Wikipedia Genre: His Wikipedia doesn't say a genre, but hip hop and rap. Home: LA Poster Position: 15 Both Weekends.
Thoughts: If I'm being totally honest, when I looked at his Spotify and saw that a song from the Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse soundtrack was his top song, I was bummed out. I really liked that movie, but all I think about when I see that album cover is that damn Post Malone song that my kids love and makes me want to die. Instead, though, this track is a freaking banger. Not sure which rapper is Duckwrth and which one is Shaboozey (which is a horrible stage name), but either way, the ominous beat and yelled lyrics make me want to punch a hole into every supersuit ever worn in the MCU.
I'm also a sucker for horns used in a rap song, and that (admittedly fake ass synth) horn thing gets me as soon as this song starts. Whatever, that song bangs. It's also his top track by a bunch, with 26.1 million streams. My middle kid plays a lacrosse tournament today and I just sent her a link to that track to get hyped before her game. I used to use Pantera, but she's more of a trap beat kind of gal. But, I'm still thinking that this guy is an unknown, until I see the artwork for his 2016 album I'M UUGLY, which I absolutely reviewed a few years ago. Totally rings a bell, even if I can';t recall the music at all. Here is my review of that old album: "Duckwrth - I'M UUGLY. Weird to be listening to this dude right after listening to Kendrick rap about his dad in "DUCKWORTH." Maybe this is Kendrick Lamar's dad! I just solved a huge mystery! Why can't people just use all of the proper letters that should go in a word? This is how we end up with Desiigner and Paerish and Haelos and LVLUP and PWR BTTM. We're better than this, people. I read a bit about this guy - he was raised in South Central by a Pentecostal mother who didn't let him outside much for fear of what would happen to him on the streets, so he spent a lot of time in his own head-space. Sounds familiar to me. Art school drop out, lived in San Fran for a while. If you want to go in depth with the guy, go here. It is an interesting album, odd in comparison to the more straight-forward rap dominating the current space. None of the tracks are runaway popular on Spotify, his top one is "I'M DEAD" at 307k [now at 5.2 million].
Oh, OK. Now I hear the Anderson-Paak influence here. That tune is fun and loose. Good times can be had while listening to that tune. I feel like the weirdness of this album is best represented in "RUUUN," where it sounds like a cowbell-inflected sunshine tune (again channeling Paak) that erupts into a screaming chorus that sounds more like a De La Soul-meets-Body Count breakdown. Like that track, this album feels like it is all over the place. I won't keep it around." Since then, he put out an XTRA UUGLY Mixtape in 2017 and a 2019 album (only 8 songs long) called THE FALLING MAN (bonus points for spelling that correctly). Overall, I like this stuff. The guy claims to have loved the G-Funk stuff from Snoop Dogg and DJ Quik, saying "The notes in the progressions that they chose to play are literally like satisfying to the ear and to the soul," he says. "And it also kind of reminded me of, you know, the music I was allowed to hear, which is like, they for sure had Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire vinyls in the crib." His second-most streamed track comes from that 2017 mixtape, and is called "MICHUUL," with 14.5 million streams.
s'ok. Kind of a nice groove, but again kind of like the Anderson.Paak stuff that is a cool groove but not much else. He's got a hot new single that uses some old school James Brown action to spark up the excitement. "UNSTATUS QUO" is super fun. But that track isn't on his newest album, THE FALLING MAN. I figured that the top song would be the kind of emo-ish "LOVE IS LIKE A MOSHPIT," but its another one called "FALL BACK," with 2.5 million streams.
Good one there too. I'm into this guy. or at least I am in to the rap side of his persona, I think I can do without some of the R&B stuff, but you get both sides, so I'll still say that I dig it. I might go try this one out.
Wikipedia Genre: country (but like an indie amalgamation of country) Home: Canada Poster Position: 16 Weekend Two Only.
Thoughts: Well now, that's a whole thing, isn't it? An anonymous Canadian singer who wears a weird cowboy hat with long fringe mask thing to cover his face and hide his identity. And he sounds like a cross between Morissey and Roy Orbison, singing semi-country tunes. You can tell he is white and has blue eyes, but otherwise he looks to be a 20-something dude who makes music. Oh, and he's gay, which seems to be mentioned in every article about him. He won't reveal his real name, or where he's actually from, but he claims to have played in multiple punk bands prior to this thing. But a queer, masked country guy playing the same stage as Kacey Musgraves makes all sorts of sense. Just one album, 2019's Pony, which features him in his mask and hat on the cover. "Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call)" has this amazingly kitschy cowboy sound, and yet I kind of love it anyway. The top track is "Dead of Night," a track about two gay hustlers in the desert, that somehow still sounds like a it could be a Johnny Cash cover by Lana Del Rey sung by a guy wearing a classic lampshade.
Pretty good - the guy's voice is legit. "Buffalo Run" sounds like an old R.E.M. song and I'm here for it. Seriously, queue up that song and just imagine the band is REM, sounds totally like something they would have done in the Document era. "Hope to Die" sounds kind of like a Broadway showtune - like if Dear Evan Hansen had a portion based in the Old West. In fact, this guy should go do some Broadway work. I honestly should have moved on from this guy a while ago, but I really am enjoying it. I'll give you one more track to taste test, but you should just go listen to the album. This is "Turn to Hate," with 155k views and 328k streams.
Another one that has a good college radio rock feel, even though thtere are definite country tinges to it as well, but you could easily pass this off as REM or Sonic Youth or The Decemberists, all just trying on a little Western flavor. Between this, Musgraves, Yola, Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, and Chris Shiflett (and probably others I haven't yet discovered) we are going to have a serious weirdo country party at this year's ACL, and I dig it.
One Liner: Snappy pop indie girl group that I like despite myself
Wikipedia Genre: Indie, pop, alternative Home: Utah Poster Position: 12 Weekend Two Only. Thoughts: Interesting, in that Wikipedia has "Ace (band)," which is a 1970's British rock group, "Ace (South Korean band)," "The Aces (blues band)," "The Aces (Jamaican group)," and a buttload of other uses for the name Aces, before you get to "The Aces (indie pop band), which is the right entry for this girl pop band. They should probably consider a new band name. They used to be called the Blue Aces, but for some reason decided to complicate things. Two sisters and then two other childhood friends, who apparently cut their teeth in music playing all ages and alcohol-free shows in Utah. They came to ACL a few years back, as a late addition to the poster, and at the time they only had one four song EP. My closest comparison then (and now) was to the dance rock pop of HAIM. They got to open for 5 Seconds of Summer not long after their last ACL shows. Their most popular tune is called "Stuck," which was on that early EP and now also appears on their one album (2018's When My Heart Felt Volcanic). Back in 2017, it had 3.6 million streams on Spotify, but now it is up to 9.5 million. So, not blowing up in any major way, but still a good, steady stream of streams. According to their bio, its a tune about toxic relationships.
More of that kind of disco-fied pop dance music. And not that I'm a drummer or anything, but you'd have to think that the girl behind the kit is pretty bored. Its a good jam. Although when I look at the screen-capture for that video, it looks like Aubrey Plaza fronts this band, but then when she is out of her makeup, she looks like a regular senior in high school out to walk the dog. Also from their early EP, here is one more jam - "Physical," which has racked up 3.1 million streams.
Sounds like something I've heard before from Days Are Gone, but who the hell cares, that tune is kind of a jam. I can easily see them getting the crowd bouncing to that tune at the Festival. I'd dance like Molly Ringwald to it. I just went back and has another listen before finally posting this, and yes, still makes me bob my head and want to groove. But both of those are undeniable little dance nuggets. They have a handful of YouTube videos of behind the scenes for filming videos and interviews and whatnot, and they seem like pretty down-to-earth ladies. The new album sounds exactly like these tunes - 80's guitar, catchy hooks, synths, harmonies, and sing-a-long choruses. The synths on "Just Like That" make me think of Stranger Things. It's good stuff. Except for the one song called "Lovin' is Bible," which is super weird and I don't want to hear them say that my lovin is bible anymore. The top track right now is "Waiting For You," with 4.2 million streams.
They played a pretty solid version of that track on Late Night with Seth Meyers, although it doesn't have nearly the verse and excitement of those earlier two songs. I mean, I understand its more of a burner love song, but the power of this band are the party songs (IMO). "Last One" is pretty solid - and they released a companion spanish version as well, in case you are in the market for such a thing. I'll probably choose something else instead, but I could make a case for going and enjoying these ladies for a good time dance party.
One Liner: That band with the infectious disco-ish Reflections song from 2017.
Wikipedia Genre: Indie pop, pop, alternative dance Home: NYC Poster Position: 10 Both Weekends.
Thoughts: Pop rock. You've likely heard their hit single, even if you don't know who this band is. I certainly didn't know that this band was called MisterWives when I first reviewed them a few years ago. Their top listened-to and most-popular on Spotify is "Reflections." In 2015, is had almost 32 million jams on Spotify, but that number is up to 102.5 million in 2019. They've definitely hit the nail on the head for getting one massive hit out there.
When the chorus kicks in, with one million pounds of disco dance slinky fury, you are physically required by human biology to move. I mean, if that doesn't make you want to dance a little bit, or at least bob your head, or just tap your toe for crying out loud, then you should see a doctor. That stuff is silly good. The band has two albums, 2017's Connect the Dots, 2015's Our Own House, and an EP from 2014. Their second most listened to track on Spotify is called "Our Own House," which is not nearly as instant ear candy pantheon worthy as "Reflections," but still has a pretty great disco-funk, horn-fueled beat. Just over 11.5 million spins back in 2015, but now up to 83.9 million. So, pretty damn popular.
The majority of the 2015 album is good fun stuff (check the strong ass "Hurricane"), and the rest is also good, just more somber (i.e. "Coffins"). Their live Spotify sessions album on Spotify has some talking, and the lead singer notes that their band name is a play on the concept of sister wives since the band is one lady and four dudes. I have to say, the acoustic version of "Reflections" is nice and all, but you lose major factor of fun. The band was formed in 2012 when the singer had decided that she wanted an 80's cover band for her birthday party. "Reflections" blew up for them, and they got to tour with all sorts of other up-and-coming bands like 21 Pilots, Panic! at the Disco, and American Authors. Seems like the new album never got off the ground though, as it has been out for two years and yet none of the songs has a major stream count - well, a few have more than 10 million, which is pretty awesome, but nothing like the big hits, and most of the songs have closer to 1 million or so. And after hearing "Chasing This" for the first time, I think I know why. This album is not great. Wants to recapture the excitement of the old stuff, just has overly full arrangements and mediocre chanted vocals. In fact, it starts to sound like a modern pop singer stuff, with that pop singer voice and the weird pronunciation that those ladies do. "Revolution" has that for the first third of the song. The opening track has the most streams by a large margin, but I'll give you the second-most streamed, "Coloring Outside the Lines." 13.4 million.
Does the best at going back to what made them great in the first place. But much of this album is not good. Which probably ought to be obvious when their second most popular song on Spotify continues to be a 5 year old cover of a Vance Joy song. First album - well crafted, tuneful music that ought to be a blast to see in person. Second album - bleh. Although, that disc is two years old, so maybe they're just about to fire up a new disc of great new tunes. I doubt I'll go check it out.
One Liner: Reggae rock for the college bros to chill to.
Wikipedia Genre: Reggae Rock. Yes, that is one genre, not two. Home: Isla Vista, California Poster Position: 6 Both Weekends.
Thoughts: They were also here in 2014, and here is the (super in depth) review that I wrote at the time: "Oh yeah. Time for some ganja at ACL? Time for some ganja at ACL. Sounds kind of like a chilled 311 or the reggae and relax parts of Sublime. Feeling Alright is their top song [and it continues to be their top song in 2019, with 38 million YouTube views for that video, and 33.8 million streams on Spotify].
They also have a songs called So High, Good Vibes, and Lazy Afternoon. Of the five songs I just heard, every single one has the exact same reggae beat and some happy time lyrics about love or relaxation. If ACL is going to have that one big weedbox tent like they did a few years ago, I bet these dudes open for Jimmy Cliff. For what it is, this is pretty solid frat-bros-smoking-joints-on-a-sagging-goodwill-reject-couch-in-the-front-yard-of-a-dilapidated-rent-house-in-Boulder-or-Berkeley-or-Austin kind of vibe. Not offensive in the slightest, just nothing I’m going to go out of my way to listen to for more than a song. I wonder if the band is actually one dude with a Casio 2000, where he just hits the DUB BEAT button and then sings some happy time sounds. If so, more power to him. YOU THE MAN!" So, I didn't appear to be very impressed with them at the time - I also did not do a very comprehensive review of them. FIVE SONGS!?! I just listened to like 80 songs by Robyn and went through them 3 or 4 times! C'mon 2014 Jack! I'm less distant from them today - trying out the 2018 album Free Rein right now, and there is nothing offensive about a good dub groove and some chill lyrics. Of note, Wikipedia calls their style "Reggae Rock," not just Reggae. Clicking through to an explanation reveals that this term has been used to describe such bands as The Police, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, 311, and Rebelution (among others). This genre found its rise into popularity with Sublime's popularity in 1990's Long Beach. The Police, though? They made like two songs with reggae undertones. They have a ton of albums - that "Feeling Alright" track comes from their first one, 2007's Courage to Grow. Since then, they released 2009's Bright Side of Life, 2012's Peace of Mind, 2014's Count Me In, 2015's Count Me In (Acoustic), 2016's Falling Into Place, and 2018's Free Rein. They also put out a Live at Red Rocks album, and I can only imagine the levels of dope smoke that emanated from that canyon on that particular night, holy hell. The members of the band all went to UC Santa Barbara, and their first album was their big break, immediately becoming highly popular among the reggae set. Their only Grammy nomination came in 2017, for Falling Into Place, nominated for Best Reggae Album. Also, FYI, there is a Christian website called therebelution.com that provides articles, books, and resources for Christian teens, parents, and youth workers - should you have a need. Funny thing, I wanted to find a recent article about them - most of these bands have loads of recent press that pops up when you google their name - these guys do not. I wonder if they are just a known quantity by now and people aren't trying to find out who they are anymore. Even when I expressly seek an interview, the top three that come up are from 2016, 2012, and 2009. I'll give you the top track from their most recent album to bookend that top track up there. No real reason to go through all of the albums and provide you examples from each - they all sound pretty much the same. I mean, its a good sound - very relaxing, very good groove, super chill - but you don't need to get a bunch of examples to understand the band. This is "Celebrate," with 9.5 million streams.
That video blows, but the track is another good one. Do you think that the synth player really has to hit the keys on that beat the whole song, or is that part a loop and he just plays the other part? because that would really cause carpal tunnel if he actually had to play that chord 3,450 times per song, in every single song they do. What the hell, I'd go chill out and listen to this stuff live. Seems pretty enjoyable.
Wikipedia Genre: Gospel Home: Austin, Texas Poster Position: 27
Weekend Two Only.
Thoughts: This is one of those groups that uses a name that might have been used repeatedly over time. There was an old Motown gospel band with this name, that has a popular song from 1960 called "Behold the Saints of God," with 54k streams on Spotify. That group is marked by a strong voiced pack of female vocalists. But then there is also a band of dudes in all blue suits who put out a pretty bad album in 2003 (Bound for Glory), with less than a thousand streams for every song. From what I can tell, neither of those bands is actually the one that will be here in the Fall. The ACL bio seems to point to an entirely different group that is based here in Austin. So, here is their most watched video on YouTube, at just over 3k views.
Light on instrumentation, heavy on harmonies. If you need to atone for what you did during the first weekend, then go get this one and find Jesus.
One Liner: Hell yes, fellas, bring me all the Royal Blood crunch.
Wikipedia Genre: Indie rock, blues rock, stoner rock, alternative rock, alternative metal (this list feels a little aspirational for a band with only like 10 songs) Home: Coburg, Ontario Poster Position: 26 Weekend One Only.
Thoughts: Their entire Spotify bio is "fuck whatever you think rock is. its different now." Which is so HARDCORE. And DEEP! These guys really get it, and are going in such an original direction! (as they make music that sounds exactly like Royal Blood). I joke about it, when I actually really like their top single a lot. It sounds a lot like Royal Blood, who I dig very much, and full on jams. This is "hometown," which already has 21.3 million streams.
I love how stupid those dudes look trying to wrestle or dance or whatever they are doing in the grass in front of the water tower. Dorks. Also, the non-singer looks like he is 12. But for real, why do they think this isn't what I expect from rock and roll? Freaking Canadians. This is exactly what I expect from rock and roll, and I literally just turned it up a little more than I should probably do in my office. How are these guys only playing weekend one? This stuff freaking rules. I just paused what I was doing during "sanjake" to bite my lip and tell my empty office "oooh hell yeah, biaaatch."
Not only a righteous song, but the lyrics are also good stuff. Watch the video for a weird experience of reading the lyrics (sort of) as they text them during the song (sort of). That is their most recent song (2019) and its going in the right direction. The two guys in the band are childhood friends from Ontario, and their Wikipedia says that they "began getting interested in music around age 8 when they first listened to AC/DC." Which is awesome. If my eight year old ever has a musician bio like this, it will say that she first got into music at age 6 when her foolish father thought it would be funny to let her hear Eddie Murphy's "Boogie in your Butt" and AC/DC's "Big Balls" on a road trip. True story. She still loves to very purposefully sing the words to "Big Balls" when we are with other parents. "it's my belief that my big balls should be held every night" is a neat line. Of note, their names are not Cleo or Patrick. Instead, they are Ian Fraser and Luke Gruntz. I wish they were called Gruntz instead. Most of their single covers are photos, I assume of them, as children, with their eyes blacked out or scratched out. Which is weird. One more tune, just to make sure you get the gist (which I think you do). "bernard trigger" is their second-most-streamed at 3.2 million.
I really want for there to be a Tiny Desk of this where they thrash the shit out of that little library area. No such luck. I did watch a live version of some of their songs, and while I thought maybe the singer would be playing a bass (the way the Royal Blood guys do to get that sound) he is playing a Gibson six-string and the other guy is on the drums. Hell yes. Sign me up. I'll get up early to see this one.
One Liner: Possibly not the worst Kiddie Limits band, if you believe Joseph
Wikipedia Genre: None, bad kiddie raps Home: Chicago Poster Position: 28
Weekend One Only.
Thoughts: Every freaking year. Although, after having bagged on them year after year (examples in my prior reviewsof this dreck), my buddy Joseph went to see them with his twin boys last year and they really enjoyed it. Dammit. Because I love nothing more deeply than finding something horrible and then making sure that everyone agrees with my stance on that horrible thing. And so when Joseph sent me a video or audio file (something, I can't recall now) of his boys getting to help come up with topics that the Q Brothers then used to freestyle a rap on the spot, and I was impressed both with their rap ability and their improvisational skills, it crushed my black little heart into a sad place. So, all that to be said, know that I would not recommend going and listening to their music online, but I would probably say that their live show is worth doing with your kids. BLECHH, I need a drink!
One Liner: Alt. rock with a slight jammy tilt coming from Austin.
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, gonna say alternative rock. Home:Austin, Texas Poster Position: 21 Weekend One Only.
Thoughts: My first impression from their most popular song is The Revivalists. Their website has some odd little introductions from each band member, and from reading those it sounds like most of these guys met at UT. I dig the drummer, his cheesy picture, and his love for the Queens of the Stone Age. No actual album, just a handful of singles and a five song EP from 2018. Their initial release is their most popular by a long ways, and for good reason - its good. This is "Everest," with 714k streams.
Kind of a nice funk, to go with a light, sweet sound in the guitar and vocals. That is actually a great song. Shades of The Revivalists, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, or Kings of Leon. The tunes on their 2018 EP hew to that same sort of sound, and I like this pretty well as well. Unfortunately, their most recent song, 2019's "Cheap Thrills" polishes off the fun edges of those sounds and goes with a more radio-friendly pop rock sound including the background woooooooooos to go with it. Still a smidge jammy, and still some funkiness to it, but something about the cleanliness of the sound is less appealing.
Although, I do like the crunch at the end. I don't know, listening again I'm less turned off than I was after two initial streams. I like this band. I'd go check them out.
One Liner: Americana singing photographer leaning towards R&B now.
Wikipedia Genre: Folk. Not sure I buy that, Wikipedia. More like Americana soft rock indie? Home: Atlanta Poster Position: 25 Weekend One Only.
Thoughts: Really great Americana-type soft rock stuff on her older albums, including a lovely cover of Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." Her more recent disc includes some different sounds that don't lean quite so heavy on the steel guitar and strummed acoustic and even veer into R&B. At only 21, she's pretty damn impressive. She self released her first album while still in high school, and then moved to Nashville for college. She lasted less than one year before moving back to Atlanta. She apparently went to middle school with Lil Yachty and is signed to a label that does a lot of rap, but her favorite band is Asleep at the Wheel. She's also a legit photographer (that one of Killer Mike is super dope). So, quite a pile of contradictions.
Here is an interesting quote about Nashville that I find delicious:
I played one show there as a resident. The reason I left wasn’t because of college, though. It was because of living in Nashville. As a native of a diverse city like Atlanta, going to a gentrified, competitive city like Nashville, where everyone’s the same, [was hard]. Everybody is a singer-songwriter there. Every restaurant, every coffee shop looks the same. It felt like some “Black Mirror” shit.
Yes. Three albums, 2013's Run and Tell, 2017's Faye Webster, and 2019's Atlanta Millionaire's Club. That original disc is heavy on the pedal steel, and a longing tone to the vocals that make this sound like a love-lorn country album secretly released by the vocalist for a rock band. No track from that album cracks the 50k stream level. The 2017 album adds a little more gloss to the sound, but it still hews pretty close to the formula - beautiful vocals, pedal steel, and a little hint of funk added into an Americana sound. Maybe a little southern soul stuff. She started playing with a band out of Athens, GA, so maybe they are helping to influence her sound that direction. Sadly, this is an album that appears to be uncool, even though I like it, because the first song has many more streams than the rest. This is "She Won't Go Away."
I feel like I'd hurt myself if I rode that weird ass bike. Nice tune - simple, light, fluffy like a fat summer cloud. "It's Not a Sad Thing" is a beaut as well - that Jenny Lewis sound comes back in there as well. Webster does a good job of combining sadness and odd whimsy in her albums as well (although I'm not realizing that the steel is the perfect shortcut to making something feel sad). The new album gets a little more southern indie feel to go with the continued use of the steel guitar. Something like "Right Side of My Neck" has that feel, with the steel guitar still prominent, but also some smooth organ groove in there. Some things go a little torchy on here as well, like "Hurts Me Too." "Kingston" is the top track from that album (and her whole catalog) with 3.2 million streams.
Kind of a soft-rock vibe, but with pedal steel. Kind of a Jenny Lewis vibe in there as well, or maybe Neko Case. But even with the pedal, you can tell that this has gone pretty far afield from those earlier albums and their Americana/country feel. And then there is "Flowers," which is more of an R&B track, all falsetto vocals and drum machines and a rap piece by something called Father. I hate it. Overall, I really like her. I'm less enamored with the new lean away from Americana and toward R&B, but overall, this has been a good find.
One Liner: Gary Clark Jr. making good beats w/ two local Austin rappers spitting legit rhymes.
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but hip hop and rap. Home:Austin, Texas Poster Position: 21 Weekend Two Only.
Thoughts: Hold up. I had never heard of this before (not surprising, since this group has like 12 total songs), but this is a local Austin group doing rap featuring Gary Clark Jr. (!!!) plus local rappers Zeale (Valin Zamarron) and Phrachyze (J.J. Shaw). The guys were apparently friends at Austin High years ago (LOYAL FOREVER, FOOL!). This article says that "Zeale and Phranchyze have been performing together since they were teenagers." Clark apparently adds in hooks and guitar and production. That sounds very fun. This article explains that Clark had been making beats on his own, apparently just for fun, and then played some of them for his old buddy Zamarron. So, I suppose we can expect to see Clark take the stage behind them for this show, since he'll be at the Festival for his big set as well. No real albums, just some singles and live tracks. This is their only official video (and one of my favorite tracks of theirs) - "Juice It Up."
First, that beat is freaking good. Second, the advertisement for local juice shop Daily Juice, in a song that repeatedly says juice it up, is greatness. Third, is the dude blowing smoke at 1:55 Remi Malek with a crap mustache? Fourth, I like the Friday-esque Smokey character who wants his money. Lots to like in that clip. And it is their most recent release, in 2019, so that bodes well for their current sound. Their top clip is "6 Ringz," which uses the Crying Jordan photo for the single cover, and is a little more ominous sounding. 10,509 streams.
"bout to fade away like Lebron hair" is classic. The beat is definitely not as good as "Juice It Up," but its still a good track. Both of the rappers do a good job of creating funny bits and keeping their lyrics clear so that an old man can understand the jokes. I'mma give you one more, a live track from some Jam in the Van Experience thing, probably from SXSW. "Bonaduce."
I guess we are talking about the guy who was on the Partridge Family back in the day? I'm not sure why? That song is not as good as the others. Also, no Gary Clark featured on any of these tracks - he might just be discussed as being "part of" the band to get them noticed, and then he never actually does anything with the group? I don't know, I'd go watch this. My worry is that they'll be relegated to the 11 am on Sunday type slot, which would lead me to skipping it, but if they're in an afternoon slot, I'd give it a shot.
Sadly, just saw an announcement that one of the band members jacked his back and they are cancelling their entire tour, including ACL Fest. No more Kooks. Of course, all the nutters on Instagram and demanding that shit like Post Malone replace them. Kind of bummed, I liked these guys. One Liner: Brit indie rock like a less popular Arctic Monkeys
Wikipedia Genre: Indie rock, post-punk revival, Britpop, alternative rock Home: Portsmouth, England Poster Position: 8 Weekend One Only.
Thoughts: Had never heard of these cats before, which is kind of surprising, because they fit right up my alley for the most part. Sort of Arctic Monkeys, sort of Franz Ferdinand, kinda Strokes-ish, and sort of their own weird level of Brit rock indie. Tons of sing-a-long, catchy hooks and choruses. Three of the members (they've been through a handful of additions and subtractions over time) met in school - the BRIT School - which was also a stopping point for folks like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Spiderman Tom Holland. Their name comes from a David Bowie track of the same name, and their first song they ever played together was a Strokes cover. They signed a major label deal after having been together for like 8 minutes, which was apparently a little difficult on them at the time. Five albums, starting with 2006's Inside In/ Inside Out. The album was released on the same day as the Arctic Monkeys' debut, so the initial reaction was muted. Vocalist Luke Pritchard said "God bless the Arctic Monkeys because if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have been so shielded. We were so overshadowed by the success [of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not] because it was so monster and we crept in behind everybody's back." Ooooh shit, Wikipedia quotes a brutal review from Rolling Stone:
Calling the Kooks "an important reminder that there are just as many mediocre bands in the UK as there are in the United States" reviewer Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone claimed the album was "utterly forgettable, shoddily produced retro rock that at its worst sounds like a Brighton-accented version of the Spin Doctors".
Criminy. I wouldn't go anywhere near that harsh - its fine, fun, jangly rock. By the way, I love that Rolling Stone used to actually pan the shit out of albums. All of their reviews are so milquetoast now. I bet they haven't handed out a one star review to anything in years, or if they do, its something where they only hand it off to a very safe thing, like saying that the new Milli Vanilli is bad. They'd never call out a first album like this anymore. A few tracks were obviously hits, by their play counts, but some are still in the 3 million streams zone even after more than a decade. The top track, with 251 million streams, is "Naive."
Can barely understand the lyrics through that accent, but its a fun little jaunt of a tune. Another 59 million views of that video. And man, they really do look like children. Album was eventually certified 5x platinum in the UK, but didn't even crack the US Billboard Top 100. Next, 2008's Konk, named after the studio where they recorded their albums. The reviews still weren't stellar, but the sound is generally the same - jangly pop-rock guitar songs. Several things I have read say they are emulating the Kinks on this album, but that isn't really a reference I get, beyond knowing what "You Really Got Me" sounds like mainly through the fingertips of Eddie Van Halen. I guess that jangly tone in the guitar I keep mentioning is found in those classic rock tunes as well? Anyway, this album didn't sell nearly as well, and the top track has just over 40 million streams. This is "Always Where I Need to Be."
I mean, so what if it sounds like something else, that song is a good time. I'm not trying to name them the next Beatles or anything, but I can see jamming and pogoing around to that tune in a crowd and enjoying myself. I get that none of these songs are lyrically stimulating - but take "Do You Wanna," which is a very good time despite the fact that the lyrics just baldly ask if you wanna make love to me. It's not poetry, but its still a groove. 2011's Junk of the Heart was made as the band was losing and then re-gaining and then re-losing their drummer due to nerve problems in his arm. Its a forgettable album for me. Even after several tries with it, I can't recall anything that stands out, just more pleasantly rockin' stuff. The playcount of the album definitely reflects the same attitude, as the opening track has 80 million streams, and the rest of the songs' stream counts added together don't make it near 80 mill. Yawn. Of interest, and maybe only to me, Pitchfork only reviewed their first two albums, and then quit even looking at them. Metacritic still collects all of the reviews from different sources, and there is a definite trend to those numbers - 73 for the first album, 65 for the second, then 54 (then 60 and 59 for the last two). The initial blitz was the good stuff. This is the drowning man clawing on the side of the pila he jumped into to beat the heat, hoping he can gain a fingerhold in the slick algae clinging to the walls. 2014's Listen is all over the place. "See Me Now" sounds like one of Weezer's new-school, treacly piano ballads. "Down" sounds like Jack White joined up with Questlove to create a funky track (but ended up with something very generic). The album is much shinier, less guitar driven, more synth and other weird sound-forward. Naw. Finally, 2018's Let's Go Sunshine, where they gamely try to go back to the successes of the past and leave the weird hip-hoppiness of Listen in the past. It sounds fine - generically pleasant indie rock music. "No Pressure" has the most streams, and being that it is the last song on the album, that feels like a legit vote for the song. 7.8 million streams.
Pretty tune - light touch and sweet lyrics. I'm ready to sing along about just having a good time and how there is no need to apply pressure. Overall, this album is good. Nothing great, but good tunes. Uneven catalog, not much excitement from critics, even for their most recent disc. But depending on the lineup, I'd probably go check them out. I like rock and roll. Even if it is formulaic and a lesser version of what several other bands have done, I'd still try it out.
One Liner: Successful pop songwriter coming out from behind the curtain for one "Jolene"-ish track
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but indie pop? Home: Orange County, CA Poster Position: 19 Weekend One Only.
Thoughts: Huh. Spotify has a few options. "Delacy" has two songs that each have eighty-seven (approximately) remixes, but none of them have more than 10k streams. "De'Lacy" has a track with more than 2 million streams. Also available, Kim Delacy, Meg DeLacy, Ron Delacy, and "R.O.D. (Rainie of De'Lacy)." So, let's check the ACL bio to see if that helps - aaaand none of these Spotify artists appear to be this same person who is coming to ACL. So, no Spotify presence, and a name that maybe is problematic for its similarity to many others... Or, I'm an idiot who cannot spell. Definitely that. There is a freaking "e" before that "y," there, Jack. With that in mind, she has one song available on Spotify, which is actually kind of a cool track. Got that torchy, classic feel, kind of like Dan Auerbach produced it for her - here is "My Man," with 1.5 million streams.
She's beautiful, and her voice is also great. The tune itself is kind of a modern take on "Jolene," with it's "bitch, don't steal my man, he's got a weakness for girls like you, we both know you can, but I really need him more than you" chorus. Although, is that guy supposed to be a hottie? Like a scrawny Shawn White with bad tattoos. She vamps a bit much for the camera, but I get that is the aesthetic she is going for here. Everything I read about her points to the fact that she has already enjoyed a very successful songwriting career for other pop artists, prior to this one song. She has co-writing credits or songs placed with folks like Chainsmokers, Demi Lovato, Halsey (and a bunch of people I've never heard of). The Halsey song apparently his number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (called "Without Me" - doesn't ring a bell even when I listened - 692 million freaking streams though). In addition to that success, she had a song, called "Dream It Possible" that was selected by Chinese smartphone company Huawei (yes, that one in the news right now for getting cut off at the knees by the U.S. government) to sell phones. Here's that commercial.
Pretty generic little piano tune, but the unlimited success of that young girl, who tells herself to PRACTICE HARDER, DREAM IT, NEVER QUIT, NEVER STOP, and Morning 7:00, and then jams the piano for her grandpa on his deathbed, with her Huawei phone there to help, is very touching. Now I must have one of those spy phones that provides all of my personal information directly to the Supreme Leader! Funny thing, almost all of the articles about her don't use her real name. Every one of the articles/interviews just straight up calls her Delacey, until I finally found one that says her real name is Brittany Amaradio - her name has "radio" in it! How does she not use that! She was apparently writing original music at 7, was kicked out of high school twice, and ended up in New York City struggling to make it before heading back home to California. No other songs to try out just yet, I like the first one, and bleh about the second one, so I probably won't go try this one out.
One Liner: Local-ish founders of Sister 7 doing blues rock
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but blues rock and jam band? Home:Austin (or maybe Dallas?) Poster Position: 18 Weekend Two Only.
Thoughts: Totally thought this was going to be some sort of Americana thing in the vein of Wood and Wire or Penny and Sparrow or Cliffs and Caves or Mumford and Sons or Iron and Wine or Beard and Bourbon or Guns and Roses or Angels and Airwaves or whatever. I only made one of those up, and yes, I strayed some from the Americana label, but whatever. Instead, this is Patrice Pike with some other guy whose last name is Sutton. I've seen Pike a few times - the first time was at the Executive Surf Club in Corpus like 15 years ago, and I loved the show. Thought she was great, bought one of her discs at the merch table, and promptly forgot about her entirely. I've seen her a few other times at events here in Austin, and she's got a great, soulful voice. They have no Spotify bio or Wikipedia page, but the cover of their one album available on Spotify says that they were the "Founders of Sister 7 and Little Sister." So, let's dig into that. This flyer on their website says that the Sutton guy's first name is Wayne, and that they spent a decade touring with iconic jam bands like The Allman Brothers, Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, and Widespread Panic. I'd like to note that they reverse the order of those bands, as though anyone on the planet would be more impressed with Widespread than the Allmans. Is that real? Do such humans exist? The flyer goes on to explain that Sister 7 and Little Sister was actually the same band, and they claim that it was a "seminal jam band." Huh. I am no jam band knower by any means, I love some of that stuff and absolutely detest other parts of it, but I can't recall ever hearing either band name, so I'm not sure how "seminal" we can call them. Let's see if Wikipedia's jam band article mentions them as either "strongly influencing later developments" or "relating to or denoting semen." "Sister" is never mentioned on the whole Jam Band page, so I'm guessing that is a no. Oh, but there is also a "List of Jam Bands" article on Wikipedia, let's check that out. Nope - Sister Hazel is listed (which, wut?) but neither of the Sister bands. And I see no mention of semen on those pages either. Anyway, this is not that possibly-jam-band-thing. This is the two of them doing some bluesy rock and roll stuff. None of their songs has more than 3,000 streams, so maybe this is going to be their big break? I think I like "This The Trip" the best out of these tunes, but that appears to be a Sister 7 tune. Let's give you the one that appears to be the Pike & Sutton original, "Hands Up." 2,731 streams (with about 12 of those being mine today). Nevermind, as I can't find any music videos, just samplers of them doing live stuff. So here is a 3 song sampler that has been viewed 74 times.
Oh, wait, here is "Hands Up."
I mean, yeah, its a nice little blues groove and her voice is, as usual, a powerful instrument ruling over it all. The groove has kind of a Zeppelin feel to it - at first it felt plodding to me, but the more I just let myself settle down into the tempo of it, the more I feel like it is good and right. Based off of what I hear here so far, I don't know that I'd go out of my way to find their show in the Fall, but at the same time, they've got the guitar and vocal chops to make something pretty cool. Honestly curious why they've made up this new name instead of just continuing with their "seminal" band name from before...
