Quick Hits, Vol. 284 (Blue Stones, Billie Eilish, Sarah Jarosz, Black Keys)

You must immediately go watch this video right now.  Kim Jong Un's face, as he drums, is killing me.

Blue Stones - Hidden Gems.  This is a disc that I found before the ACL lineup was announced, so it was shunted back into the new music queue to be dealt with only after I heard all of the ACL stuff.  But, I love a few of these songs, so I have used them as motivational jams during that period as well.  "Shakin' Off the Rust" is the hit on the album, and I like it too, but "Spirit" is the unhinged jam that I never knew I needed.  I think this album came to me because I listen to Royal Blood and cleopatrick and their ilk, but it works really well.  This is "Spirit," with 2.4 million streams. 

That combination of fast/loud, followed by quiet/building, resulting in the kind of song that should make you want to buy a glass greenhouse, build it in your backyard, fill it full of speakers, blast this song, and then spin in circles with sledgehammers in each hand and see what happens.  And the little bridge turns it a little bouncy and danceable, before the last killer quiet section erupts.  Loving it.  I especially love the little jump starts just before each of the chorus launches.  It's right up there with that "Some Mutts (Can't Be Muzzled)" track from Amyl and the Sniffers as a motivational jam.  The disc is full of more of this, very good rock and roll based on just a guitar and a drum set.  Some are more poppy, some are almost funky enough for dancing, but mostly they just blast you with the power. "Grim" has a second where it sounds like Kendrick Lamar stops by the studio.  Every once in a while, they stray from that recipe, like the less enjoyable "L.A. Afterlife" that is a little cheesy, or some of the effects on "Careless," but otherwise this album makes me happy.

Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever.  I heard from several people who saw her ACL show these last few weeks and thought it was amazing.  I am personally very glad that I skipped it.  Her show two years ago was very underwhelming to me, and this new album is likewise pretty weak.  When you are listening to something for the first time and you pause what you are doing to whisper "what in the hell is this crap?" then that is not a great sign.  Musically, most of this is deeply uninteresting.  So spare as to feel tossed off.  And when combined with her whisper-tone voice, it's just too easy for it all to fade into the background as something my mind can just cut off from the consciousness stream.  "Happier Than Ever" certainly flips that script by making unenjoyable noises instead.  But like, the opening track is just a very basic synth note, played repeatedly, with barely anything else involved other than her mumbling over the top.  I think I'm just the wrong demographic here.  I might like the Bassa Nova song the most out of any of them because its finally a little interesting?  Of course the album has a zillion streams because she's huge, but bleh...  Top track is "Therefore I Am" at 492.2 million.

Oh yeah, that is probably the best song on the album, the masses are right.  But its because it sounds like the old Billie, and she looks like the old Billie, and its playful and harsh and bouncy in a way most of this album is just woozy and blah.  I do like when the subtitles just start saying entirely different words than what she is singing.  That is entertaining.  But for the album as a whole?  Nope.

Sarah Jarosz - Blue Heron Suite.  I'm a sucker for Jarosz.  Every new album that comes out is another chapter in an enjoyable book that I hope will continue until I am old.  The combination of deftly played Americana and bluegrass, salved by her lovely voice and timeless lyrics, it always hits right on me.  I've mentioned this before, but my favorite Pandora station for home, one that will almost always make the wife happy, still tickle my fancy, and get compliments from guests, was initially based on her.  Just so damn good.  This album is a little odd because it is full of interludes and call-backs to earlier songs, instead of just being a linear album it feels more like a meditation.  It almost feels weird to pick a certain song to paly, as it removes that track from the cohesive mesh of the whole album, but "Morning" is the top streamer at 1.3 million streams.

The imagery of her being there on the shoreline, holding out her hand is so nice.  Makes me wish I would have made my kids walk the beach with me in the mornings when we go to the beach.  I also love in "Blue Heron," when she sings the words "blue heron," because her voice soars right then in a wonderful way.  Another great little album.

Black Keys - Delta Kream.  I want to go to the little drive-in joint on the cover so bad.  Sadly, it no longer exists, that picture was from the 70's.  This is an album of blues covers, and it works really well.  Even when these guys are playing their own tracks, they pretty much sound like old blues covers anyway.  That's what makes them awesome.  "Crawling Kingsnake" was the initial single and the power tune - 6 minutes of slinky, swaggering guitar hero action.  That is the top track, with just over six million streams.

I personally dig that they made the video go along with the full-length track, instead of the little radio edit they made at the end of the album.  The whole album, and that video, feel like they are paying proper homage to the influences that have made them insanely rich over the course of their career.  They've obviously turned those influences into something new and great, but instead of trying to act like they hit a home run, they're showing here how they started on third base and owe some forebearers a debt.  I dig that.  Definitely an enjoyable album.

2020 Albums of the Year (NPR)

I realize that this is about 10 months late, but it was tucked away in my drafts and I figured I might as well let it see the light of day.

I love to find good new stuff through looking at these lists, but I also have to roll my eyes sometimes when I see the rankings.  Was hoping that NPR might hew to my tastes, but I'm afraid I made a major mistake.

1. SAULT - Untitled (Black Is).  Just the title of the album makes me cringe.  But now I get what they are selling, this is something that was made in response to and arising out of the BLM protests this year.  I've tried a few songs, and yeah, I get that this matches up to the importance of this movement.  Kinda funky, definitely an important message. If Erykah Badu and Janelle Monae aren't the voices on this one, then congrats to whoever this is (it is all uncredited and I couldn't figure it out after 20 seconds of searching).  I'm glad to find out about this one.  
2. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters.  Nah.  I tried to like this one.  I get that it was fun to have her come out of hiatus after many moons, but the critical slobbering about this one can't elevate it for me.  Not interested.  At least I've heard of this one!
3. Lido Pimienta - Miss Columbia.  This is where you know the people at NPR are getting cute.  The top song on this album has 1.9 million streams.  I'm sorry, but you're not telling me that this album has had any sort of large-scale "Album of the Year" type impact on a large swath of the populace with those kinds of numbers.  I know this isn't all about streaming numbers, but it's hard to imagine this being an album to offer into the pantheon of history when no one even cared about it when it came out.  Also, I don't know what she is singing about, so I'm just jealous.  Pretty voice though!
4. Pheobe Bridgers - Punisher.  YES!  I called it, that "serious" critics would be giving the love to this and the Bolt Cutters.  I liked this album (it's just dark all the time, at a time when I want something lighter).
5. Spillage Village - Spilligion.  I have no clue what I just typed.  But, just to be clear, NPR is claiming that this was the top rap/hip-hop album of 2020?  Bigger than RTJ4?  Bigger than Alfredo?  I don't know - I've never even heard of these cats, it just seems bold to throw that out there.  And, huh.  I'll buy in to it (not being better than those two just mentioned, but solid).  I already think that JID is cool, and same with EarthGang, and even though I don't know the other members of this "supergroup," I can dig the jam their mashing.
6. Thomas Ades - Ades Conducts Ades.  Mmmmkay.  This is a live album of classical music?  What are we doing here?  It is probably wonderful music and all, but the first song sounds like free-form jazzy piano weirdness with an orchestra assaulting the pianist here and there.  I just can't imagine that the actual number 6 album of the year would have less than 10k streams for almost all of its songs.  The top track has 25k streams, and this is a year after release!  This is just too cute for me.
7. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG.  Sure.  I guess this is important for some folks, and it very well may be good, but you're not going to get me to listen to Latin trap.  If I don't know what is going on in the song, I'm just not going to get into it.  I do like the "Girl from Ipanema" ripoff under the first song.
8. Nubya Garcia - Source.  Jazz saxophone?  Really?  Top song has 1.5 million, but most are in the 200k to 300k range.  Maybe NPR had a special, secret understanding of what the word "best" means to them.  I just let it roll while I worked and it was kinda good.  I'm sure this is beautiful to the folks who want to listen to some skeeboppin' jazzy freakout music and all, but I wouldn't go back again.
9. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake.  Again, really?  You're saying this is the second-best rap album of 2020?  I'd never even heard of it.  I also think Vert is terrible, so that makes sense, but still.  I looked around.  HipHopDx said Freddie Gibbs' Alfredo was the top rap album.  Brooklyn Vegan said the same.  The Grammy went to Nas for King's Disease (and this album wasn't even nominated).  Stereogum picked something called Boldy James and Sterling Toles.  Billboard said Lil Baby's My Turn.  Complex picked The Weeknd's After Hours.  Anyway, this thoroughly mediocre album should not be considered a top album of the year if it wasn't even widely recognized as the best rap album of the year.
10. Waylon Payne - Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me.  I take back everything bad I said about this list, as this album is really nice.  Good Americana and classic-sounding country can always find a slot in my heart.  And the confessional, deeply personal lyrics on this are also great.  I've kept this one spinning for two days now.  That being said, yet again, no one is listening to this album.  It's like NPR did their best to eliminate anything that might end up being popular from their list.

Quick Hits, Vol. 283 (The Marfa Tapes, Manchester Orchestra, Royal Blood, Weezer)

After polishing off the ACL stuff, I went back and checked out my drafts to see what I had been working on and left unfinished to hammer through all those bands.  One very old post was my ruminations on what "middle class" is in America right now.  It looks like I read this article and then decided I needed to think through what that meant.

"According to this data, the middle class in Travis County makes between $37,000 and $124,000.  I don't see how someone making $37,000 a year can be considered in the middle class, or how they would consider themselves in the middle class in Travis County. 

• After taxes that should net this person about $30,000 a year (after Federal income taxes, Medicare, and Social Security are all deducted).  That would get this person about $2,500 a month.
• I agree with the article that home ownership is expected in the middle class.  A median home price in Travis County is $395,000, which at today's mortgage rate and a 30 year note, is $1,868 a month.  (down to $632)
• Say they forgo cable and internet, and just go with basic utilities.  This website says that should average around $145 a month for a 900 square foot apartment.  A house should cost more (Lord knows mine does) but lets stick with that number. (down to $487)
• The lender on that home is going to require insurance, which is a difficult thing to get a good average for, but let's be conservative and say $100 a month. (down to $387)
• You can try to claim that they won't have a cell phone plan, but everyone has at least a basic plan.  $25.  ($362 left)
• You still have food (definitely more than $350 in my house per month), transportation (car payment, gas, maintenance), health insurance or out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and any sort of entertainment. "

And that was before the home prices have gone through the roof recently.  Now, that $2,500 a month would be long gone to just pay for housing.  Anyway, to sum up my thoughts from five years ago, $37k ain't middle class in Austin, Texas.  On to the music!

Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall - The Marfa Tapes.  Delightfully messy little batch of songs from these guys.  I don't listen to much Lambert, haven't heard from Ingram in years, and have never heard of Randall at all, but some of these songs are really great.  But they're deliberately raw - there are random background noises, and Lambert giggles in the midst of songs pretty frequently - and the recording sounds like it was done in a barn using an old jam box for the mic.  Which is kinda fun - feels like I'm listening in on these folks having an old time song swap.  Just one acoustic guitar, and some nice harmonies, lets you really listen to the lyrics.  The top track is the opener, "In His Arms."

I gotta say, watching that video made the song even better - beautiful.  Randomly just got emotional watching that.  What the hell.  But yeah, a lovely little song and sentiment.  I like it.  "Two Step Down to Texas" sounds very much like they brought in Kelly Willis to sing.  I really like Randall's sound - he reminds me of David Wilcox on How Did You Find Me Here (see "Breaking a Heart" or "Amazing Grace - West Texas").  "Geraldine" is weird, because it is a "Jolene" ripoff, but it goes so far as to name-check "Jolene," so it's a knowing ripoff, which seems off-putting to me.  But overall, this is a really fun album.  Makes me want to go to deep west Texas and play the three chords I can play over and over.

Looks like they made a movie to go with the album, here's the trailer:

Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God.  These guys were at ACL a few years ago and I liked their music and the live show.  Actually, I loved their live show.  They bring a ton of energy and earnestness to the stage.  You can hear that earnestness in this album - its the kind of stuff that starts with a whisper and then fills the entire atmosphere.  Hell, just the title of the album is pretty damn earnest and arena-sized.  But I really like the combination here of the singer's tenderness in his vocals, added to the frequently bombastic music behind him.  "Bedhead" is the hit so far, I've been hearing it on the local Sun radio station a few times, but I'm going to give you number 2 in streams - "Keel Timing" with 951k streams (now up to 1.9 million 6 months later, I wrote this entry prior to the ACL lineup being released).

The driving start is so nice when it rolls into his whispered start, and then the whole thing just builds until it spills out into a jam.  Because I've been working on the ACL bands for so long, this album has had a long time to percolate.  I really like it.

Royal Blood - Typhoons.  These guys have been a favorite ever since they came to ACL a few years ago as well - their 2014 eponymous album is a crushingly powerful rock hammer.  And confusingly, seeing their live show, it was just two guys, singer/bassist and drummer.  They sound like a full band.  But the bassist uses pedals and effects and his skillz to make the bass guitar sound like there could be a guitarist involved as well.  I find it fascinating.  Anyway, this album is not as good as their earlier two - they leave some of the spare, DIY-sounding skuzz and add in drum machines and backing choirs and get a little more disco-glammy.  The title track, in which I thought they were singing something about being freeeeeeeee, when really they were saying the word typhoon, is a prime example.  It's still catchy and funky, but it just feels more polished and pop-headed.  The top track on the disc is the first one (which of course I surmise is the top streamer because people tried it out, realized this was not the classic RB sound, and quit listening.  But maybe not.).  "Trouble's Coming" has 33.3 million streams, while "Typhoons" has 19.2 million and only one other cracks 8 figures - "Boilermaker" with just over 10 million.  Here's that first one.

I like in the video getting to watch him play the bass like that.  More radical bassists in the world, please.  I think the annoying thing is that I actually still like this too.  I want to reject that new shine on the tracks, but I still find myself grooving to the poppy disco-fied funk and wishing I could jump around to this at a live show again.  Yeah, I still like the album.  Dangit.

Weezer - Van Weezer.  Ah, Weezer.  I still like them, even as they continue churning out relatively forgetful, even though weird, experimentations.  I know they love Kiss and other hair rock stuff - Rivers shouted out Kiss on the Blue Album a million years ago - but this feels like a fun experiment they thought they'd throw out regardless of how half baked these rockers sound.  The first track - "Hero" - is a shoutout to classic comic book heroes, complete with over-the-top guitar solos.  Actually, when I just thought about it as I listened, this seems a lot like what White Reaper is doing right now, but because I know the history of Weezer, I like this less than I do when I see it on the White Reaper folks.  I'll easily say that this is better than the Teal Album or the even worse OK Human.  It's just straight bubblegum "hard" rock action full of all the bombast and cheese that can be wrung out of finger-blasting a fretboard.  The playcount shows that most folks were not on board, with the opening track getting 12 million streams, the third song getting 13 million, and the back half of the album mostly under a million.  The top one is "The End of the Game," which for some reason makes me think it should be the title track of the second Ready Player One.

What.  That little fake-ass ET guy is gross.  But the poppy fun of the song comes through even if I'm finding this cheesy.  Yeah, the disc is definitely better than their last couple, but it still feels like a schtick that I wish they would abandon in favor of making something that isn't quite so campy.

ACL 2021: Weekend Two Sunday Recap

Well folks, that's a wrap.  And it was surprisingly kick ass!  I was kind of down on the lineup this year, as most of the headliners and sub-headliners weren't my favorite, but in the end, we found a ton of very fun stuff to check out.

I was a little unsure about my path forward here on this second Sunday, being that I had seen a lot of my favorite things the Sunday before.  So I had to decide whether I was going to choose bands for my wife and kids, or take them to the things I had liked last week.  We ended up doing kind of both.

First, Calder Allen was pretty great.  I still think it is super weird that he got a festival slot, over loads of other bands, without any published music or videos or anything that I could find.  But I guess being Terry Allen's grandson has its perks!  He had Charlie Sexton on guitar and a Dixie Chick on fiddle up on stage with him, so he's making it happen!  One weird thing, there was a dude near me in the audience who knew every song.  I should have walked over to ask him how he knew the lyrics to the mystery songs, but I was lazy.

We tried some KennyHoopla, and it was honestly terrible.  He was barely singing, and his hype guy seemed more pleased to be there.  After about two songs everyone else wanted to leave so we wandered over to see Noga Erez.  I had told the girls that she was like Billie Eilish and so their interest was piqued.  A friend hooked us up with some VRBO side stage action, so we got to go stand side stage for a few songs and watch her jump around.  She was legit pretty good, although it was hard to hear her lyrics over the bass.

Next, the girls had been excited about Tate McRae, because they had actually heard of her through YouTube.  Her show was pretty awful.  I liked her two backup dancers, but that is about the best I could say about it.  She was all sorts of breathy and pose-happy, but the music was bad and no one enjoyed it in my crew.  So I took them to check out AG Club again - they got promoted to a bigger stage this week!  We spotted my teenager son and his delinquent friends over there, and I swear my boy was set up as the lookout for the group.  He spotted me from a ways off and I saw him tell the group - hey, my dad's coming!  I'm the narc, kids!  I thought AG was fun again.  The boy said they were too loud, and the youngest seemed mortified when I danced and jumped around with her.  Being a dad rules.

We tried a few songs of Superfonicos (really fun, I think), but the rest of the crew wanted more free food and drink at the VRBO stage.  So we watched some Cam from there.  She's fine.  Killer voice and all, but just not my style of preferred music.

Around here, we managed to shake the pesky children off on friends and so the wife and I went to see Band of Horses and Greta Van Fleet again.  They were awesome, yet again.  Loved both of those shows, even though I had seen them both last week.  The kids went to Polo G, and their descriptions of it were amazing to me.  Boy, 15:  He sucked.  He didn't even come on for 30 minutes, he only did a few songs, and then he left and his DJ played tiny bits of other people's songs.  So annoying! Girl, 13: That was my favorite show!  He was terrible when he tried to do his own music, he couldn't even rap, but when the DJ played parts of fun songs, we went crazy and it was sooo fun.  Girl, 11: I liked his little ponytail!

Instead of going to one of the shows that I wanted to see here, I made the "HERO DAD" sacrifice to take the youngest and her little friend deep into the crowd for Tyler the Creator.  I didn't care to see him, but was prepared to make it happen for the girls.  We fought our way up in the crowd and I made some space for them like 50 feet from the stage, which lasted all of about 8 minutes before they got bored, realized they had to wait like that for over an hour, and asked to go somewhere else.  Ugh.  So, we battled our way back out, realized we wouldn't see much of Tierra Whack or Jon Batiste, and just got in a spot for Duran Duran.  Slightly annoying, but this is the deal with being having kids, right?

Duran Duran were fabulous again.  My favorite part was definitely when the highly drunk lady next to me started screaming, as the band kicked into "Rio," that this was "THE WOLFES!  YEAH THE WOLFES!" and grabbed my wrist really hard.  I yelled over that they had opened the whole show with "Hungry Like a Wolf," and that this was "Rio," which made her run away from me and go dance violently somewhere else.

I gotta say, really fun day.  I had to back off some expectations, and help the wife back off some timing and simplicity expectations as well, but we ended up having a really fun day.  

ACL 2021: Weekend Two: Sunday Thoughts

Sunday baby!  Sunday can be tough, but last weekend, this was my favorite day!  If you like rock and roll, then this is your day (except they pulled White Reaper and moved it to Saturday).  But if you've been going hard for two straight days already, it can be hard to get up and moving with the same verve and excitement as the past two days.  And that is especially true when the schedule is packed and you need to get there for something first thing.  Last time, we were there right when the gates opened so that we could catch cleopatrick's set.  Which was soooooo hot.  And supremely awesome as well.  They rule.  But as of right now, it looks like Sunday will be 95 degrees, so welcome to hell! 

A few prelude thoughts for Sunday:

• The comments for each band are those "One Liner" things that I added to my reviews. It helps me to remember who they are (sometimes) and provides some detail on the kind of music they play.  Every once in a while they make me giggle too.
• Honestly, sometimes those one liners are freaking hard to write.  Some of this music is super crazy forgettable and I just can't come up with anything useful to write.  "uhhh, another R&B lady with a pretty voice?"
• I've made each band name a link so that you can go read the full review and listen to some tunes if you are unswayed by the One Liner.
• Friday remains the empty day for first weekend - 28 bands on Friday.  35 on Saturday and Sunday.  That is jenky.
• Only an hour for Duran Duran?  That is some BS.  How you gonna give Miley Cyrus an hour and a half and stiff the 80's kings?

So, this playlist is slightly different than my norm, as I'm trying to use it to convince my teenage daughter to come to my side of the music discussion.  Y'all be cool.

Here we go:

11:45/12:15

Miller Lite	Nane:  Local soulful rock action that reminds me of Alabama Shakes
BMI	Zach Person: Blues rock goodness in the vein of Gary Clark Jr.
VRBO	BLK Odyssy: Austin rapper with only one track
T-Mobile	Payday: Cringey teenage female rapper

Weird.  I can't think of a Sunday morning lineup for ACL where the Gospel spot was empty.  They've had all sorts of gospel going on in these slots, but now it is empty during a pandemic?  I could pretty much get a church choir here in 20 minutes if they wanted?  Weird.  Anyway, while BLK Odyssy has recently been written up by the Chronicle, I'd for sure go see Nane.  They legit rule.  Also, Payday is terrible.  I think she is the third worst thing at the Fest.  Maybe second...

1:00

Honda	Serena Isioma: Non-binary bedroom pop, rap, and R&B
Tito's	Calder Allen: Complete mystery
Lady Bird	Jessie Murph: Generic pop singer voice girl

Nope.  If I had to pick one, I would pick Allen.  Last week, the Chronicle or Austin 360 or someone with access to information published an article showing that Allen is the grandson of Texas singer/songwriter royalty Terry Allen, so of course he gets a stage despite having anything out to hear.  He also had Charlie Sexton and a Dixie Chick on stage with him, so it's not even fair, really.  Go check it out.

1:45

Miller Lite	Amber Mark: Soul pop and R&B like Norah Jones tried to make modern pop
BMI	Mattiel: Tasty, raw rock that sounds a little like White Stripes, a little like Nico, and very classic.
VRBO	Noga Erez: Dime store Billie Eilish (which I know is rude)
T-Mobile	Kennyhoopla: Blink182-ish pop punk guy.

I guess KennyHoopla is good and I'd just imagine I was watching Blink back in the day.  And honestly, Erez is kind of interesting (and my one liner is rude) because while she does have one popular song that sounds like Eilish, she also has some interesting electronic stuff that is more her own.  So you can angle to her stage if you want experimental electronic stuff.  But also, while Mattiel is super weird, I would probably go see her if this is the hour.

2:30

Honda	AG Club: Rapper collective that reminds me of Brockhampton
Tito’s Tent	Shiela: English/Spanish bedroom R&B from a local
Lady Bird	Tate McRae: YouTube star making pop after rising to fame from her dancing

Weird.  Last weekend, AG was up against a bunch of other stuff.  If I were advising my kid, I'd say go see McRae, but if I'm advising everyone else, I'd say go get up close for AG Club and have some fun in your life.

3:15/3:30

Miller Lite	Cautious Clay: Deeply groovy alternative R&B guy who I actually like
VRBO	Cam: Pop country singer, more on the pop end now, with a great voice
BMI	Superfonicos: Funky afro-funk from south of the border
T-Mobile	Toosii:     Heavily auto-tuned rapper and singer who I've already forgotten while typing this sentence.

Titos                                Ant Clemons: R&B singer who got his break with Kanye West

Superfonicos.  This is just a wasteland of music on this day.  But those guys know how to crank up the fun Latin sounds.  If you hate Latin people, then I guess Cautious Clay?  I heard Toosii from far away and he was pretty terrible.

4:30

Honda	Polo G: Melodic Chicago rapper getting honest in his lyrics.
Tito’s Tent	Lunay: Reggaeton guy
Lady Bird	Band of Horses: Laid back rock forever.

Band of Horses for sure.  I tried Polo G again today and just don't get it.  I know he has a zillion streams, but it's just not great.  The Chronicle talked about Polo's first weekend show and explained that he just did about 4 songs and then wandered off to let his hype guy fill the hour.  I do not respect that.  Still, my daughter will go watch his jenky ass.

5:30

Miller Lite	Chris Lake: Another EDM guy making EDM guy stuff.
BMI	David Ramirez: Austin Americana and lovely spirituals
VRBO	Channel Tres: Mellow rapper who also happens to do some techno?  Yeah.
T-Mobile	Marc Rebillet: Comedic electronic YouTuber

I don't love this hour, but a friend told me that Channel Tres was very good?  I watched some of Marc Revillet last week and it was awful.  Unless you love dick jokes, this isn't your stage.  So, if I didn't pick Tres, then I'd go for Ramirez.  Honestly, if he'd just play those gospel songs on his most recent album, I'd be deeply pleased.

6:30

Honda	Karol G: Very popular Reggaeton artist singing in Spanish.
Tito’s Tent	Trixie Mattel: Lovely Americana from a drag queen
American Express	Greta Van Fleet: If Led Zeppelin and Rush had babies and they rocked

Van Fleet for sure.  I'm excited to see them again.

That being said, Trixie Mattel absolutely intrigues me.  She looks like she is about to sing some discofied version of a Ru Paul song, but when she sings, its the man under the makeup with the lovely voice.  I just experienced a weird happy hour trying to explain this whole thing while one of my childhood best friends (who is gay and understands drag in a way I will never get to) just looked on in bemused annoyance.  But the fact is that if you don't want to hear rad rock, then you should go see Trixie.  Her version of Blister in the Sun is amazing.

Also, if I'm being honest, this time slot sucks.  She should be earlier so that she could blow the garbage 2pm stuff out of the water.  In this highly popular slot, it seems like she'll get wiped out?

Because I'll go see Greta again for sure.

7:30

Miller Lite	Madeon: Another EDM guy making EDM guy stuff.
VRBO	Tierra Whack: Philly rapper with those tiny tracks now making good long raps
T-Mobile	John Batiste: Jazzy pianist who makes purely fun music and plays with Stephen Colbert's Late Show

Man, this is big time different from last weekend.  Last weekend was a St. Vincent vs. Erykah Badu thing in the Chronicle, with poor Tierra Whack given third world status (despite her probably being the best of the three).  This week, Vincent has buggered off to wherever she makes her weird things, and Badu was Friday night.  So instead you get generic EDM, a crazy good rapper, or the guy who plays on the Late Show but also inspired and wrote songs in Pixar's Soul.  I liked Whack when I've seen her, but I'm also drawn to Batiste.  His tunes are fun as hell.

HEADLINERS:

Honda	Duran Duran: Classic 80's power pop rock band with amazing videos
Tito's	Silent Disco
Lady Bird	Tyler, the Creator: Very odd rapper, singer, and weirdo

Y'all, Duran Duran ruled last weekend.  They've still got the chops.  And sexay dance moves! The whole thing was super fun.  We got close, so everyone around us was old and sang along.  We never wandered over to the other side of the park to see what Tyler is doing once Duran is over.  I don't hate his stuff, but it certainly isn't going to beat out seeing Duran Duran.  If I see Duran again this weekend, maybe I'll see the last few Tyler songs when trying to retrieve my daughters.

ACL 2021: Weekend Two: Saturday Thoughts

So, last weekend, I'd say that the security was the worst on Saturday.  I don't know that if the same will be true second weekend, but the lines were much worse on Sat.  And the funny thing that you'll notice is that they'll tell you to put on your mask (for the first and only time) just right before they want to check your vaxx card and ID.  Saturday is also the most varied day, as far as musical styles go.

A few prelude thoughts for Saturday:

• The comments for each band are those "One Liner" things that I added to my reviews. It helps me to remember who they are (sometimes) and provides some detail on the kind of music they play.  Every once in a while they make me giggle too.
• Honestly, sometimes those one liners are freaking hard to write.  Some of this music is super crazy forgettable and I just can't come up with anything useful to write.  "uhhh, another R&B lady with a pretty voice?"
• I've made each band name a link so that you can go read the full review and listen to some tunes if you are unswayed by the One Liner.
• This day is significantly more full than Friday in terms of bands.  28 bands on Friday.  35 on Saturday.  That is weird.
• The headliners have been pushed really far back this night too - Eilish doesn't even start until 8:30?  Last time, GNR started at 7:30.  Kind of lame to cut back her set to only an hour and a half.
• The nice thing about weekend two is that y'all score some early things on Saturday that we didn't get weekend one.  I know the OU game is this weekend, but my advice is to get in there early today and then use a non-ATT phone to watch the game.

Playlist!

Here we go:

12:05

Miller Lite	WiztheMC: German rapper with English confessional lyrics
BMI	Gigi: One chilled guitar tune - pretty good!
VRBO	Mike Melinoe: Local rapper making art rap and odd electronic music
Tito's	Disciples of Christ: Four gospel ladies from Houston (not the rap group, the hardcore metal group, or the world music group)
T-Mobile	Jade Bird: Beautifully voiced indie Americana from England but now in Austin

It is honestly offensive to me that Jade Bird is being presented at noon like some local thing that needs help.  She's an absolutely amazing singer who needs so much more love (not that the local radio doesn't play her all the time).  But what I am saying is that you should go check her out first thing and then watch the dumb football game later.

12:50/1:00

Honda	Frances Forever: Bedroom pop singer with a viral TikTok hit
Tito's	The Tender Things: Country with a heavy dose of great southern rock.
Lady Bird	Holly Humberstone: Great English indie singer who makes me think of Maggie Rogers.

Again, what is happening here?  While the two ladies are lovely in their own way, the Tender Things are an actually rad, full-fledged band who should be playing at the 5pm slot instead of mired down here with the TikTok stars.

1:35

Miller Lite	Gracie Abrams: Lo-fi bedroom pop of confessional lyrics from JJ Abrams daughter
BMI	Leyla Blue: Powerful voiced, soulful pop lady with a great kiss-off song
VRBO	Arlie: Bedroom indie pop guys from Nashville who make me think of the bad segment of Arctic Monkeys
T-Mobile	Aaron Frazer: The secondary singer for Durand Jones and the Indications

Just a tough hour right there.  I guess, if I had to go do one of them, it would be Arlie.  Aaron Frazer has some of that neo-soul thing going, and Leyla has one legit killer song.  But I'd probably go with Arlie.  But none of these struck any sort of chord with me.

2:00/2:20

Honda	Surfaces: Feel good pop heavy on steel drum and with that "Sunday Best" song.
Tito’s Tent	LP Giobbi: Local EDM lady whose name makes me think of the Sopranos and snot.
Lady Bird	Girl in Red: Extra-confessional bedroom pop

None of those are must-sees for me either.  My kids would want to see Surfaces in a heartbeat, so I may wander over there because of them, but I am interested to see the Girl in Red thing as well.  I guess I'll probably aim her way?

Last weekend, I chose Surfaces, and to be honest, when they play "Sunday Best," it is a moment.  The crowd goes wild, and the song kinda rules.  It was cool.

3:20

Miller Lite	White Reaper: Glammy, fun rock and roll with a great live show
VRBO	Samantha Sanchez: Spanish-language pop
BMI	Charlie Crockett: If Hank Williams Sr. liked to get soulful and bluesy every once in a while.
T-Mobile	Remi Wolf: Former American Idol contestant who loves vocal effects despite a strong voice.

Titos                                La Dona: Spanish language reggaeton lady with a great voice.

Y'all.  White Reaper is the truth.  I've seen them twice now and they are supremely fun rock and roll.  Their synth player (Ryan, apparently) is a primo goofball who makes the shows even better.  You should check it out.  If you are inclined towards country/americana instead of rock, then Charlie Crockett is also the real deal.

4:20

Honda	Future Islands: Indie synth pop band who apparently loves OMD
Tito’s Tent	070 Shake: Depressing auto-tuned R&B lady.
Lady Bird	Phoebe Bridgers: Melancholy indie rock music that still rules.

Simple.  Bridgers in a landslide.  Future Islands had some cool tunes, but I want to see Bridgers.  That being said, I watched Bridgers last weekend, and I was honestly disappointed.  Her music is absolutely wonderful - I truly enjoy it - but the massive-crowd-festival-world-environment just means that it doesn't work at all.  She even joked about herself and said "here's another mid-tempo jam for you."  Still, my advice would be to go to her show, sit on the grass, and relax while her sad ass lyrics wash over you.

I'm honestly still mad at myself for not loving her show.  I went back to my office on Monday and played all of her songs again as a penance.  But the honest truth is that her show would be amazing in a small room, and they just don't hit at a festival.

5:20

Miller Lite	Arizona Zervas: Massively viral "ROXANNE" song, ends up kinda Post Malone-ish
BMI	Raiche: R&B gal and one good sample of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
VRBO	Missio: Annoyingly hip electronic pop
T-Mobile	Freddie Gibbs: The best pure rapper at the Festival.

Easy pick here too with Freddie Gibbs on the bill.  Dude can absolutely flow.  Missio and Arizona are actively terrible.  Raiche is okay.  If I'm being honest, Gibbs was a tough show last week because all he does is flow his bad ass off.  The show is kind of low energy, unless you like yelling "fuck police" over and over.  Some kid next to me yelled to me about why I wasn't yelling along.  I very soberly said I was a cop and glared at him.  He was not scared of me in the slightest.

6:20

Honda	Modest Mouse: Delightfully weirdo alternative rock
Tito’s Tent	The Hu: Mongolian metal?  I have no clue.
American Express	Doja Cat: Top shelf raunchy pop with raps that sound like Nicki Minaj

This is a fun hour.  When I started my reviews this year, I had Doja Cat as a zero on my ratings from one to ten, but after really giving her a shot, I liked her.  Kinda fun.  The Hu are going to be weird as hell and maybe awesome as well.  If they could have been during one of those unimpressive slots earlier in this day, I would have done that in a heartbeat just to check it out.  But in the end I'll want to go see Modest Mouse play.  They're legit.

And their show during weekend one was a highlight of Saturday.  Not even kidding, it was awesome.

7:20

Miller Lite	Jack Harlow: Goofy looking white kid who metamorphized into a legit rapper
VRBO	Dayglow: Great bubblegum rock from an ex-UT student
T-Mobile	Alison Wonderland: Massive EDM dance booms from an Aussie lady DJ

Dayglow would have been an easy choice for me before this new album, but I don't love the new direction.  So I'll probably go with Harlow and see what the kids are talking about these days and be the old guy back there yelling "WHATS POPPIN!!!"  Wonderland might be fun too - I guess we could do a 1-2 punch and see Wonderland and then Rufus.  We'll need glow sticks and drugs.

Harlow, from a stage over, sounded pretty weak.  But I had friends who were up in it, and they said it was good times.

HEADLINERS:

Honda	Rufus Du Sol: Good dance house tunes from Sydney
Tito's	Silent Disco
Lady Bird	Billie Eilish: Dark pop phenom at only 19 years old.

Rufus.  Or maybe call it a night and just head out to get a cheap drink at the house?  I definitely don't want to do Eilish again.  That show a few years ago was not my favorite experience.  But I definitely hope that everyone at the Fest wants to experience that same show again, but with some new lounge music songs from her new album, so that they leave my side of the Park alone.

Last week, my buddy and I did Rufus, and it was surprisingly fun.  If you liked the music from the Matrix and the music from Stranger Things, then you'll be all in on this weirdo dance stuff.  Fun anecdote for you - my dad asked how last weekend went.  One time, I interviewed my dad for school and asked him his favorite band when he was growing up, and he was like, "uh, nothing, I just worked."  When I massaged him for an answer, he told me "Joan Baez, by the time I was in medical school."  But when I dig deeper, I think he never knew a single song, he just said that because she was famous back then.  So, when I told him that the band I saw was electronic music, he was like "WTF?"  After I explained that it was loops and samples and synths that people danced to, he was like "what dance?"  And I realized exactly how old I sound to my children.  Dammit.  Anyway, I never want to see Billie again.  If you do, knock yourself out, but I'd consider watching Donald Trump singing showtunes before I'd go back into Billie's crowd.