No. 49: Dan Black

Dan Black is British pop electronica singer who hails from London. He has some good techno mixes that reminds me of stuff from Daft Punk, but when he opens his mouth it destroys it. I agree with a reviewer from Dot Music, "However much electro trickery he has at his fingertips, he needs some songs first". For example listen to "Pass That Head Noise", starts out with a solid beat then plops once the vocals come into play. I don't think hes terrible, I just think he needs to work more on integrating his voice into his music, just doesn't sound right to me. I am one person however and he obviously has many fans. I will absolutely give him credit for playing with a full band on stage, not many electronica bands bring everything live to the stage. The best song I think is the much slower "Let Go", just seems to flow much better with the vocals. He has been around the music industry playing in the alternative band The Servant since 1998, so he does have the stage presence. Dan Black will be playing at the BMI stage at 3:00 on Sunday.

MySpace

No. 50: Minus the Bear

One of two bands with the word "bear" in their name playing at Lollapalooza this year, Minus the Bear hails from Seattle. And I'd have to say, "minus" is a pretty appropriate word to describe this band. I don't hate them, or think I would immediately switch the channel if they came on the radio, but they don't grab my attention either.

At least on their latest album, Omni, which was released last May, there isn't much of anything original going on. Bland alternative rock, with a hint of psychedelic keyboard, and pretty annoying vocals don't really much for me. The group has been around since 2001, so it's possible some of their older material is better.

Contrary to what it probably sounds like, I don't completely hate this band. But I'm sure I'll be much more likely to check out the other "bear" band at Lolla -- Grizzly Bear. Minus the Bear plays on Sunday at 3:00, up against Mumford & Sons.

Minus the Bear on MySpace

Here's a video that does a pretty good job of summing up how lame this band can be.

No. 51: Drive-By Truckers

One of the most explosive bands to ever come out of the cultural hotbed that is Athens, GA, the Drive-By Truckers have cemented their rightful place as holders of the contemporary Southern rock crown. But don't tell front man Patterson Hood that...... "Southern Rock" has never been a tag he's been proud of wearing. Hood would rather be associated with a much broader scope of influences, which is why he was probably ginning ear to ear when critics called his band "America's greatest rock band". For the Truckers, the road to get to that superlative has been a long and winding one. The band nearly broke up in 2006 after a nightmare tour and tensions within the band, the documentation of which can be found in the just-released film, "The Secret To A Happy Ending". Shortly thereafter, the band parted ways with guitarist Jason Isbell, an element of the band that contributed, in my opinion, some of the best Truckers songs like "Decoration Day", "Outfit", and "Danko/Manuel". Since then, the truckers added John Neff in Isbell's place and continue to rip up the road touring with Booker T and in support of their most recent effort, The Big To-Do. The album is OK, but the one Truckers album that really does it for me is The Dirty South, where guitarist Mike Cooley and Hood trade haggard tales of the Reagan-era economy in Alabama, folk heroes, World War II, and tornadoes. Shonna Tucker and Brad Morgan round out the rhythm section as Morgan's grungy beats wrap themselves around Tucker's more reserved bass and sensitive vocals.

I will definitely checking out the Drive-By Truckers at Lolla this year. I have seen them a couple times and if you like balls out rock, you won't want to miss them.

Myspace

www.drivebytruckers.com

No. 52: Dawes

An appearance by Wilco member Pat Sansone on their debut album, jam sessions with Conor Oberst and having their national television debut on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson definitely put some notches in their column, not that Dawes needed the help.

Their debut album North Hills is a fitting tribute to the American folk rock bands of the past. I can picture Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young literally passing the torch to the band,Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, Wylie Webster and Alex Casnoff. Similar bands of today would include Delta Spirit and Blind Pilot; Dawes sound is softer though with more harmonies, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Fortunately Dawes has a favorable time slot in this year's Lolla lineup, playing at half past three Saturday afternoon conflicting only with the xx and Gogol Bordello. I will definitely make time to see this Southern California band jam.

Dawes on MySpace

The Official Site of Dawes

No. 53: Los Amigos Invisibles

Espanol? No? Me either. However, the language barrier did little to stop Los Amigos Invisibles and their Latin beats. The sextet from Venezuela plays a "mezcla" of funk and disco with a "obvio" Latin influence.

To be completely "honesto" my familiarity with Latin music goes about as far as the Mexican Hat Dance or "Jarabe Tapatío." Los Amigos Invisibles' high energy seemed to be a good enough translator for me, songs like Mentiras really get the "sangre" flowing. If you need an early pick up at Lolla I would definitely recommend checking out the Amigos at 1pm on Friday, if you can afford to miss the Walkmen.

Los Amigos Invisibles on MySpace

...and a short side note if you google search Los Amigos Invisibles you are referred to male enhancement sites, thought it was funny.

No. 54: Blitzen Trapper

For me, Blitzen Trapper is definitely one of my "must see" bands at this year's Lolla. I was first introduced to the Portland natives about two years back by a girl I used to work with. I was always curious about the band... I had seen them in a Rolling Stone I had at the time, and was always intrigued by their logo- something that looked like it came straight off the cover from a 70's classic rock album (See their album cover for Furr for proof). She gave me a CD she burned of the aforementioned album, and while I was not fully blown away, I did really like its rusty, dusty feel, as well as the songs that seem like they came straight outta '70's pop radio (Do you see a theme here?). I became a fan after letting songs like "Sleepytime In The Western World", "God And Suicide", and the tremendous murder ballad "Black River Killer" marinate into my brain and daily consciousness for about a month straight. I even went so far as to give it an Honorable Mention in my list of top albums from 2008 last year.

Furr could only give me a hint of what was to come in the form of the just released Destroyer Of The Void. This album will, mark my words, be one of my, if not some of you other Claptrapper's top albums of 2010 before the year is through. With this album, Blitzen uses a sniper rifle with a laser sight to hit the bullseye instead of a shotgun. What I mean by that is that while I find most of their older albums enjoyable, it seems like they were trying to paint with too broad a brush. Older Blitzen albums seem to run the gamut from country twang to prog to noise rock, but Void succeeds where those don't by showcasing the more rustic, operatic side of the band. When listening to the title track, comparisons to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" come and go, but true to the influence, the song will take you on quite a journey filled with rousing and demure moments alike. The album also boasts a new murder ballad, "The Man Who Would Speak True" that is truly on par with it's predecessor in scope and hyperbole.

Please do your Lolla-going self a justice and seek out this band before you get there. Then you can be as pumped as I am about seeing them instead of another pervasive Lady Gaga knockoff.

Blitzen Trapper's Website

Myspace

No. 55: The Big Pink

So The Big Pink, I've been struggling with what to say about this group for a while now. I've had their only album, A Brief History of Love, playing for weeks now and it's always just sort of there. The duo, Akiko Matsuura and Leopold Ross, are an electric rock group from London has been loosely compared to bands like Nine Inch Nails and Yeasayer, very loosely. A more appropriate and recent comparison may be The xx, another high praise band I can't seem to get. Monotonity with no hook sounds like a blast. After saying all that I'll give them which seems like my normal review they're not that bad, I just don't think they're all that good either. Then again if you enjoy The xx and don't mind missing Drive-By Truckers, Cymbals Eat Guitars and My Dear Disco you might want to wander over to the adidas stage Friday afternoon or check them out at Lincoln Hall, probably a better venue for their sound, the Thursday before.

The Big Pink on MySpace

The Official Site of The Big Pink

No. 56: Cymbals Eat Guitars

I had not heard New York-based Cymbals Eat Guitars before doing this preview, but I'm glad I chose to write them up because I'm liking what I hear. By no means a super original sound, Cymbals Eat Guitars sounds a bit like Pavement or Built To Spill, but they are definitely not knock-offs.

They're a young band, and have only released one album to date: Why There Are Mountains, but I wouldn't be surprised if these guys stick around for a while. Check out the tracks "And the Hazy Sea" and "Wind Phoenix." Those are probably my favorites from the album.

My discovery of Cymbals makes me a little more excited for Friday at Lollapalooza; however, they play at 3:30, which presents a conflict with Drive-By Truckers, another band I'd like to catch. So I'm definitely going to have a dilemma on my hands.

Cymbals Eat Guitars on MySpace

No. 57: The Soft Pack

The Soft Pack is a fast paced indie/rock/punk garage band from San Diego. Their songs are fairly simple but have some catchy hooks. They do have an older punk sound which they've said in interviews is what there going for. I'm not a huge fan of their lyrics. One of their most popular songs is "Answer to Yourself." Here are the first few lines.

"You gotta answer to yourself

You can't depend on anyone else

You gotta know where you stand

And what's in your hands

Yeah you gotta answer to yourself "

Just doesn't seem like much thought was put into the lyrics. They have one album which is self titled and it wouldn't be if they kept their old band name. These guys used to be called The Muslims but not shockingly got too much flack and changed their names. They will be playing on Saturday at 12:30 on the Budweiser stage. I may catch them but would not go out of my way. I think The Morning Benders who are playing earlier Saturday should have had this spot.

No. 58: Wolfmother

Similar to my previous preview of Cut Copy, Wolfmother hails from Australia. However, the two groups' sounds are pretty much polar opposites. Wolfmother plays a brand of classic psychedelic rock that could be compared to Black Sabbath.

The band put out their self-titled debut in 2005, and it received a lot of praise. It looked like Wolfmother would really take off as a band, but things didn't go so smoothly. In August 2008, drummer Myles Heskett and bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross left the band due to "irreconcilable differences." Wolfmother is currently a four-member group, and their new album, Cosmic Egg, isn't much of a departure from their earlier stuff. It still has the distinctive vocals of Andrew Stockdale along with a 70s classic rock vibe.

I've heard Wolfmother is good live band, so I'm looking forward to seeing them on Sunday of Lollapalooza. They go up against MGMT, so that might be a tough decision for some, but I wasn't very impressed with MGMT at Lolla a couple years ago. So I think I might check out Wolfmother instead.

However, there is a chance that there won't be a decision to make here. Wolfmother's fan site is reporting the band has canceled its entire European tour this summer due to illness. No word on Lollapalooza and whether their show will be canceled, so stay tuned...

Wolfmother on MySpace