One Liner: Bluesy rock goodness Poster Position: Nope Slot: Sunday at 4pm Thoughts: Love it. Had never heard of these dudes before, but this is some swampy, jammy, loose and goosey rock and roll tasty freeze. Fort Worth appears to be home, and their label has a great background article/interview/press release. They' ve got three albums, but its the new one that I can't stop playing - 2016's El Astronauta. While it isn't their most listened to song or most popular track, "Mockingbird" got the rad video treatment, so check this out.
Damn right. Don't mess with the mockingbird, or it'll get cried on, shed it's bionic shell, and then sit on a lady's shoulder while these four dudes from the band go gunslinger-Dark-Tower on the mega vulture. This all makes sense. And is awesome! Great tune. I think "Liberty Bell 7" is pretty bad ass as well, kind of a MMJ feel, but with a little more blues in there, like maybe some Black Keys. Whatever, it sounds awesome. The most listened to track from the new album is called "Good Evening" and has 194k streams.
These dudes are kind of reminding me of my infatuation with Spanish Gold a few years ago. I could jam this album all damn day long. "Medicine Man" has some Black Crowes style licks, "Beat the Machine" had a touch of country flair, "Duendes" sounds like "Radar Love" was a deep inspiration, this is all just hitting the right notes for me. Their most listened to track overall is from their debut album, 2011's Torquila Torquila! (which also involves some upside down exclamation marks in the name for authentic flair). "Cold Blues" clocks in at 202k streams.
That laid back sound is like some classic ZZ Top brawny fuzzed out rock and blues action, and I dig it. You aren't breaking boundaries or making new stuff here, but who the hell cares? Just turn that up and flex your muscles a little. Their other album is 2013's Honcho, and although it doesn't rank on their top ten list, I think "Witch Kitchen" might be my favorite track. The track that makes their top ten from that album is "Fox in the Hen House," with 83k listens, which is pretty tight as well.
These videos always crack me up because the people are so damn jammed into that van. Looks so uncomfortable. But you get the flavor of the jam anyway. Get on down into that groove. Dig what these dudes have going on, as you can tell from the effusive gushing above. Fun thing about this is that these are the last people I think I have to review (other than the kiddies stuff) and I love their music. How awesome is that? Never would have heard of them if it weren't for doing this blog and my obsessive compulsive need to listen to everything, but now I'm a fan. Cool stuff. Sadly, they are up against Nathaniel Rateliff, so I'll miss them at the Fest. Maybe I'll find them at another show sometime.
One Liner: More electronic stuff straddling the line between EDM and indie Poster Position: None, new artist Slot: Sunday at 7pm Thoughts: I actually listened to the Porter Robinson half of this duo many moons ago (Nov. 2014) and wrote that it was indie electronics, kind of like Passion Pit. No new music since that time, other than remixes and a single, so nothing much new to report. Not my favorite tunes, but I'll let you check it out.
The most popular track from that old 2014 album (Worlds) is called "Sad Machine," and has 19.1 million streams.
Still sounds like Passion Pit to me, if Passion Pit made the music for old school Nintendo games and then added lyrics. And look, his bio says that he was influenced by the sounds of video games such as Dance Dance Revolution. His bio also says that, when he released his first EP, "The level of demand crashed the server of a prominent online retailer." So mysterious! Who is it? I must know! Thanks to Wikipedia now I do! Was it iTunes? Amazon? Beats Music? Google Play? (I think that is the sum total list of who I would name as a "prominent online retailer" for music downloads) The answer is something called "Beatport," so maybe that is why the bio is being coy. If you use that name, then everyone will know that the word prominent doesn't really apply.
The new single he released in 2016 is called "Shelter," and so far has 2.5 million streams.
Oh, hey, that has the Madeon person on the track as well. How convenient. So now I can transition over to that guy. I'd have difficulty saying which artist is which, to be honest, I just went and listened to the Madeon music and it kind of has that same sound, soft synth pop electronic stuff, maybe it is a little groovier than Porter Robinson. Maybe? This guy is French, and according to Wikipedia, came to fame through a YouTube video called "Pop Culture." Here you go.
Huh, pretty cool. Like a super short clip mash of a Girl Talk song, but with much tinier chunks of songs. Fun to guess at what all is in there. I hear Coldplay, Buggles, Madonna, Daft Punk... think that's all I get. Pretty rad. Well, since then, his music is more of the usual pop electro. Here is his most popular track, called "You're On," which has 36.4 million streams.
Something about that tune is very French to me. Not bad, nice groove, still don't care to go listen to it again. Oh, and just to make you feel like an old turd, the dude is 22. Both of these guys are just fine - if you like Passion Pit and that style of music, then these are your guys. However, for me, the list of people that are similar artists on Spotify is a used barf bag of electro: Tiesto, Zedd, Deadmau5, Krewella, etc. No thanks. I'm sure it is fun stuff live to jam out to, but not my thing.
Poster Position: No clue, not on the poster Slot: Friday at 1:15
Thoughts: "Ron Gallo" sounds like a porn star or a low level player in the Soprano family, but his music comes off more like a Jack White guitar ripping kid. He's only got one real album, and the cover art is of a dude with a pizza face wearing sunglasses. For the most part, his songs don't have streams. The one that struck me the most ("Why Do You Have Kids," which includes a line about cigarette ashes falling into the baby carriage and "accidents having accidents") has less than a thousand spins on Spotify. Sounds better than that to me.
Peep that afro! PORN STAR LEVEL HAIR! Classic sounding little trio jamming loose in the studio.
But that one album, 2014's Ronny, is nothing like the Jack White fire guitar action that you'll hear on his Audiotree Live album or the other live EP he has on Spotify, both of those have a ton more fire than the full album. The full album is kind of boring sounding, like that Kurt Vile guy from last year but with no excitement. The live versions of these songs are hella better. Luckily, it is his recent stuff that sounds better, so we should get treated to the better end of his spectrum. The most popular track is "Young Lady, You're Scaring Me," which has only 22.9k streams on Spotify.
It's got no listens, but its kinda a tight ass rock and roll baller song. This track is from the 2016 RG3 EP, which is why it is tight. Baylor Heisman Trophy Winning QBs 4Eva, yo! I'm actually writing this one long after work, and long after the enjoyment of multiple beers, including some terrifying quad that a friend gave me for my birthday that was like a half gallon of 12 percent alcohol beer. So, although I've been listening to this dude for two super stressful days at work, I'm only now writing most of this, and it is hard to tell if it is this good or I am just this good. Whatever. I'm enjoying him. If I'm at the fest super early on Friday, I might just go check it out.
One Liner: Dance indie electronic that is more popular than I can understand Poster Position: 1 Slot: Sunday at 8 (against Mumford) Thoughts: The flip-flopper. You may be a huge fan of old James Murphy, but I'm having trouble getting over the fact that homeboy made a HUGE freaking deal out of a retirement in 2011, complete with a long lead-up and massive "farewell" show at Madison Square Garden. Consequence of Sound noted "The band’s breakup was a multi-year spectacle. Not only did it include the Madison Square Garden farewell, but the following year the band released a documentary chronicling the concert. They followed that up in April 2014 by releasing a live album of the show." The final show was self-themed as the "best funeral ever." Then the dude "retired." Then 2016 rolls around, and he is literally playing every single festival on the planet. Coachella, Lowlands, Zippedidoo, Outside Lands, Pukkelpop, WayHome, Panorama, Lovebox, T in the Park, Fartknocker, Open'er, Roskilde, Dirty Sanchez, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, DicknBalls, We Love Green, Primavera, FYF, PYT, Lollapalooza, Electric Picnic, IIIPoints, Q25, ScoopthePoopinMyLoop, and finally, Austin City Limits. I only made up a few of those. I don't know why I'm mad about it. I didn't spend a crapton of money to get to NYC for the big final show and make sure that I saw the greatest band of all time before they folded. I don't even particularly like LCD Soundsystem. Just something about the moneygrab-ishness of the blowout retirement and then the massive un-retirement makes me ticked. If he wanted to go off and do other things, then just go do it, don't make a big deal out of a LAST SHOW and the BEST FUNERAL EVER and all this crap, just go produce an Arcade Fire album, write your play about disco queens driving eighteen wheelers for the mob, and then play a show if you feel like it. Anyhoo, I digress. The music. These tunes are electronic dance music, but not in the way of the majority of bands on this festival lineup. There is no massive bass drop, no guest hook from Rihanna, no Caribbean flair, instead this is more of a weird, angular, bubbling, clicking indie electronic stuff. In fact, the more I listen to this stuff today (I own the debut album, but none of the albums since then), I'm realizing that this music sounds a lot more like 80's pop rock and new wave than I ever knew. Some songs are catchy, like "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House," but a lot of this is less pop friendly. Which, of course, has led to the entire critical world to cream their freaking jeans over everything this guy does. So perfect, so edgy, so real, so New York, so gritty, so brave. Vomitorious. Pitchfork called Sound of Silver "it's as close to a perfect hybrid of dance and rock music's values as you're likely to ever hear." Consequence of Sound, in reviewing This is Happening, said "he has the mastery of pop music that is held by a precious few and usually used for pure evil." NME said, about the debut, eponymous album, "If he carries on writing songs as deliciously sour as this, dance music will end up needing to be saved from James Murphy, not by him." I get it, man, damn. You're drooling. Here is that "Daft Punk..." track, which comes from the LCD Soundsystem album, released in 2005, and has 7.7 million streams.
Got that hip beat, that cowbell, all that. Honestly, every damn time I listen to this song, it gets lodged in my head for days and I feel like I dig the groove again. Then I go put the album on and listen to the whole thing, and I don't care all over again. I'm like a yoyo. Maybe I'm the real flip flopper here. His most popular track is "Dance Yrself Clean" from 2010's This Is Happening, which makes even less sense to me than "Daft Punk..." It is fine, but I don't get it. 21.9 million streams.
Muppet video? Muppet video. Not the real video, just a weird ass fan video. Love it, this is why the internet should exist. Baby cookie monster knows how to handle them there keys, yo. Hell, that video made the drop at 3:10 or so more exciting than in the plain song. I guess that song is pretty good? More cowbell, too. The top track from his other full-length album (2007's Sound of Silver) is called "Someone Great," and totally makes me think of a remix of a song from the Weird Science soundtrack of something.
I've been listening not to the big live album, compiled from the BEST FUNERAL EVER concert at Madison Square Garden, for the last day and a half, and I'm coming around a little bit on the band. It is actually reminding me more and more of old Talking Heads - a heavily groove influenced sound with extra cowbell at all times and a dose of weird infused in there repeatedly. Maybe if I'd been on them right when the first album came out, and felt the revolution happen at the time. Instead, this stuff just really doesn't do much for me. And I've heard from others that their live show is amazing. A friend went to an aftershow in Chicago post-Lolla and said that it was one of the best shows he has ever been to. However, I feel like if he plays "yeah" (yes, that is a song name) the same way that he did at the BEST FUNERAL EVER, where the pitch rises up to the level that would make dogs rip each others' throats out and then explode in auditory fury, I might have to gouge out my own eardrums. That sounds cool and all, but I'll be going to Mumford on Sunday night.
One Liner: Bad ass country chick with legit lyrics and cool sound Poster Position: 6 Slot: Somebody crazy put her at 2 o'clock on Sunday. Thoughts: I've written about her several times before. Not sure if I need to say more than I have. Her last album was top ten for me last year. In my review of it, I noted how amazingly badass her cover/duet with Willie is for "Are You Sure," and here it is again, just because I think it should be heard as much as possible.
Man, I love that tune. Too bad that Willie isn't playing Weekend One so that he could come along with her on Sunday morning and crank this up. I'd die happy (well, hopefully in like another 50 years). If you haven't heard of her already, then you are dumb. Well, just uninformed and stupid, maybe you aren't dumb. Sorry if that came off as rude. Texas girl ("girl from Golden"), who first really came out in the public eye when she was on Nashville Star, which is apparently like American Idol but for country types. She didn't win, but that exposure led to a record deal and she put out the excellent Same Trailer Different Park in 2013. The best tune from that one is only her second most popular track on Spotify from the album, but I think the lyrics are fantastic. 20.0 million streams.
"Just like dust, we settle in this town." And the light touch of the banjo, I don't know, this song just hits all the right notes for me. And the other hit from this album, "Follow Your Arrow," which has 20.6 million streams, is also a kick ass empowerment/do yo thing track.
Its a simple construct, but I love when she tells you to roll up a joint, and then says "or don't" or "I would," with a smile in her voice. Her voice is damn pretty, and she just sounds friendly. This song is also great because of how it blows up the normal country paradigm of 'MERICA and "party with my bros" and "ain't got time for no queers" and all of that which is normally firing out of Nashville all day. Loads of other good songs on that first album, "Blowin' Smoke," "Keep It To Yourself," or "Back on the Map" come to mind. Great disc. She was nominated for a bunch of Country Music Awards and Grammy's that year, and took home the Grammy for Best Country Song ("Follow Your Arrow") and Best Country Album. Fast forward to 2015 and she released Pageant Material to more accolades and more great lyrics that stray from the normal and keep the music real and fun. The big single from the album, which sounded cheesy to me at first, has now come around in my mind so that I sing along with it in my head at random times, is "Biscuits."
Good sentiment. Fine song. 14.4 million streams. Something else I haven't mentioned, I don't know who the dudes in the band are (they don't get a mention on Wikipedia) but they rule as well. Great players, don't get in the way, just make straight-forward tunes that showcase the star. Also on this album, I love "Late to the Party" and "Dime Store Cowgirl." This album kept me company this summer while driving from Colorado back to Texas in August, while the rest of my family slept in the early morning and I popped in headphones to move on down the road. Right in between Helmet and A$AP Rocky, ol' Kacey kept me company. I hadn't really even noticed it before, but "Good Ol' Boys Club" has a nice dig it that hadn't dawned on me before in many listens, but clicked while the music was about all that I had in my mind that morning. The song is about the music industry and how crappy it is that people who know people can get a leg up on real talent, and one of the lines says "“Another gear in a big machine, don’t sound like fun to me.” Big Machine is a record label in Nashville, home to massive stars like Taylor Swift and Reba and Tim McGraw, etc. So, I guess she didn't want to sign with their sorry ass label anyway. From reading the Internet about this, it sounds like some people thought she dissed TayTay with this line, but Kacey disavowed the diss with a wink. Anyway, I'm a big fan of both of her albums, and I've never seen her play live, so this is my big moment. Luckily for me, the weirdo in charge of scheduling put her early in the day on Sunday, when nothing else is really happening, so its on.
Me: I just finished my final review! Woohoo! Internet: Nope. Loser. Me: Oh, hey, uh, but it was like a million hours of listening and writing and stuff, I'm pretty psyched. It was 106 total bands! Internet: You suck at listening and you suck at writing. LCD Soundsystem is the best band ever. Me: Yeah, I tried really hard, but I'm just not getting it, man. But my point is that the listening project is wrapped for the year! Big news! NOw I can go listen to the new Chili Peppers! Internet: Well, you suck and you're not even done, you loser. Me: Dude. I did it, I am finished! I even did all the new additions like Kamaiyah and Corbu. Internet: Hahaha, you got played by the ACL people, man. You know how you said that there is no more Austin Kiddie Limits? WRONG! Me: DOH! They weren't on the poster! The Q Brothers are back! Death! Internet: And I've run a check, did you listen to the Quaker City Night Hawks? Me: No, man, they're not on the lineup poster. Internet: Check again, sucka! How about Porter Robinson & Madeon? Or Ron Gallo? Nope and Nope. You suck at this, Jack.
Who am I kidding. Other than the Q Brothers, more new music is a good thing, and who knows, one of these remaining few may just be the greatest band I've ever heard. Let's get some.
One Liner: Lovely little indie rock Poster Position: 5 Slot: 4pm on Sunday (in other words, no one is going to go see them, because NATHANIEL RATELIFF!!!) Thoughts: I recall that an ex-co-worker was way into this band's first album a few years ago, but I never really gave them an opportunity until now. In my head, I thought that I liked them, but now I'm realizing that I don't know much of their music at all. It is melodic indie rock, nothing ever hard, but it isn't as sleepy as "melodic indie rock" would connote (to me at least). Original album was 2010's Gorilla Manor, which had a few tracks with loads of streams. However, none of these sounded familiar to me: "Wide Eyes" (16.9 million), "Airplanes" (16.6 million), and "Who Knows Who Cares" (7.9 million). Here is "Wide Eyes," their most listened to and most popular right now.
Stalker shark! Pretty good song though. Nothing earth shatteringly different, but I still like the groove of the tune. Then, the band put out Hummingbird in 2013, which has two tunes that I recognize from the radio ("Breakers" and "Heavy Feet"). Although "Heavy Feet" has the more plays on Spotify (9.8 million), I prefer "Breakers" (6.6 million).
A little more rockin', still harmonic. They've also got three new singles available on Spotify, so I expect that a new album is on the way sometime soon. If I get a chance, I'll check that out to and let you know what it is like, even though I'm not going to go see this show.
One Liner: Bad ass country star Poster Position: 3 Slot: Sunday at 6 Thoughts: I love this guy. I don't even need to go back and listen to the album again, because I already know the whole thing. I reviewed it last year and pretty well named each individual song to explain how each one was great. I first found out about Stapleton through a friend who played "Whiskey and You" for me on the back porch of a little cabin in the Hill Country while we watched a massive rainstorm pound a canyon wall in front of us. Which was a cool time in itself, but that song just clicked and made me want more.
"One's the devil, one keeps driving me insane, sometimes I wonder, oh, if they ain't both the same." I want to sign that in full throat at any given time. Its not just the boss lyrics, the sound is just soulful and strong and warm. Hard to believe this guy had to make his money writing for other people for years, with a voice like this tucked away in his arsenal. His most popular track by a bunch is his cover of "Tennessee Whiskey," which cranks up to 40.8 million streams.
Nice tune, although I prefer his original tunes quite a bit more than that one. Stapleton came up in Nashville writing songs after moving there in 2001, and became part of a bluegrass band called the Steeldrivers. According to Wikipedia, over 150 of his songs have appeared on albums by folks like Adele, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, and Brad Paisley. This debut album, which was released in 2015, won a bunch of the CMT awards - Best Male Vocalist, New Artists of the Year, and Album of the Year. He also won the Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance. Last year was a pretty good year for the guy. I don't know if you recall his performance at the Grammys, with Gary Clark, Jr. and Bonnie Raitt. Electric and good stuff. Right behind "Whiskey and You," I think "Daddy Doesn't Pray Anymore" is a killer track. So great.
Those lyrics just kill me, man. Couldn't sound more like a country anthem, with prayer, and daddy, and a break between the two. Oh, and then I also found a Tiny Desk for Stapleton, which is excellent.
Hell yes. That L.A. Nights track ("When the Stars Come Out") is good stuff too. Cool tidbit about that video, that is his wife, country singer Morgane Stapleton, doing some sweet harmonies with him in the Tiny Desk. Love it. A lot of these songs are soulful and intimate, so we'll see how that translates to the big stage and crowd of thousands, but I want to see it happen. Can't wait to see this show.
One Liner: Cutesy (a little too cutesy at times) but explicit electro indie pop Poster Position: 9 Slot: 5:30 on Saturday Thoughts: The very first thing I wrote when I started listening to this was "Oh vomit." I'm pulling back from that some, but still, this stuff is too damn clever and cutesy for my taste. Trap-ish electro stealing from Lesley Gore. Snapping spelling songs. A bubble beat breakdown. One of those baby pianos playing in the background. This is like Lana Del Rey singing only the most precious words she can find. Her song titles explain this as well, "Milk & Cookies," "Tag, You're It," "Play Date," "Sippy Cup." Kind of reminds me of Halsey too. And Lorde. God, I hope its not one of those concerts where 8 billion fan kids are going to clog up the entire park to see this show and so I'm not going to be able to get my PoorQui Bun and get to the old man music in a timely fashion. She was apparently on the Voice, with this excellent hairdo that looks like a musician from Total Recall or something. Here is the audition moment on the show.
So, like, was Xtina all jelly because Melly was like totally lit with the old Brit but like didn't even try something off Stripped? Oooooh! GIRL FIGHT! Martinez has only one album, 2015's Cry Baby, and she apparently has some hits on her hands here despite my reluctance to embrace the cutesy-ness of the lyrics. None of her top ten has less than 17 million streams, and most of her top ten are above 25 million streams. Pretty solid for someone I've never heard of. But literally, her image on Spotify is of her about to take a swig from a baby bottle full of milk, with a huge white tear dripping from her eye. I don't care for the heavy imaging, I just want good music. Her top track is "Pity Party," with 82.9 million.
I guess the half and half hair is her thing? But, that video and song are great together, watching the visuals made me enjoy the song even more. Poor Melanie. Why didn't Johnny come to her party? Mean old boys. But I guess we can thank Johnny for a pretty snappy pop tune. I've been singing it for a few days now. Her second-most-listened-to track is called "Dollhouse," with 49.8 million streams.
Another song that is actually good, once I get over the cute. Sad song, but still well done. It is a strange juxtaposition in a lot of her songs (not these two), the cutesy lyrics and lullaby musical hints mixed with repeated F Bombs. This one, the title track from her album, makes me think of Gwen Stefani when she was good.
You know what, I might just go watch this. Neither Aluna George nor Naked and Famous have done much for me, so unless I'm using this time to grab dinner, I may go see what this is like in person.
One Liner: Local Spanish music Poster Position: 20 Slot: Friday at 4:45 Thoughts: She's got a damn pretty voice, but I've got no clue what she is saying on a bunch of these tracks, so I can't really provide much guidance here. See, the problem is that I'm an idiot. I wish I could go back to 7th grade Jack and kick him in the balls for deciding to take French instead of just taking Spanish like any normal freaking Texan kid. Sadly, I think I did it to follow a girl. La femme. So now, I can order strawberries or potatoes or ask what time it is, in stupid French, but I can't vibe along with this lovely lady as she sings in Spanish OR act like an insufferable prick by ordering my Mexican food in high school Spanish with lots of rolling of the R. "Hola, seniorrrrrita! Yo quiero dos of them there migas tacos con flour, extra queso, por favorrrrrrrrr. Muy pronto!" Well, actually, I could do that part, but anyway, I don't speak Spanish and its dumb. J'demand le poisson, sil vous plait. Idiot. Two albums, 2007's Hanging Spoons and 2014's Up.Rooted. All ten of her most popular tracks on Spotify are from the newer album, so I guess we know which one hits the audience ears better. But wait! Don't just click away from here, some of this is in English! And its pretty! Here is "Fire Water," which has 16k listens on Spotify.
Like a nice song from a Glee group for a bit. "The Sweet Sound of You" is also damn pretty. Oh snap! Tiny Desk? TINY DESK!
The first track on there is that same "Fire Water" track and hot damn. She fine. And she sounds great. All sort of soul and groove in a very stripped down track. According to the information on her website, I have my damn head in the sand since I've never heard of her. "An eight-time Austin Music Award winner, Chavez and her band swept the 2015 awards, winning Musician of the Year, Album of the Year (Up.Rooted), Song of the Year (“Siete-D”), Best Latin Band, and the Esme Barrera Award for Music Activism and Education, while placing in six other categories." Dang. She is Austin music. The mouth trumpet she plays at about 8:30 in the Tiny Desk is fantastic. How awesome is that? I play a pretty mean mouth trumpet myself. Can't speak Spanish but I can play the mouth horn! Jack for the win! Her most popular track on Spotify is also the last song on that Tiny Desk, called "Siete-D." Its got just under 30k streams on Spotify, so I guess I'm not alone in missing out on this gal, but she deserves more listens. I just wish I knew what she was saying in this song.
I may not understand, but it don't stop my hips from moving all over the place. Funny thing is that I could actually go catch some of her set. Once Foals is over, I can wander over and check out what she has going on, while very purposefully avoiding going anywhere near Tory Lanez or St. Lucia.
One Liner: Soul rock boogie Poster Position: 21 Slot: Sunday at 6 (which seems like a good slot for someone on the 21st row?) Thoughts: Blues, soul rock with a nice horn section thing going on. According to their Spotify bio, they've hit up ACL in the past. I did not see them or review them, so this must have been several years back. Pretty good sound. They have three albums and then a live double-disc, and I think the best of the albums is their most recent (non-live). I also really liked the second disc, 2012's Pound of Dirt. Heavy on the harmonica on this album at times, and each time it makes me think of Blues Traveller. Has that same trilling harmonica sound. Their original album is more bluesy, but their more recent stuff retains some of that blues sense but goes for more polished sound. Their most popular track is from their 2015 album The Weather Below, called "Sugar."
Well, I was just about to start making fun of the video for being a little cheesy, and then I just got sucked in and the fun of that song and the charm of the group melted my black little heart and now I just want to watch them play carnival games and lip sync all over again. I may be a big fat teddy bear, but screw it, that track is groovy. 1.1 million streams for that track, so someone has discovered that sucker and put it on blast. I was also going to bag on their live album, but then they cover Paul Simon in the middle of one track ("Prison Cells"), which once again charmed me enough to grin and find a touch of pleasure. Otherwise, I'd rather hear the studio versions of these tracks than the live ones. Which I think bodes poorly for wanting to see them at the fest. Which really won't be an issue, since they are up against Chris Stapleton. One more track for you, here is the album opener from their eponymous first album, a track with 250k streams, called "Untie My Shoelaces."
One Liner: Rootsy bluesy rock gal with a classic sound. Poster Position: 22 Slot: Sunday at 12:15 Thoughts: Well hell yeah. From the band name, I thought this would be world music. From the cover of her album and photo on Spotify, I thought this would be the sounds of the guys who hung out with Ruby Rhod (from Fifth Element) squealing in pleasure. It's like a Mad Max extra piled a beaver pelt on her head inside of a fishbowl. The title of her one album is Rocket Girl, from 2015, and that is also the title of her most popular track on Spotify. With 4,268 (soon to be 69) streams, this is "Rocket Girl."
More of these retro-sounding tunes, and I should be getting sick of them by now, but her voice is sweet and the backing band is good stuff too. To hear that action, you have to go to the newest track she's released, 2016 sing "Hearts Never Break Themselves," which still has less than 1,000 listens on Spotify, but is solid stuff.
Like some of the other folks I've looked at here, I think this sound would be fantastic at the Cactus or Antones or some small venue. I'm not so sure about how this will go over in a crowd on a super hot Sunday morning, but regardless, I like the music.
One Liner: Poster Position: 4 Slot: 7pm on Sunday Thoughts: Interesting. When I saw this band on the lineup, up there in the 4th line, I thought in my head, oh yeah, sure, I know that band. However, I honestly don't recognize anything in here except for two old songs. Those songs, both from their 2011 eponymous debut album, are pretty good, but neither is anything I've sought out despite years of hearing them on the radio. First, "My Body," and at 37.6 million streams though, it seems like others have been listening while I haven't.
Don't get me wrong, its not a bad song. This isn't a bad band. But that tune also doesn't just light me up where I feel like I need to hunt down the rest of their catalog and dig deep into that sound. It is a pleasant rock sound, kind of like Foster the People to me (except without the pop chops of Foster the People). The other one I've heard before, "Cough Syrup," has even more listens at 64 million.
Again, I've heard this tune for years on the alternative radio stations, but I'd probably switch the station to see if something more interesting was playing any time I heard it now. It is fine, but not much more than that. I almost feel bad for dogging on them, the music is likeable - smooth indie rock, but I don't know, I just don't care. The band has three albums, 2011's Young the Giant, 2014's Mind over Matter, and 2016's Home of the Strange. The first and third albums are definitely the best, I can't get into the middle child at all. Their current most popular track is called "Something to Believe In," and appears on the new album. It clocks in at just barely over 6 million streams.
A little more edge to that tune, and little harder (even with the cute little harmony "wooahhs" in there). "Amerika" from this album, the album opener, is also pretty good. I don't know why I'm feeling guilt about not liking this band very much. I shouldn't feel guilt. They are a fine band, I just can't get excited about the idea of seeing them play. Feels like I'd spend the whole time talking to people around me or wishing I could check my phone if there was actually signal in Zilker.
One Liner: Dancehall EDM from Diplo and many friends Poster Position: 2 Time Slot: Friday at 8pm. The dreaded slot up against Radiohead. Thoughts: This guy [Edit, there are apparently two other people in the band with Diplo, at least I think they are people, apparently named Jillionaire and Walshy Fire] was here just two years ago for ACL, although he was only the fourth, not the second, line of the poster. I was not terribly impressed at the time. That hasn't changed much over time. You've probably heard a few of his tunes, as they are those now-ubiquitous electronic dance songs with Caribbean flair that are suddenly very popular. This isn't as bad as Kygo, but its right there in the same wheelhouse. His most popular track has over 839 MILLION freaking streams on Spotify, which is absolutely insane. I doubt that anyone else has anywhere near that amount who is coming to the festival this year. That tune features DJ Snake and MO, which may account for some of the popularity, but damn! Here is "Lean On"
Holy Hannah, that video has fucking 1.5 BILLION (yes, with a B) views. Good sweet baby Jesus in a bowl of banana pudding. What is wrong with people? Such an uninteresting song to me. I'd never try to hear it again. For second place, I serve up to you the one with 460.4 million streams, and then a buttload more of views on YouTube, this one is called "Light It Up," and features something called Nyla and Fuse ODG along with Major Lazer.
Another generically pleasing track - its like it doesn't get as hyped as the other EDM that makes you want to do backflips on a trampoline made of burning diamonds, but instead it just kind of farts along with a nice rhythm, before a little synth horn tune slides out and brings you back down to the ground. He's got a bunch of collaborators on these songs, Bieber, Wild Belle, Ty Dolla $ign, Travis Scott, Ellie Goulding (although the one with her, "Powerful," is truly bad), 2 Chainz, Ariana Grande, Santigold, Ezra Koenig, Shaggy, Bruno Mars, etc. etc. etc. Three albums (2009's Guns Don't Kill People ... Lazers Do, 2013's Free the Universe, and 2015's Peace is the Mission) and then a bunch of singles. I thought I'd enjoy this stuff, after listening to the Wild Belle track during my time writing about them. Instead, none of this is really touching me. Here is that track, I know its nothing much for a while, but then wait for the bass to kick in.
My guess is that this is another band that would be fun to jam out to live, but just lacks any excitement when sitting here at my desk trying to divine a purpose for listening. Thankfully, being against Radiohead, I don't have to make that call.
One Liner: Garage-y classic rock sound that loves Tom Petty Poster Position: 18 Slot: Sunday at 11:30 Thoughts: I could have sworn this was a gospel group that I have reviewed before. I purposefully put off listening to this music for this very fact. Now though, I like this album a lot. Their Spotify bio says that: (1) three of their members played with Tom Petty on his album Hypnotic Eye; (2) they have toured as openers for Petty's band Mudcrutch; and (3) Petty co-produced their sole album. And, seriously, Petty's sound and fingerprints are all over this album. Just all over it. "Dandelion Ridge" could easily be off of the Wildflowers album. Even the singer's phrasing sounds like Petty. They have one 2016 album and one EP, although every song from the EP is also on the album. One of those songs, for whatever reason, has hit in a major way compared to the rest of the disc. "Rebel Heart," the album opener, clocks in at 1.4 million streams.
Such a classic rock sound, although it definitely has the sound of Brits, but these dudes are from California. They've got one other biggish song, "Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl," which wins the award for most apostrophes in a song title that I have written about today, with 231k listens. But most of the rest of their tunes are in the sub-20k streams zone. The other one I want to play for you clocks in at 30k, "Birdwatching."
Loose and jangly, that is a anthem for fun. Again though, sounds like Tom Petty, right? The more I listen to this album today, the more that I really like these tunes. These songs hit a good sweet spot for me. Sadly, these dudes are slotted into the Sunday morning at 11:30 slot, so I doubt I'll actually motivate myself to go catch the show.
One Liner: One of the top rappers today Poster Position: 1 Thoughts: I feel like I've already written quite a bit about Kendrick. His 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly was great and made most people's top ten (if not number one) album of the year lists. Here is my review of it. The funny thing, as great as I thought it was, I really haven't gone back to it to hear it again, other than "King Kunta." Luckily for me and my tastes, this is also his most listened to track on Spotify, at 126.4 million.
Sometime you just want to bump a song, right? And a lot of the rest of this album is just so powerful and bleak, it just makes it hard to want to jam it. However, "i" is also a pretty fun jam from that album. He also did that Untitled Unmastered "album" earlier this year, which I also reviewed. My favorite track, mainly because of the sweet beat, was #7.
That smeary, woozy opening, kicking into a vaguely asian flavored trap beat, it sounds menacing and tough and awesome. Not sure that I comprehend the lyrics, but I still dig jamming the tune. There were some good moments on this mixtape, but nothing nearly so good as the best parts of TPAB or his first real album, 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d. city. The last time Lamar came to ACL, that 2012 album was all the rage. I swear a good 10% of the flags and signs people were carrying at the festival that year had some play on either "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" or "Swimming Pools (Drank)." One of the great things about that album is the running story line through the whole album, told through the raps as well as the interludes created as voice mails on young Kendrick's cell phone. The dad/step-dad/boyfriend wanting his dominoes always gets me grinning. Not that it is a happy story or anything. Surprisingly, neither of those two tracks is the most listened to track from that album on Spotify. Instead, that honor goes to "m.A.A.d. city" at 123.3 million.
YAK YAK YAK YAK YAK! Tight ass song. I love the change in beats in the middle of the track and the full on change in feeling right there. The great thing about Kendrick is that his lyrics sound cool, and if you take some time to listen, he actually says stuff too. Unlike half the dorks making rap these days. Before his debut album, he had two big mixtapes that are also available to stream, 2011's Section.80 and 2010's Overly Dedicated. The biggest track from either of those two is "A.D.H.D." from Section.80. 77.4 million streams.
And also before all the fame, well, and I guess now during it, he has been part of the Black Hippy collective, which includes Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock. So they appear on each other's tracks here and there, and then every once in a while do a remix of each others' songs, like the bad ass remix of Schoolboy's "That Part," which drops Kanye's verse ("This ain't Chipotle!") and hands the mic to the Hippy guys for some verses.
That second verse is from Lamar, although its the brutal verse from Q at the end, ripping into the people who filmed Alton Brown's murder, that sticks with that track. This guy is a badass. If you watched his Grammy performance this year, then you know what we could be in for here. A no holds barred, brutally powerful trip through some of the best rap made in the past decade. I'm looking forward to it.
One Liner: Classic Neil Young, and then some shape-shifting into Ryan Adams and the Stones Poster Position: 19 Thoughts: Holy Goldrush, Batman. Could this dude sound more like the best years of Neil Young's catalog? I don't think so, but I'm loving every second of it. 2014's Isreal Nash's Rain Plans (yes, that is the title of the album in Spotify) is the prime example, but 2015's Israel Nash's Silver Season is right there with it as well. For a second there, I was wondering if his last name was given him because of another famous Nash, who maybe used to do some music with Neil Young, but not so much. His real last name is apparently Gripka. And he looks like a damn caveman. And he also happens to now live in Dripping Springs, which is kinda cool. His top song, the title track to that 2014 album, has 585k streams and is a damn beauty.
I'm putting that track "Rain Pains" into my chill music playlist immediately for future enjoyment. Love it. I literally woke up this morning singing this, but then morphed in my mind into singing an old Neil Young track. His more recent album has that same sound, with the most popular track being "L.A. Lately," with just over 114k streams.
Nice, right? I love this laid back sound, it feels very true and real. It also helps that I still enjoy some of the old Neil Young albums from time to time (just used one last week while road tripping with the family to Colorado), and so this hits a sweet spot for me. But wait, as you go back into his catalog, he actually channels other bands in his earlier days. His live album (2011's Barn Doors Spring Tour: Live in Holland) sounds very much like a Sun Volt (or maybe Wilco) album. And he channels the Rolling Stones well as well, see the hella good "Louisiana," from Barn Doors and Concrete Floors.
Pretty amazing facsimile of the old school Stones. And then the songs on New York Town, from 2009, make me think of Ryan Adams the entire time. Here is "Evening," which has 114k streams.
I'm digging this guy a lot. He kind of exists right in the sweet spot of a lot of music I enjoy, and he also perfectly matches the mood of the last few days in Austin, rainy and cool and grey. I'll definitely make an effort to go see him play.
So, I feel like this happens each year. I'm plugging along and listening to all the tunes, fully prepared to go into great detail about the schedule once it comes out, and then the damn thing drops while I'm on vacation. I fully expect that you have already studied the schedule and know more about it than I do by now, and I plan to do a much more in depth study of it in the near future, but here are instant thoughts. Honestly, Friday looks pretty good. Kind of a weak day up until the end of the night. 5pm is a wasteland for me, with St. Lucia, Cold War Kids, and Tory Lanez. Sounds like a good time to grab dinner! Saturday is annoying right off the bat, with Nothing But Thieves, Matt the Electrician, and The Gills all at 12:45. Weak. Then I've got to decide between Saint Motel and City & Colour, which is hard. Even worse? Catfish & the Bottlemen vs. LL Cool J. Even worse? Cage the Elephant vs. Schoolboy Q! Damn you, scheduler people of C3!!! End of the night, I have a philosophical decision to make. Do I go see Two Door Cinema Club, who I honestly really enjoyed, or give in to the EDM thing and go watch the Chainsmokers and jump my ass off? I shouldn't complain, but how in the hell is Kacey Musgraves at 2 pm on Sunday? Seems way to early for her to me. Sunday, I could spend a kick ass day just walking back and forth between HomeAway and Samsung, with Musgraves, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Chris Stapleton, Haim, and Mumford all back and forth that day. Pretty awesome. I'll miss Pete Yorn, NF, Local Natives, Young the Giant, and LCD, but I think that might be a fair trade. Maybe this year I'll try bringing chairs on that day and just chill in between those two stages. Probably not, but maybe? My plan this year is to create a spreadsheet that incorporates the schedule and shows which band you should go see instead of others. We'll see how motivated I am in the next month and a half.
One Liner: Bay Area bad ass lady rapper Poster Position: 18 Thoughts: Well hell yeah. Never heard of this gal before, but she does some tight rap action. If I'm comparing the two new lady rappers I've just run across, I'm giving Lizzo the crown, but this is good stuff. Oakland girl, and I hear Too $hort for sure on tracks like "Ni***as," which even uses some of the same sounds as "Freaky Tales," just sounds like its been re-done by DJ Mustard. Too $hort is awesome, by the way. "Freaky Freaks" also has that sound, but also interpolates an old Snoop beat. I think the most interesting thing about her is the voice - she raps in a low enough register that you could easily confuse her with a man, or at least a boy rapper. Just one album, 2016's A Good Night in the Ghetto. The big hit from it is her first single, "How Does It Feel," which she apparently distributed on USB drives that looked like brick phones when she was in Austin for SXSW this year. Which is badass. With 1.6 million streams, none of her other tracks even comes close.
Hard to believe you don't hear "MUZZYONNABEE" at the start of that track. If it isn't DJ Mustard, then he should sue somebody. Check that brick phone! Got that Nintendo 64! Pretty cool. Her second biggest song is "Break You Down," with 345k streams, but I don't care for that one as much with its R&B sing-song aspect. The Y.G. collaboration on "F*ck It Up" is pretty cool, and "I'm On" is another fun one, but I am still digging on that Too $hort sound. Here is "Ni***s."
Great groove. And I love the cover of that album too, great shot with the sack of Lays and a jug of wine (or maybe Hennessey?). I like this album, I like her style. I could see going to this show and having a good time.
One Liner: Brazilian tunes Poster Position: 20 Thoughts: I don't speak Spanish, so I've got no clue what she is singing about, but the music is pleasant enough. Pretty simple tunes on her one album, 2010's Lero-Lero. Maybe she is coming out with new music soon, because it seems pretty stale to have an artist for the fest with nothing new in 6 years. Her most popular song by a large margin is the title track from her album, "Lero-Lero," with 483k streams.
Kind of world music, kind of chill-ville relaxed stuff. I like it well enough, for something that might as well be an instrumental for all I can understand. But she's got a nice voice and the instrumentation is well done. I tried Google Translate to see what Lero-Lero means, and it apparently translates as Lero-Lero. So now you know. Here is the second most listened to track, "Fulaninha," with 143k listens.
A little more exciting! Still probably not going to go see her play in the fall!
One Liner: ACL mainstay back again for another year of Texas Swing Poster Position: 18 Thoughts: Honestly, no reason to revisit what I wrote last time, since they haven't released any new music since then. If you don't know Asleep at the Wheel, then go check out:
They are consistently great, and make fun music, so to the extent you are out there in the early afternoon on Friday (guessing here, but based on past experience), then go check out the annual ambassadors of the festival.
One Liner: Laid back rock forever Poster Position: 4 Thoughts: I love these guys. The opening track from their new album just shows the whole range right there. "Dull Times/The Moon" starts off with 4:30 minutes of laconic, spacey rock, just slow and breezy and comfortable with flowing harmonies. Then a buzzing guitar lick starts lapping fire at the base of my hammock stand, some more guitars join in, and then the drums, bass and vocals kick in for a pretty solid jammy sounding rock and roll song. They're in the same conversation for me as the My Morning Jacket folks, maybe a little less epic, but that same kind of harmonic, shaggy, and flavorful rock and roll. They started in Seattle, but then relocated to North Carolina. Honestly, either place sounds right to me. Their leader, and the only guy who has been in the band the whole time, is Ben Bridwell, who has done some stuff with Iron and Wine that is cool. Very distinctive voice, I feel like I can tell it is a Band of Horses song whenever he starts singing. I don't know if this actually happened, but when I think of them, I think of that terrible Fox show called The O.C. My wife watched that show, and I have some recollection of hearing a song from another part of the house and being like, "hey, what is that cool ass sounding song," then realizing it was background music on a Fox teenager drama and therefore probably sucked, but determining that I liked it anyway. Nice backhanded compliment? Their big hit, with over 97.7 million streams, is "The Funeral," from their first album, 2006's Everything All the Time.
You have to love that kick in on that song as well. All soft and lovely and then the guitars get serious and the drums start mashing. This whole album is good stuff - I actually own the little round piece of plastic that old people used to purchase in order to listen to the sounds of music. But their next album (2007's Cease to Begin) is even better to me, with one fantastic song that I use as a lullaby for my kids ("No One's Gonna Love You"), another big hit ("Is There a Ghost"), and a song about an ex-player for the Seattle Supersonics who I loved as a child ("Detlef Schrempf"). A little bit of everything for everyone there. Here is "No One's Gonna Love You," which clocks in at 65.7 million (combining the studio and live versions on Spotify).
Damn pretty song, and such a nice sentiment. And then they put out two more albums of similarly chilled and pleasant rock, 2010's Infinite Arms (a Grammy Award nominee, and has two songs I think are great still, "Bluebeard" and the lovely "Evening Kitchen") and 2012's Mirage Rock, before this year's excellent Why Are You OK. This new one just keeps the same sound and fire going, and I like it a lot. That opener I discussed before, and "Whatever, Wherever" were both standout tracks to me on first listen, but I'm warming up even more to the countrified sound on "Country Teen" and the loose 80's party vibe of "Casual Party." Here is that last one, their most listened to track from this new album, so far.
That video is like a trip through the extras from the Star Wars Cantina scene, while on bad drugs. But good tune. I'd definitely like to see them play this stuff live. We'll see how the schedule shakes out, but I'm hopeful.
