Roo Bound


It looks like this year Bonnaroo has decided to release artists attending the show in an asinine way. They have been announcing the lineup ALL DAY LONG, by releasing one name at a time, via their MySpace page. A quite interesting and very original approach, but also VERY FRUSTRATING!

I will give them props for turning, what is usually a fleeting, overwhelming scaning-over of the much-anticipated line-up poster, into a daylong event. But on the flip side, they are causing record anxieties to the ravenous, die-hard fans who have been anticipating this release (yes, double entendre intended) for months.

Bonnaroo has been at the top of Google Trends all morning, meaning it has been the top Google search. Tickets are on sale as the lineup is (starting to be) released as of 12 noon.

More to come!

Kings of Leon
The Avett Brothers
The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs perform “Dark Side of the Moon”
Weezer
Medeski Martin and Wood The Gas Light Anthem
John Fogerty Blitzen Trapper
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Ingrid Michaelson
Phoenix
The xx
Regina Spektor
Mayer Hawthorne & the County
Wale
Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers
Norah Jones
Bassnectar
OK Go
Monte Montgomery
Jay-Z
Punch Brothers
Thievery Corporation
GWAR
She & Him
Jimmy Cliff
Tokyo Police Club
Kid Cudi
Japandroids
Dr. Dog
Jeff Beck
Manchester Orchestra
Drop Kick Murphys
Jay Electronica
The Postelles
Damian Marley & Nas
Rebelution
Needtobreathe
Tenacious D
The Black Keys
Jamey Johnson
They Might Be Giants
The Entrance Band
Lotus
Clutch
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Tori Amos
The Dodos
The Melvins
The Dead Weather

Whorrible


Fans at the Super Bowl this weekend were treated to a halftime performance I think everyone was excited to see. Unfortunately, it seems we were treated to a snot bubble that was formally known as The Who. There were a lot of fans with high expectations coming into this performance, considering such previous acts as Tom Petty and The Boss.
Taking age into consideration, Townshend was great, but Daltrey left a lot to be desired. It seemed like Daltrey was off key, even with obvious production help he was not able to hit proper notes to "Wont Get Fooled Again." Stage presence was even not Who-like, looking like a retarded Tony Little trying to dazzle fans with ridiculous choreography.
The highlight of the performance was the amazing LED stage and light show put on by the production team. It was apparent CBS had a hand in the playlist as I found myself oddly interested in finding one of the twelve channels playing C.S.I. reruns Sunday night. I'm positive at that very moment, Horatio Caine was putting sunglasses over another pair of sunglasses.

Initial Pitchfork Media Festival Lineup

Pitchfork Media Festival
Pitchfork Media Festival has released it's initial lineup. Not a bad little list, and if past years are any indication, the final list will be any scenester's wet dream.

Those attending (thus far) include: Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent, Pavement, Here We Go Magic, and Sleigh Bells. The Fest is held July 16 -18th in Chicago. The very reasonably priced, $90 ticket, will get you in for all three days, and is guaranteed to be best Festival bargain you will find. Tickets are on sale, but won't be, for long...

2010 in Indie Music

Looks like this year is shaping up to be quite an overwhelming year in Indie music, with many highly anticipated releases, and tons of not-so-highly anticipated albums that will probably drown out the anticipated ones.

The blogosphere, is buzzing with speculation of which album will be this years most rewarding eargasm, and with good cause. We all have doubts about how 2010 can live up to the high standards of '09, with its vast amounts of addicting music. But it might, and here's how:

A selection of Bands with Albums coming out in 2010
Hot Chip: One Life Stand
Yeasayer: Odd Blood
Broken Bells: Broken Bells
jj: jj no 3
She & Him: Volume Two
Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
Battles: TBA
!!!: TBA
Here We Go Magic: TBA
Interpol: TBA
LCD Soundsystem: TBA
Broken Social Scene: TBA

MGMT - Congratulations - I'm more scared about this one then excited. Their "new shit" at Bonnaroo, back in June '09, didn't seem to live up to psychedelic splendor which was Oracular Spectacular, which of course is a difficult album to live up too. Nonetheless, I'm worried they may be a one-album-wonder.

Blikk Fang - This side-project belonging to of Montreal's Kevin Barnes and MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden has been gossiped about for a way too long, but nothing has come of it, due to both bands heavy touring and MGMT's explosion. A popularity explosion for MGMT that superseded the original popularity-generating-force (of Montreal). Reminds me of Micheal Cera's relationship with Arrested Development. But anyway, if this project turns out to be half as good as it should be, it will be awesome. "The group are aiming for a 2009 release."

Band of Horses - This is purely speculation... but they are due for a new album... Maybe I just want this one too much, but given how much I cherish their current discography, and how beautiful this new song "Older" is, I'm getting a little antsy...

I know there are many more... For a more extensive list, see Pitchfork. Feel free to list others you are anticipating in the comments!

Flaming Side of the Moon

Well, Bonnaroo must have heard my grumblings. It has been released that The Flaming Lips will be headlining this year's festival, a spot which they truly have earned. They will be doing their full run-through of Dark Side of the Moon, followed by their regular set.

If you know anything about the history of The Flaming Lips and Bonnaroo you know that they go hand in hand. They have previously stated that their 2003 B'roo show was the show that opened their eyes to the potential of extravagant performances, and that it is their favorite venue. No doubt, it is the best venue to see them live as can be attested to by anyone who was present at their 2007 show (read the comments of this YouTube video). I will surely attest to this (It was the best time of my life.), as will a spike in ticket sales.

They are headlining the opening night, leading me to believe that even bigger names are reserved for Friday, and Saturday. Oh, the anticipation......

Coachella vs. Bonnaroo

Coachella Line-up
The 2010 Coachella line-up was recently released, causing quite a bit of excitement to many a festival-goer, as its line-up surpasses many of the fantasy line-ups that surface across the web about this time of year.

Bonnaroo has announced that its line-up will finally be released to the salivating masses on February 9th. Let's hope Bonnaroo can live up to Coachella's BIG NAME headliners, and its encyclopedia of indie bands which is exhausting just to read. But the 'Roo is gonna have to bring in the big guns, or else I am purchasing a ticket for California, and Craigslisting a ticket to Tennessee...

Review: Beach House - Teen Dream


4.5 star rating

While the two previous Beach House albums, Devotion of 2008, and their self-titled debut of 2006, were quite impressive pieces of drone pop, their newest release Teen Dream , steps it up a notch. Their music is seemingly simplistic and "kind of a downer," but this is not to be taken negatively, as their style is an art in itself, and Beach House has mastered their own sound in Teen Dream. Their cover art, on the other hand, doesn't receive such glowing reviews, except maybe under a blacklight...