on and off) since 1985. Their sound is heavy and energetic, but not necessarily as gloomy and dark as other bands starting to take off around that time. They definitely were lumped into the whole “grunge” scene but had a much livelier sound than the dreary Seattle scene. Perry Farrell, even to this day, is known as one of the best front men in rock because of his superfluous sound and stage presence. Lollapalooza itself wouldn’t exist without Farrell, who started the festival in 1991. Jane’s Addiction toured with it as their farewell tour; in fact, Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro would have outright fights onstage. The band broke up in 1991, but released two studio albums in that time: Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual.

After a few side projects, Jane’s reunited in 1997 with Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers) on bass for a short tour. In 2001, the band released a new studio album, Strays, and headlined the resurrected Lollapalooza tour in 2003. They broke up again after that (and if the trend continues, will after this Lollapalooza too). Their most recent tour has been this summer of 2009 with Nine Inch Nails (who shared the stage with Jane’s Addiction at the very first Lollapalooza in 1991). This weekend, Jane’s Addiction claims the headlining slot at Perry’s festival again. Despite their age and all the drama, Jane’s is expected to rock Lollapalooza back to its roots. So for anyone not familiar with Jane’s Addiction, I suggest you forget about The Killers and see what started this 3-day orgy of rock in the first place.


Jane's on MySpace

The Official Site of Jane's Addiction

No. 2: Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode have been together for close to 30 years and have the discography and following to show for it. The band’s music was before its time, and their prophetic style influenced many of today’s artists including The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, The Crystal Method, Linkin Park, Fear Factory, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, A Perfect Circle, Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos, Pet Shop Boys, Johnny Cash, and Coldplay.

Maybe it was because I was naïve or too young to get it (my musical tastes have matured and grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade or so), or maybe because Depeche Mode had laid the groundwork for much of the music I had listened to a good portion of my adult life, it made it hard for me to see them as anything but overproduced synth pop. After hearing that Depeche Mode would be one of the headliners at this year's Lolla, I decided I wanted to take another listen to the band's entire catalog and try to understand how and where this headliner tag was coming from. I get it now; I understand how some of the generation behind me could so deeply enjoy this band. I’ll admit outside of Violator, the band's 1990 breakthrough album, I still think most of their work is a series of hits and misses. The new album happens to be a miss. Even within the misses, I can see how much of the electronic influences in music today can be linked back to the band's experimental electronic rock.

I will definitely be joining the crowd on Friday night to see Depeche Mode, the competition is slim. Just think of it as Personal Jesus against Sex of Fire. Easy choice right?

Depeche Mode on MySpace

The Official Site of Depeche Mode

No. 3: Andrew Bird

Chicago's own Andrew Bird might be one of the most original musicians to come out over the past 10 years. In today's day in age where one has probably heard just about everything and nothing seems that new, Andrew Bird is like a musical messiah to me. The multi-instrumentalist graduated from Northwestern in 1996 with a degree in...violin performance? He released a folk diddy that same year called "Music of Hair". After gaining little exposure from such a straight up classical folk record he decided to form a new group, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire. The Bowl of Fire's albums are a mixture of swing and jazz. They sound like records straight out of the Depression era but with a rockier beat. These records gained critical success, but never sold many copies. One night in 2002 The Bowl of Fire was supposed to open for a local band, Handsome Family, but the rest of the band members couldn't make it. Andrew had to play the show solo. This is when he began reinventing how the violin should sound and be played. He brought a looping station he had been messing with to the show thinking people would be upset there was no supporting band. He experimented with looping while plucking a violin and whistling. The Bowl of Fire was no more. Andrew Bird had found his sound and wouldn't look back.

Myspace

No. 4: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

OK, OK, I have to admit, listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for this review made me enjoy their music a bit more. I’m not in crazy love like some fans have been for the past 9 years, but I can see where people can enjoy this style of music. This band is led by Karen Lee Orzolek (know as Karen O), guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase. They broke out into the scene in 2003 with their debut album Fever to Tell and song "Maps" started to hit the radio waves. They now have three albums which have all been given rave reviews from many of the toughest music critics. I would describe the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as electronic punk. The sounds is overall very grungy with heavily distorted guitars and pouty loud vocals, but then they will break out into something you would here from The Chemical Brothers.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs replaced Beastie Boys on Saturday night due to Adam Yauch needing surgery because of a cancerous tumor in his left salivary gland. I'm sure this helped many people make the decision to see Tool. Even though I have more respect for their music, I still believe the show they performed at Lollapalooza two years ago was not that great. I've had many people argue this with me, but I just didn’t see the attraction. I would be willing to give the band another shot, but there is no way in hell it's going to happen this year since they're playing during Tool's timeslot. Anyone that goes to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will not know what they’re missing.

One more note, doesn't Brian Chase (left) look like Bruno? Just a thought.

Official Page
MySpace Page

No. 5: Tool

Tool is one of those bands that fucks you in the brain and leaves you bleeding and burning for more. The first time I saw one of their shows, I was dumbstruck..... It was such a flurry of visceral resonance that stuck with me for days and days afterwards. Made up of Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Adam Jones (guitar), Justin Chancellor (bass), and Danny Carey (drums), Tool is a welcome addition to Lollapalooza '09. The band was formed in LA in the early 90's when Keenan met Jones through Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello and decided to start a band together. Danny Carey was the guy who lived above MJK back then and obliged to play drums for them upon their request. Carey was already an accomplished studio musician who once toured with Carole King. At first, Carey was reluctant to join the band because he didn't think they were very good, but the band began to gel with the addition of Paul D'Amour, the band's first bassist.

The band became famous for songs like "Sober" and "Prison Sex" from their first full length album Undertow, and videos for these songs were stop motion oddities created by Adam Jones, who just so happened to have a background in special effects. If you've seen Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters 2, or Nightmare on Elm Street, you've seen some of Jones' handiwork. The band had continued success on their next album, Ænima, with kickass jaunts such as "Stinkfist" and "Eulogy" all while welcoming their new bassist, Chancellor. However, in my eyes, their opus, Lateralus, was their next album. This album is an enigma of messages, time signatures, and demonstrates just how mindblowingly freaky Tool can be. (It is said that if the tracks on the album are put into a different order, the album will play as one song.) The album was also dedicated to the memory of Bill Hicks, a personal hero of mine and the band's. Next up was 10,000 Days, a chartburner of an album which while not as adventurous as Lateralus had been, sold over 500,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #1 on Billboard, nevertheless.

What's next for Tool is tough to say. There have been whispers about a new album on the horizon for quite some time, but when said album will be released, is just about anyone's guess at this point. Up until this summer the band was on hiatus, which permitted the members to pursue their other many interests such as relaxation, side projects (Puscifer), and wine hocking (Keenan). Personally, I'm just glad they're here at Lolla this year, and I strongly advise you to check them out over the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who are competing (ha!) in the same time slot.

www.toolband.com

(There is no Tool Myspace page as Tool is very vocal in their disdain for MP3's in general.)

No. 6: Lou Reed

"Take a walk on the wild side" was Lou Reeds first hit as a solo act, a song about Andy Warhol's superstars and there journey to New York which involves transsexuals, drugs, and prostitutes. Since then he has pushed out 20 albums. Prior to his solo career, Reed was in one of the first true experimental rock bands The Velvet Underground. Rolling Stone named their debut album The Velvet Underground and Nico the 13th greatest album of all time. I personally think White Light/White Heat is a best album.

Some of Reed's music is a little too out there for me. I'm a fan of experimental rock, but many of the songs have no structure at all. It will be interesting to see what he plays at Lollapalooza since he can pull from 20 of his albums and 9 from The Velvet Underground. He will be going against Snoop Dog on Sunday, definitely two opposite acts. I assume Snoop Dog will take the majority of the crowd.

Official Page
MySpace Page

No. 7: Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon consists of three brothers (Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill) and their cousin (Mathew). The band was named after their father (named Leon), who traveled with the boys throughout the South as a Pentecostal evangelist. Leon introduced them to classic rock, and when the family settled down eventually in Nashville, the Followill brothers picked up instruments and started making music.

I kind of have mixed feelings about this band. I used to really dig them, but I don't like the direction their last two albums have gone. Their first two albums, Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak were in-your-face rockers. I'll listen to the first four songs of Aha Shake any day -- it's a great string of songs, ending with one of my favorite Kings of Leon songs: "Pistol of Fire."

Their third album, Because of the Times took a while to grow on me. I didn't like it at first, and it wasn't really until I saw them play at Lollapalooza a couple years back that I started to appreciate the album. And then came last year's Only by the Night. Not only do I dislike most of its songs, but I don't like the attitude of the album. (Read my review of the album here.) Everbody under the sun has heard the song "Sex on Fire." This commercial attitude, along with the band's huge ego, worries me. Kings of Leon wants to be huge stars, and they probably will be. I'm just not sure if I'll be listening much longer.

I would recommend seeing these guys live, however. They sound good, and they play with attitude. I can only hope they play a mixed setlist with lots of their old stuff at Lolla. They're headlining Friday night -- up against Depeche Mode.

Myspace

Official site

No. 8: The Killers

The Killers came out of Vegas in 2002 and have what I would call a sort of '80s throwback alternative sound going on. Everyone remembers when Hot Fuss came out because they scored about 3 radio hits with that record and became a household name. That period around 2004-2006 The Killers were on top on the alternative music scene and garnered much success from singles like, "Mr. Brightside" and "All These Things That I Have Done."

They really had to prove themselves on their next album, which can be an impossible thing to do when your first is such a smash success. In 2006, they came out with Sam's Town, which lead singer Brandon Flowers says came from a hotel/slash gambling hall in Vegas. Brandon Flowers also said the single "Read My Mind" was the best song that the band had ever written. The inspiration for the bridge in the song came from Kurt Cobain singing it to him in a dream. The other single off the album was "When You Were Young." Both songs stuck with the sound The Killers mastered on Hot Fuss and could have been on that record as well.

Apparently the critical as well as retail success of those records went straight to Flowers' head because all he has done since is come off arrogant and cocky. His label Island Records carried The Bravery and Fall Out Boy and he was once quoted as saying that those two bands "are riding on the coattails of the success of The Killers." This did not go over well with The Bravery, and a short fight ensued. It has since been resolved, and Flowers admitted he was not proud of his actions.

Most recently The Killers put out Day & Age. This record has not gained as much success as the previous ones and has only produced one hit single, "Human." This song drives me nuts. The line in the song goes, "Are we human or are we dancer?" I went crazy trying to figure out why they worded it that way and what the hell it meant. Turns out Flowers was making a reference to the late Hunter S. Thompson who once quipped that America was raising "a generation of dancers." This still irks me to this day. First of all, Hunter S. Thompson hated electronically created music and would shit all over the amount on '80s synth The Killers reproduce. And as far as dropping the 's' off humans and dancers? Flowers told Rolling Stone that he was irritated over the confusion about the lyrics and also that fans were unhappy with the song's dance beat: "It's supposed to be a dance song, [the beat] goes with the chorus...If you can't put that together, you're an idiot. I just don't get why there's a confusion about it." Go ahead buddy, attack your fans, great idea.

The Killers are playing on Sunday night at the same time as Jane's Addiction. If I had to choose I would go with The Killers since I never really got why Perry Farrell thinks Jane's Addiction is good enough to reunite. What do they have past "Been Caught Stealin'? The Killers should at least put on a good stage show and with the amount of hits they created over the past 6 years they should play at least one song you used to love.

Official Site
My Space Page

No. 9: Snoop Dogg

What can I say? Snoop Dogg is as OG as Lollapalooza is going to get! The Long Beach rapper has been doing this for 15+ years, and though he is pushing forty he still continues to have star in movies and push out radio hits. His 2008 album Ego Trippin’ wasn’t half bad, and the grammy nominated single “Sensual Seduction” (Sexual Eruption on the album) is Tha Doggfather’s fifth Billboard Top Ten single.

I have never caught Snoop live, but I have continued to listen to his albums over the years. The most recent albums typically start off with fun rhymes about pimps and ho’s and of course blunts! But these albums end with songs about being a family man, cleaning up the violence, or helping the Youth Tackle Football League. So it does tend to be a bit hypocritical. Snoop may be humbling with age, but that might not be a bad thing as his legal problems through the years over shadowed much of his career.

But don’t let all of that deter you from seeing him live. He should play both the old and the new hits like "What’s My Name," "Gin and Juice," "Lodi Dodi," "Murder Was The Case," "Drop It Like It’s Hot," and the list goes on. Which means many fans will be able to sing along and have a good time. This show is in a pretty open time slot, so I expect it to be a big turnout to see Snoop Dogg and his entourage (possibly a guy with a green hat) rock the party! Fo shizzle dizzle!

http://www.myspace.com/snoopdogg

http://www.snoopdogg.com/

No. 10: The Decemberists

Portland based The Decemberists are what I call a "safe" band, you really can't hate them but they don't blow you away either. I know many people will disagree with that, but it's just how I feel. Well, until I heard their fifth studio album The Hazards of Love. I think this album was a step in the right direction, it takes the largest risk with a well deserved payoff, or maybe it's just more my kind of music. This album is described as a rock opera since it's about a tragic love story created by Colin Meloy that maintains the same theme throughout all the tracks. It also has a very epic type feel you can hear from bands like Arcade Fire, it's best to listen from track 1 to 17 without skipping ( You may want to listen to "The wanting comes in waves / repaid" a few times though). Regardless it gives me a whole new excitement to see them at Lolapalooza on Friday.

The Decemberists started back in 2000 when Colin Meloy moved to Portland and met Nate Query and Jenny Conlee, from there came Chris Funk and Ezra Holbrook who replaced the first drummer in the band. They incorporate instruments like organ, accordions, violins, harpsichord, and anything else they can get their hands on; without a doubt a talented multi-instrumental band. Many people compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle and Sebastian, and The New Pornographers.

MySpace Page
Official Page (Creative Website)

No. 11: TV on the Radio

Brooklyn-based TV on the Radio is one of my most anticipated bands playing Lollapalooza this year. They play a high-energy brand of music that makes you want to dance and go crazy. Last year, TVotR released Dear Science, which was listed on numerous best-of-2008 lists, including Rolling Stone's No. 1 album. It made my Top 5 albums from last year as well.

Dear Science starts off with a bang. "Halfway Home" rages with distorted guitars, eerie keyboards and danceable percussion. It really kicks you in the pants, and paves the way for a great album. Other highlights include head-bob-inducing "Golden Age" and the absolutely badass "DLZ." I've never seen these guys live. Most of the reviews I've read of their concerts are very positive, with a few exceptions. They sound like a very fun band to go see and have fun, but I have a feeling they'd be more fun to see in a small club. I wish I had the chance to check out their after-show at the Double Door Aug. 7. I guess I will just have to "settle" for their Lolla performance. They play on Friday at 6:30. Can't wait.

Myspace

Official site

No. 12: Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend broke big in 2008 with their debut album of the same name. Riding a wave of favorable word of mouth through blogs and glowing critic reviews, you could almost say they got too big too fast as they are seen by some as the latest holders of the "mainstream indie" crown previously held by Death Cab For Cutie. Despite their meteoric rise, the New York foursome plan to release their sophomore effort, which has yet to be named, later this year. The band is made up of Ezra Koenig (Guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (Organ), Chris Thomson (Drums), and Chris Baio (Bass), and rose through the indie ranks playing house parties in the ultra-hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg.

Vampire Weekend mixes afrobeat influences with tight fluttery guitars, and sing mostly about life in the big city. Their music is something I don't particularly enjoy, per say, but I can see why they have garnered all this success in such a short amount of time. It could be because their music makes me feel like I'm trapped in a Wes Anderson movie.... I don't know..... Maybe their newest album will win me over, but since they are up against Neko Case, their live show probably won't either.

Myspace

www.vampireweekend.com

No. 13: Ben Folds

Ben Folds has been around for awhile. When he first came out he was in a band called Majosha. Some of his earliest songs like "Emaline" and "Video" came from this group and he picked up his signature sound from these days. Folds was quoted once as calling his music "punk rock for sissies." He is a troubadour of the piano and it carries most of his songs. Over the years, Ben Folds has put out some pretty solid records that shaped my musical taste and made me start listening to music that was a little away from the mainstream. Sure songs like "Brick," "Song for the Dumped," and "Battle of Who Could Care Less" breached the radio waves, but back in the day Folds was still an artist that few delved deep into. Following his career through the early days with Ben Folds Five up until his first solo disc Rockin the Suburbs you could see that he was really honing his craft. While some saw Rockin as a little too commercial and got pissed that an artist would change lyrics or remix a song for a movie (Over the Hedge), if you really listened to Folds through the years you could see that he hit his high point on that record. Songs like "Fred Jones, Pt. 2" and "The Ascent of Stan" are Folds at his finest hour, and he played all the instruments on that record.

That being said, Ben Folds has gotten old. His last two albums Songs for Silverman and last year's Way to Normal were what I would call "Dad Rock" or songs that your Dad might listen to and think he was cool. They really lack that depressing and melancholy feeling you would get from his older songs while at the same time being rocked. He still uses sarcasm, but before it came off funny and now it comes off corny. Hey, not every artist can have longevity. If he sticks to an older set list it should make for a great show, but if it's littered with Dad rock then go find some band that's actually trying to make you think still. You can always throw in one of his CDs on a road trip if you want to get nostalgic.

No. 14: Animal Collective

Animal Collective is an experimental music group originally from Baltimore. The band is officially made up of four members: Avey Tare (David Porter), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Wietz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb), although Deakin is currently taking some time off from the band and did not contribute to their latest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion. Word is that he plans on returning eventually.

I am a big Animal Collective fan, but I admit they can be difficult to get into. On the surface, a lot of their songs are kind of weird, but I think once you strip down their music, you'll find they have some really great tunes. The band uses loops and sound effects to produce a layered sound, to go along with complex vocals. The vocals are what makes this band good. Singers Avey Tare and Panda Bear work well off each other, yet both have their own unique sound.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is one of my favorite albums from this year. It's more electronic than their previous album, Strawberry Jam, but I think it has stronger vocals. "My Girls" and "Brother Sport" are obvious strong tracks, but check out "Guys Eyes" to get a good idea of how intricate Animal Collective can be.

I've seen this band twice live. The first time, at the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival, was one of the best shows I've ever seen. But this past winter at Metro, they put on a clunker. (See my review of the show here.) I'm hoping they will redeem themselves this year at Lollapalooza. They play Saturday at 7:30, going up against Ben Harper. This is an easy decision, people: go see Animal Collective. They also have a DJ set at 2:30 on Saturday.

Myspace

No. 15: Ben Harper and the Relentless7

If you've been to any music festival in recent history, there's a good chance you've had your chance to see Ben Harper live. Actually if you've been around anywhere anytime, there's a good chance Ben Harper and some semblance of his bands have played there live. Ben Harper's newest collection, if I may, is called the Relentless7 and includes Texas-based musicians Jason Mozersky (guitar), Jesse Ingalls (bass) , and Jordan Richardson (drums). Their first album White Lies for Dark Times is similar to many of Harper's previous albums -- it's good but fails to deliver the energy and passion Harper captured in 1995's Fight For Your Mind.

I feel the same way about the handful of times I've happened upon Ben live -- headliner, festival, opener or otherwise; his songs and personality are so full of passion but a lot of it gets lost in translation because he is usually sitting while playing slide guitar and seems to lack the cohesiveness with his fellow musicians, possibly because of the shuffling lineup. The truth is, I like Ben Harper, I always have, but this year at Lolla, like with most of my Ben encounters, I'll probably check out the other option, Animal Collective and stake out my spot for Tool.

Ben Harper and the Relentless7 on MySpace

The Official Site of Ben Harper