Just Like Heaven slides back to summer for sixth year as The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, TV Girl & Chromeo carry festival’s 2026 lineup

Just Like Heaven - 2026 lineup

Just Like Heaven //
Brookside at the Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
August 22nd, 2026 //

Who said you still can’t visit heaven in the summer?

Goldenvoice has made its indie-focused festival Just Like Heaven an annual tradition since announcing 2019’s inaugural edition in Long Beach. And although its sophomore installment wouldn’t take place for a three-year stretch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the one-day event has always occurred during the month of May even after migrating 30-plus miles north to Pasadena for its return in 2022 … until now.

Following up its fifth anniversary that saw Vampire Weekend headlining, Rilo Kiley gracing the stage for the first time since 2008 and slowdive signing on as special guests, JLH will slide back more than three months to welcome The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, TV Girl, Chromeo and more to the Brookside Golf Course in late August.

It’s worth noting that this marks the third festival appearance in California for The Strokes this year after already being booked for two weekends of Coachella next month and a headlining set at Outside Lands a couple weeks prior to their JLH debut. The quintet, after all, headlined another Goldenvoice festival in 2022, as well as James Murphy and company, at the same exact location when the renowned California concert promoter gave This Ain’t No Picnic new life in the wake of a nearly two-decade hiatus.

Those are just the first few heavenly acts on the bill, however.

Some of the other names we should point out include The Rapture, Feist, Twin Peaks, Porches, WHITNEY, STRFKR, George Clanton, Coco & Clair Clair, EKKSTACY, Matt and Kim, Pixel Grip, Dayglow and Tanlines. Peep the poster above for those who are scheduled to perform.

Besides assembling a roster that caters to Gen X and millenial fans of indie music from the early to late aughts, JLH will also bring back LA’s queer disco party series A Club Called Rhonda for a third straight year after making its debut in 2024.

With the postponed date and lineup announcement coming later than usual, any doubts we had about JLH happening in 2026 have been put to bed. If you’re totally sold, make sure to register for the presale here before GA tickets go on sale this Friday, March 20th at 11 a.m. PT for $209 (Tier 1) and eventually increase to $229 (Tier 2), $239 (Tier 3) and $249 (Tier 4). VIP passes start at $439 (Tier 1) and jump to $459 (Tier 2) with the exclusive Clubhouse experience (21+) costing a cool $699. Expect inventory to go quickly for this one so don’t wait long to secure your spot!

Just Like Heaven 2026

Outside Lands gives Tyler, the Creator a second chance while also bringing in Hozier, Doja Cat, John Summit & more for 2025 lineup

Outside Lands - 2025 lineup

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 8th-10th, 2025 //

Hey, who doesn’t believe in second chances?

Bay Area fans of Tyler, the Creator certainly felt cheated in 2024 when the Grammy-winning rapper had to cancel his headlining performance at Outside Lands due to “personal reasons” less than two months before it was scheduled to take place, but they can forget all about that with the lineup for the three-day event’s 17th year featuring his return this August after being revealed almost a month earlier than usual.

Along with the aforementioned headliner, the other acts receiving top billing at OSL 2025 will be Hozier and Doja Cat as the festival mixes hip-hop with folk, soul, blues, rock and pop after replacing Tyler, the Creator with Sabrina Carpenter a year ago.

Another stacked undercard, meanwhile, boasts appearances by Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Vampire Weekend (performing two sets — one during the day and another in the evening — as you can see from the sun and moon icons next to their name at the bottom of this year’s poster), Glass Animals, Gracie Abrams, Jamie xx, Doechii and Gesaffelstein. They aren’t the only names standing out and worth mentioning here, though.

Those headed to Golden Gate Park will also have the chance to see Bleachers, Ludacris, Jorja Smith, Black Coffee, Still Woozy, Sammy Virji, Thundercat, Wallows, MARINA, ARMNHMR, Royel Otis, Role Model, FINNEAS, BigXthaPlug, Artemas, flipturn, Claude VonStroke, Walker & Royce, Floating Points, Julien Baker & TORRES, Fujii Kaze, Bakar, 2hollis, BLOND:ISH, Dombresky, Levity, BUNT., DJ Koze, Mark Ambor, Mannequin Pussy, Jessica Pratt and more over the course of three days. Plus, the SOMA Tent is back for all you dance heads who are looking to get down there. Check out the rest of the artists coming to SF’s signature music festival in the poster.

Three-day GA, GA+, VIP, Golden Gate Club, or Payment Plan passes go on sale here for $499, $759, $1,199 and $5,299 this Wednesday, March 26th at 10 a.m. PT. And before completing your purchase, make sure to peep our previous coverage here!

Outside Lands 2025 - daily lineups

UPDATE (May 6th): Come get your daily lineups! Arriving three weeks earlier than last year, they are officially here and now we know who will be playing when. Doja Cat will headline on Friday while Tyler, the Creator keeps the party going Saturday before Hozier closes up shop Sunday to wrap up another year of OSL. See the poster above for more details before single-day tickets go on sale here for $235 (GA), $349 (GA+), $569 (VIP) and $2,369 (Golden Gate Club) at 10 a.m. PT this Wednesday, May 7th. If you want to go for the whole weekend, three-day passes for GA, GA+ and Golden Gate Club are still available here despite VIP already selling out … we’re just not sure for how long!

Outside Lands 2025 - Friday set times

Outside Lands 2025 - Saturday set times

Outside Lands 2025 - Sunday set times

UPDATE (July 30th): It’s that time again … you know, for set times! Peep the schedules above to find out what your biggest scheduling conflict will be this August.

Just Like Heaven delivers again for indie fans with Vampire Weekend headlining, Rilo Kiley reuniting & slowdive as special guests in 2025

Just Like Heaven - 2025 lineup

Just Like Heaven //
Brookside at the Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
May 10th, 2025 //

The city of Los Angeles has been through a lot in the first month of 2025. Between all of the wildfires that have ravaged Southern California in a matter of days, it has been a tumultuous time for so many who have been left with nothing and are having to completely rebuild their lives now.

It has been special to see how the local community has come together nonetheless, especially for those who have been affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires. And while it can be almost impossible to even think about live music with all that has happened in historic neighborhoods like Altadena among others, Goldenvoice’s indie-focused festival Just Like Heaven has made its home next door in Pasadena since 2022 and will be back in the City of Roses for a fourth straight year this May.

After propelling The Postal Service atop the bill in 2024 with the Ben Gibbard side project continuing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its lone studio album Give Up, JLH has gone with NYC indie rockers Vampire Weekend to headline the fifth chapter of its annual story.

Fans of the three-piece led by Ezra Koenig will be happy to hear that news as will plenty of others, given that JLH has once again curated a dream lineup for anyone who loves indie music. Bolstered by another strong undercard, this year’s roster is also highlighted by Rilo Kiley reuniting to play their first show since 2008 after breaking up more than a decade ago.

“We are so very excited to come back together for Just Like Heaven in Pasadena, California — Los Angeles,” the group released in a statement. “As a band, we began here, and we feel so fortunate to return among so many artists and friends, to this community we hold so dear, in such a beautiful and meaningful place.”

Other notable acts slated to perform at the Brookside Golf Course include Empire of the Sun, Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, The Drums, Courtney Barnett, Toro y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, GROUPLOVE, Perfume Genius, The Sounds, Panda Bear, Beach Fossils, Peter Bjorn and John, Hercules & Love Affair (Live), Wild Nothing and Ra Ra Riot. That’s all in less than 12 hours, too!

But sitting at the bottom of the poster and serving as special guests are one of our favorites in slowdive, the English shoegaze outfit that put us in a dream-like state last year at a sold-out Fox Theater Pomona (read our show review here). Even though it might be too soon to expect new music after the release of Everything Is Alive in 2023, we will be curious to find out where they are slotted for their JLH debut when set times are officially released in April.

Are you sold on going to JLH? Make sure to register for the presale here before GA tickets go on sale this Friday, January 31st at 11 a.m. PT for $200 (Tier 1) and eventually increase to $226 (Tier 2), $250 (Tier 3) and $270 (Tier 4). VIP passes start at $440 (Tier 1) and jump to $460 (Tier 2), while those who are looking to splurge on the Clubhouse experience will have to throw down a whopping $700.

It’s important to mention that Goldenvoice and the Rose Bowl Operating Company have already made their mark on the wildfire recovery efforts with a generous donation of $250,000 to the Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund, and those interested in contributing can go here for more details.

Plus, as a BIG thank you to those who have sacrificed so much, the fest will be offering complimentary GA admission for two to verified GOVX First Responders for a limited time while supplies last. Without these heroes throughout our city, it’s difficult to fathom where we would be right now.

For the rest of you though, don’t wait to purchase yours because this one-day celebration of indie music will be here before you know it!

Just Like Heaven - 2025 stage lineups

UPDATE (March 31st): For the first time ever JLH has put out lineups for each of its two stages ahead of unveiling set times. As expected, headliner Vampire Weekend will close out the festival on the Orion Stage while Rilo Kiley serves as the top-billed act on the smaller Stardust Stage. See the poster above to find out where every act is scheduled to perform at the Brookside.

Just Like Heaven 2025 - set times

UPDATE (April 21st): Start making your plans for JLH 2025 because set times are here with less than a month to go, and there are once again a number of tough choices to make. Will it be Of Montreal or Wild Nothing? Grouplove or Perfume Genius? The Drums or Toro y Moi? TV on the Radio or Unknown Mortal Orchestra? The good news, though, is that there are less scheduling conflicts toward the end of the day once Bloc Party takes the Orion Stage at 6:45 p.m. Find out who’s playing on which stage and when in the full list above.

Just Like Heaven 2025

First Times: Covering a show at Pappy and Harriet’s as Death from Above 1979 celebrate 20 years of ‘You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine’

Pappy & Harriet'sBy Josh Herwitt //

Death from Above 1979 //
Pappy and Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA
October 11th, 2024 //

It’s easy to be spoiled by all of the opportunities to experience live music when you grow up in a city like Los Angeles. So much so, in fact, that it can often be difficult to find a good reason to venture outside of LA County for a show or festival.

Even though one of the world’s major entertainment capitals can provide endless options for fans from January to December, there’s something special about escaping the hustle and bustle of my hometown once in a while to catch a concert out in the wild.

Over the years Southern California’s Hi-Desert region has become one of those places for me that has served as a rather quick and easy getaway. Of course, sharing the same first name as the one-of-a-kind Yucca brevifolia — more commonly known as the Joshua tree — that dominates much of the landscape throughout the region might seem like the obvious reason for yours truly, but it’s no secret that interest in the area has skyrocketed globally since the invention of social media. Just look at how much an average Airbnb rental in Yucca Valley costs these days if you don’t believe me.

But ever since that first backpacking trip during my freshman year of high school, I have always held a deep connection to Joshua Tree National Park. The otherworldly feel of its rock formations and unique vegetation set against the backdrop of a stunning desert sunset is unmatched and something you can’t find anywhere else on the planet. The park, however, is only one of the Hi-Desert’s multiple attractions these days. Whether it’s a visit to The Integratron for a sound bath, Noah Purifoy’s outdoor museum or the seven-story Giant Rock that’s the largest freestanding boulder in North America and purportedly on Earth, there’s plenty to see and even more to do than one might think.

Pioneertown

Pioneertown

What we would be remiss to not have on that to-do list is a trip to Pioneertown where actor Dick Curtis built things from the ground up in 1946. Constructing a movie set for Westerns like “The Cisco Kid” and early TV shows, it would also become a regular filming location for the late Gene Autry until 1955. Both commercial production and photography are still allowed although only by permit, but many locals and visitors who turn onto Pioneertown Road from California State Route 62 and make the four-mile drive have one destination in mind: Pappy and Harriet’s.

The honky-tonk, California-style barbecue restaurant (think trip-tip sandwiches, ribs, burgers and more) where a cantina set was originally conceived during the town’s inception was ranked several years ago as one of the 100 greatest American music venues, ahead of other legendary rooms such as Radio City Music Hall and the Troubadour. Initially it was purchased in 1972 by Francis Aleba and became a biker bar serving Mexican fare that was named The Cantina before closing after a decade. In fact, it was not until Aleba’s daughter Harriet secured ownership of the building with her husband Claude “Pappy” Allen about 10 years later that Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace as we know it today was officially born. While it continued to be a favorite watering hole for two-wheel riders with a menu featuring family-size Tex-Mex cuisine, it did not take long for fans of live music to also fall in love with different acts gracing their stage every week. It’s why top-notch artists and bands across the spectrum — Paul McCartney, Queens of the Stone Age, Lorde, Robert Plant, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Eagles of Death Metal, Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear, Rufus Wainwright and Alvvays to name a few — have shown up there to perform no matter how many times Pappy’s, as it’s commonly referred to now, has changed hands and who is currently running operations. That trend hasn’t slowed down either, with Phoenix, Slipknot, Modest Mouse, Patti Smith, Coheed and Cambria, Belle & Sebastian, Built to Spill, Orville Peck, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Pete Yorn, Wynona Judd, Violent Femmes, Sylvan Esso and more all dropping by over the past few years and earning the roadhouse stop a spot on the Los Angeles Times list for the 101 best California experiences in 2022.

After making visits on my own for food and drinks but having never previously taken in a concert, I can understand the appeal and how Pappy’s has turned into a well-oiled machine after more than 40 years. There’s something to be said about feeling like you have teleported back in time, and you get that sense as soon as you drive past the Pioneertown sign, pull into Pappy’s dusty parking lot and take in the smell of smoked meat. But it’s more than just aesthetics that creates the old-timey vibes at Pappy’s. On some days — usually weekends — you can find more than one show booked, and when that happens, it can certainly create for an interesting scene as fan bases collide outside at the bar and merch stand. And if one performance runs behind schedule, you can be assured that any ensuing events won’t be starting on time either. If you ever went to see a friend’s band play a local bar in high school or college, Pappy’s is not removed much from that sort of situation besides its saloon-like setting.

In addition to its diminutive indoor stage with a 350-person maximum, Pappy’s has expanded to include an outdoor stage that can host bigger names and accommodate as many as 850 folks when it’s not too cold at night. Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure that my first show was inside those wooden doors to get the true Pappy’s experience.

Death from Above 1979

Death from Above 1979

So when a band I have followed for more than a dozen years announced that it would be playing a gig inside Pappy’s to make up for the 2024 edition of Desert Daze being canceled, I finally felt moved to hit the open road and travel 140 miles east regardless of the small investment in time and resources that I knew came with my decision.

After all, this was not any performance. The first time I ever saw Death from Above 1979 in the flesh was not that far from Pappy’s. At the time, the dance-punk duo from Toronto was reuniting on the main stage at Coachella more than five years after breaking up despite the positive reception its debut LP You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine received in 2004. Jesse F. Keeler (bass, synthesizer, keyboards, backing vocals) and Sebastien Grainger (drums, vocals) have gone on to release three more full lengths since then, but this year has been dedicated to celebrating the album that gave them the chance to tour with Nine Inch Nails and QOTSA back then.

Based on the way things were unfolding at Pappy’s that evening with the preceding show not starting on time, the special midnight performance DFA 1979 booked had turned into more like a 1 a.m. set when it was all said and done, leaving me and others to wait in line and among a sold-out crowd for close to two hours. Of course, with the state’s 2 a.m. curfew in effect, the last performer of the night is always the one that pays the price — or at least its fans do — and in this case, there proved to be only enough time left on the game clock for Keeler and Grainger to run through You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine from start to finish before wrapping with a two-song encore consisting of lead single “Freeze Me” on 2017’s Outrage! Is Now and “Dead Womb” off the 2002 EP Heads Up that marked the group’s very first studio release. We might have been packed in there like sardines, but I did my best to take it all in while holding onto the rail in front of the stage for dear life — as well as my camera equipment — and trying not to stare into the red eyes of that patriotically bizarre, three-headed horse mural on the back wall.

Was it disappointing that we only got about an hour of raw, impassioned punk rock? Sure, we can’t say we would have minded hearing material from 2014’s The Physical World and the Canadian outfit’s most recent effort Is 4 Lovers that dropped more than three years ago at this point. But there’s no doubt going to a show at Pappy’s is not like any other concert experience you have had before. You don’t have to put on a pair of cowboy boots and/or Stetson hat to feel like you belong either, though it wouldn’t be frowned upon if that’s your thing. Anyone and everyone are welcome, and the same ethos has seemingly applied in showcasing all styles of music there. At one moment you might be listening to indie folk, and the next, you’re headbanging to some heavy metal — that’s what really makes Pappy’s so fun and cool. Because while it might not be a hidden gem in the desert anymore after previously hosting Coachella sideshows from Future Islands to Glass Animals, you won’t find anything quite like it to this day.

Setlist:
Turn It Out
Romantic Rights
Going Steady
Go Home, Get Down
Blood on Our Hands
Black History Month
Little Girl
Cold War
You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine
Pull Out
Sexy Results

Encore:
Freeze Me
Dead Womb

Outside Lands 2021: A return to hallowed ground

Outside Lands 2021 - crowdPhotos by Sarah Felker & Marc Fong // Written by Molly Kish //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
October 29th-31st, 2021 //

After postponing its 13th edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing disappointing lineup cancellations in the months leading up to it, Outside Lands had quite a lot to make up for going into its 2021 relaunch for Halloween. Asserting themselves as hosts of the first “mega event” in Golden Gate Park during the pandemic, Bay Area concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment braved an entirely new entertainment landscape, time of year and crowd dynamic.

Following statewide safety protocols, attendees had to wear a mask and show proof of vaccination or a negative test result at all entrances before scanning their way inside the gates. Clear backpacks were enforced and costume guidelines were added to the laundry list of rules and regulations for all ticket holders. But even with the adjusted security measures and slight changes to the event’s production, concertgoers came out in record numbers. Averaging crowds of approximately 70,000 people per day, OSL 2021 wasn’t short of attendees willing to happily follow the new guidelines in order to return to the beloved three-day festival.

Outside Lands 2021

While at times the interactive experiences in 2021 seemed lacking with the obvious downplay of live art activations, comedy and representation of the Bay Area’s creative culture, OSL still provided a larger platform for community-based initiatives. This year the fest added a brand-new stage in the SOMA Tent, which focused on burgeoning talent across the local electronic scene, and also dedicated attention and space for both local and national non-profits with an extended Eco Lands footprint.

Relaunching OSL over Halloween weekend was one of the smartest pivots Another Planet could have made. The energy surrounding the holiday was palpable, providing a dialed-in event and location with an additional reason for both local and visiting attendees to celebrate. Costumed crowds filled the fields all three days and created an increasingly whimsical buildup to what felt like a triumphant return to the city’s historical Halloween legacy. With many hoping the holiday tradition would continue for years to come, OSL successfully stoked the sold-out crowd’s excitement for its return in August 2022.

Outside Lands 2021 - Moses Sumney


Moses Sumney

OUTSIDE LANDS 2021 AWARDS:

Headliner of the Weekend: Tyler, the Creator

Breakthrough Performance: The HU

Favorite First-Timer: Brijean

Best OSL Addition: SOMA Tent

Favorite Festival Food: Pork Lumpia from Abacá

Most Magical Cocktail: Silver Girl’s “St. Olaf’s Fizz”

Most Entertaining Activation: The Aperol Spritz Piazza

Best Wine Lands Pour: Brut Rose by Angels & Cowboys

Favorite OSL Night Show: Drama at Bimbo’s 360 Club

Most Popular Costume: Skeleton

Largest Crowd: RÜFÜS DU SOL

Biggest Dance Party: Khruangbin

Best Stage Production: Tame Impala

Funniest Band Interaction: The Neil Frances vs. Neal Francis beef

Local Standout: Kehlani

Most Impressive Pipes: Brittany Howard

Biggest Lasting Impression: Moses Sumney

Best Improvement: Open-air layout at The House by Heineken

Outside Lands 2021 moves to Halloween weekend as Glass Animals, Kaytranada & more join the party

Outside Lands - 2021 lineup

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
October 29th-31st, 2021 //

The past 12 months have been a tense and agonizing time for musicians and live music fans everywhere. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the concert and festival circuits for months on end, many of us around the world have had to resort to livestreams and drive-in performances to help get us through the chaos until normalcy resumes.

But those days could be coming to an end soon in the U.S. as vaccinations continue to rise and for those who are looking to celebrate Halloween this year in style with both friends and strangers (if you can believe it), look no further than Golden Gate Park when Outside Lands makes its long-awaited return to SF.

While the three-day music festival made the decision in June to cancel any plans for 2020 and instead target August 2021 for its 13th installment, organizers have given us a spooky surprise by shifting the event back more than two months.

Because whether you’re a kid or an adult, who doesn’t love the spirit of Halloween? The new dates scheduled for October will mark the first time that OSL won’t occur during its usual month of August, though those aren’t the only changes that were announced with this latest postponement news.

The fest, in fact, is also giving its 2021 lineup a slight makeover with the additions of Glass Animals, Kaytranada, Lord Huron, SG Lewis, Flo Milli, 24kGoldn, Cannons, Buscabulla, JESSIA, Claud and several others while previously confirmed acts such as Beach House, Bonobo, Polo & Pan, Big Thief, Tones and I, EOB, Parcels, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and The Beths have unfortunately been removed from the poster. And for those hoping to see Tame Impala, Lizzo and/or The Strokes on the Lands End stage, don’t you worry — all three are still set to make their headlining debuts once day turns to night. See the poster above for the rest of the lineup.

Itching to get back out there and ready to don your best festival costume? Three-day GA and VIP passes to OSL 2021 are on sale now with payment plans available for both so don’t forget to purchase your tickets here and check out our coverage over the years here.

UPDATE (March 23rd): Wow! And just like that, three-day GA and VIP passes are sold out. If you’re looking for single-day tickets, stay tuned for more details soon.

Outside Lands - 2021 daily lineups

UPDATE (April 27th): Outside Lands has released its daily lineups for 2021, with The Strokes headlining Friday, Lizzo performing Saturday and Tame Impala on Sunday to wrap up the weekend. Take a look at the daily schedules above before single-day tickets go on sale here for $165 (GA) and $375 (VIP) plus fees starting this Thursday, April 29th at 10 a.m. PT.

UPDATE (September 30th): With less than a month to go before the festivities begin, organizers have revealed that Nicola Cruz, Salami Rose Joe Louis and Boy Scouts have each been added to the lineup.

Outside Lands cancels 2020 edition, reveals lineup for 2021 with Tame Impala, Lizzo & The Strokes

Outside Lands - 2021 lineup

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 6th-8th, 2021 //

As most of us know by now, 2020 has been a really rough year for the music industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has completely wiped out the concert and festival circuits, with free live streams and drive-in performances serving as our indefinite replacement during these strange and unpredictable days, weeks and months.

So when multiple major events like South by Southwest, Ultra Music Festival and Coachella canceled their 2020 editions and the entire U.S. shut down in March, it seemed unlikely that Outside Lands would actually transpire this summer.

Now that forecast has been officially confirmed, with the three-day music festival announcing that it will not take over Golden Gate Park during the weekend of August 7th-9th this year. It’s sad news for many in the Bay Area community and beyond, but OSL organizers did their very best to lift fans’ spirits by not only releasing the fest’s 2021 dates but also unveiling its lineup.

The 13th installment, in fact, will see Tame Impala, Lizzo and The Strokes each make their OSL headlining debuts with a solid undercard behind them that’s led by Tyler, the Creator, Vampire Weekend, J Balvin, Kehlani, The 1975, ZHU and Young Thug. The undercard might even be better, though (if you can believe that).

Other notable names on next year’s roster include Khruangbin, Beach House, Bonobo, Nelly, Brittany Howard, Burna Boy, Melanie Martinez, Polo & Pan, Big Thief, Troyboi, Angel Olsen, SOFI TUKKER, EARTHGANG, Tones and I, EOB, Sharon Van Etten, Marc Rebillet, A R I Z O N A, JPEGMAFIA, Dr. Dog, Shiba San, Boy Pablo, Rico Nasty and more. Check out the poster above for the rest of the lineup.

UPDATE (Jan. 12th): As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country, The 1975 have made the difficult decision to cancel all of their tour dates scheduled for 2021, including Outside Lands in August. The good news is that they’ll be replaced by RÜFÜS DU SOL, who made their OSL debut in 2016 and have swiftly climbed the festival ranks since issuing 2018’s Solace. “We have fond memories of playing the Panhandle stage at Outside Lands five years ago and we are excited to be back this year,” the Australian alt-dance trio says in a statement.

Outside Lands 2021 might feel like a long way away at this point, but it will be here before you know it so don’t forget to purchase your tickets when they go on sale here this Thursday, June 25th at 10 a.m. PT — Eager Beaver passes that were bought in 2020 will also be honored while those who choose to roll over their admission to the following year by July 24th will also have the opportunity to win exclusive upgrades and other prizes — and make sure to check out our coverage from 2019 here.

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2019

Kali Uchis at Smokin Grooves Fest - Rochelle Shipman


Kali Uchis at Smokin Grooves Fest // Showbams’ Photo of the Year, by Rochelle Shipman

Um, that’s it? Another year in the rear-view mirror? Where the hell did the last 12 months go? Time sure does seem to fly when there’s so much good new music out there to enjoy.

With that said, it’s once again time for us to share our annual “Best of” lists like we have done the past few years (see our 2018 picks here). From new emerging artists to reunion tours to the return of rock ‘n’ roll, this year had a little bit of everything for both the casual and passionate music fan. And even if you didn’t have the time to listen to every album that came out (neither did we), that’s why we’re here: to help point you in the right direction whenever you do finally get the chance to dig in.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2019.

See our favorite performances from 2019 here.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2019:


The Chemical Brothers at Shrine Expo Hall - Josh Herwitt


The Chemical Brothers at Shrine Expo Hall // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. Tool at Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA – October 20th & 21st
Unlike the delay on Tool’s fifth album Fear Inoculum, I thankfully didn’t have to wait 13 years to see my favorite band perform live. It was only a couple of years ago when I caught the boys at The Gorge, earning top honors as my favorite show in 2017, and subsequently a week later at Glen Helen Amphitheater for an all-day affair with Primus, Clutch, Fantômas, Melvins and The Crystal Method. Perhaps my tastes haven’t changed all that much since then, but even in a year that saw me attend half as many concerts as I usually do, Tool are still finding new and innovative ways to enhance their live show. Whether it’s tinkering with their stage production to incorporate a see-through curtain at times or adding surround sound throughout the arena, a Tool performance has evolved into a spiritual, meditative and almost out-of-body experience over the last decade. It’s no wonder why scoring tickets remains a trial of good fortune.

2. The Raconteurs at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – July 27th
3. The Chemical Brothers at Shrine Expo Hall – Los Angeles, CA – May 15th
4. Jim James & The Claypool Lennon Delirium at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – July 3rd
5. FOALS at Shrine Expo Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 24th

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Tool – Fear Inoculum
When a three-time Grammy-winning band takes more than a decade to release its next album, it’s only natural for expectations to go through the roof. And I’ll be the first to admit that there was a small seed of doubt in my mind when it came to just how epic Tool’s latest sonic voyage in the studio could and would be. But upon first listen, any uncertainty I had about the merits of Fear Inoculum was quickly dispelled. The title track lures you in from the onset, building to a higher place as Maynard James Keenan (vocals) and company — Adam Jones (guitar), Justin Chancellor (bass) and Danny Carey (drums, percussion) — take listeners on an 80-minute rite of passage that holds up as some of the quartet’s best material in its entire catalog. I just hope they got at least one more LP in them, even if it takes another 13 years to make.

2. The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger
3. FOALS – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1
4. The Chemical Brothers – No Geography
5. Black Pumas – Black Pumas

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. Tool – “Descending”
If you’re still reading, you’ve probably gotten the hint by now that I’m a big fan of Tool. After all, it only seemed fitting that my top song in 2019 should also come from my No. 1 album of the year by my favorite band over the last two decades. I have seen Tool perform a shortened version of “Descending” several times since 2014, before it ever had an official title, so when Fear Inoculum arrived back in August, there was no track I anticipated hearing more. In fact, at more than 13 minutes long, it’s one that requires your full, undivided attention, which can be a significant amount of time to dedicate in a world of three-minute pop songs and endless distractions now. But for prog-rock enthusiasts like myself who are more than willing to take the ride, “Descending” delivers a total rush of blood to the head that ultimately leads to pure unadulterated euphoria.

2. Bon Iver – “Hey, Ma”
3. Hot Chip – “Hungry Child”
4. FOALS – “On the Luna”
5. Karen O and Danger Mouse – “Turn the Light”


Cate Le Bon - Reward

Kevin Quandt // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. Stereolab at Primavera Sound – Barcelona, Spain – June 1st
Primavera Sound has always had a knack for booking reunions (i.e. Pulp, The Avalanches and Pavement) to its “musical mecca” on the Balearic Sea. 2019’s iteration featured the first proper show in nearly a decade from the anti-capitalist art-pop darlings Stereolab. “Come and Play in the Milky Night” on 1999’s Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night would open the evening to the international consortium of aging music nerds who undoubtedly knew that they were about to be treated to a “best of” set from the English-French outfit. Better yet, their politically themed lyrical content seemed more relevant in 2019 than it was around the time of their creation a quarter-century ago.

2. Mike Dillon’s New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium at The Music Box Village – New Orleans, LA – April 26th
3. BLACK MIDI at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – November 21st
4. Amen Dunes at August Hall – San Francisco, CA – January 10th
5. Ween at Desert Daze – Perris, CA – October 12th

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Cate Le Bon – Reward
What a banner year for the Welsh artist as she created her most highly acclaimed LP to date. Le Bon has truly honed her craft over the last decade as she has collaborated with a laundry list of indie-music royalty before writing the whimsical and austere Reward that employs an array of fresh sounds swirling around her haunting, pixie vocals. 2020 will see Cate jump on tour alongside Kurt Vile in a solo capacity, but we can’t wait to see what she produces next.

2. Wand – Laughing Matter
3. (Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar
4. The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears
5. Omni – Networker

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. FOALS – “Sunday”
As FOALS teeter on the edge of being rock’s next big headliner, the British group semi-quietly unleashed a pair of albums entitled Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 and Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2. While their style continues to hover around math, dance and indie rock, they dig into a deeper realm of sonic atmosphere as frontman Yannis Philippakis questions, even laments, the state of our current times. “Sunday” tends to borrow a tad from the grandiose nature of their fellow Brits in Coldplay before dropping into a four-on-the-floor section that was rather well-received during their March stop at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

2. Crumb – “Ghostride”
3. Vampire Weekend – “Sunflower” feat. Steve Lacy
4. Oh Sees – “Henchlock”
5. Allah-Las – “In the Air”


Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. slowthai at Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA – September 4th
Shortly after releasing his debut album Nothing Great About Britain in May, Tyron Frampton played a few intimate U.S. shows several months later. My guess is that those were probably the last ones he’ll do if the UK rapper out of Northampton continues to rise and deliver, just like he did for much of 2019. Part Johnny Knoxville-type grime smart ass, part brilliant gritty-crust punk, slowthai shook the roof off LA’s Lodge Room, which turned out to be a warm-up show before he returned to play Camp Flog Gnaw in November. Frampton certainly came to please, setting the energy level at 11 and even performing his rowdy hit “Doorman” twice in the set. He could’ve run through it 15 times and the crowd would’ve left just as satisfied.

2. Little Simz at The Echo – Los Angeles, CA – June 13th
3. Taking Back Sunday at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – April 11th
4. Night Moves at The Echo – Los Angeles, CA – September 21st
5. Usher at Smokin Grooves Fest – Long Beach, CA – June 15th

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Little Simz – GREY Area
The production. The flow. The bars. The BALLS. Little Simz absolutely brings it on GREY Area, leaving no space for second-guessing, sexist bullshit or honestly anyone else at all. This latest studio album from the British emcee is all her, and you can feel it with every breath she takes. We should all be so lucky to come into our confidence the way that she did on this record, but most of all, we should just be grateful “Simbi” trusts us to keep her deepest secrets — and that they sound so, so good.

2. slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain
3. Shura – forevher
4. Ari Lennox – Shea Butter Baby
5. White Reaper – You Deserve Love

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. slowthai – “Doorman” (with Mura Masa)
This song technically dropped in 2018, but its spotlight was shone even wider with slowthai releasing his debut LP this year. The Mura Masa-assisted cut pulses with adrenaline, carries the air of a movie soundtrack in only three minutes and has a beat that will take you all the way to the moon and back. In the words of Lizzo, it’s a whole damn meal!

2. Kari Faux – “Latch Key”
3. Billie Eilish – “bury a friend”
4. Little Simz – “Venom”
5. Smino – “Trina”


Tool - Fear Inoculum

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. IDLES – Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – October 10th
After putting out one of my favorite albums from 2018 and missing their show earlier this year, I was thrilled to finally catch IDLES live. To say that these English punk rockers put on a good performance would be a true understatement. They had the energy of an out-of-control freight train but were able to contain it while proving to be an incredibly fun act to see live. Frontman Joe Talbot engaged with the audience in a very authentic way, talking and singing to fans, not just at them. There were crowd-surfing guitarists, mosh pits and sing-a-longs … it was wild.

2. Punk Rock Bowling 2019 – Las Vegas, NV – May 23rd-27th
3. Judas Priest at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – June 24th
4. Van’s Warped Tour 2019 at Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, CA – July 20th-21st
5. ITCHY-O at Cornerstone – Berkeley, CA – November 23rd

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Tool – Fear Inoculum
Well, after all of the waiting and speculation, Tool have done it again, in a really big way. Fear Inoculum is everything that I was hoping it would be, and then some. HUGE-sounding drums, guitars and bass wrap your head in a warm prog blanket while Maynard does what he always has so well. It takes the best parts of their previous albums and combines them to showcase a band that has clearly not missed a step in the 13 years since 10,000 Days.

2. Bad Religion – Age of Unreason
3. Brittany Howard – Jaime
4. Catbite – Catbite
5. Plague Vendor – By Night

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. The Hammerbombs – “I Hate Cars”
The Hammerbombs are an undersung Bay Area pop-punk group that have written some of the catchiest and fun songs I have heard from the East Bay scene in a long time. Their 2019 release Goodbye, Dreamboat made my top 10, and this track is the hands-down standout on an album chock-full of toe-tappers. It’s a heartfelt song written by singer and bassist Jen Louie, who has a knack for crafting some really fantastic tunes. The chorus is saccharine sweet, and you can’t help but sing along.

2. Lizzo – “Juice”
3. Bad Religion – “Do The Paranoid Style”
4. Ceremony – “In The Spirit World Now”
5. Lagwagon – “Surviving California”

Showbams

Outside Lands 2017: Our 10th anniversary awards

Outside Lands 2017Photos by Marc Fong & James Pawlish // Written by Kevin Quandt & Molly Kish //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 11th-13th, 2017 //

Outside Lands celebrated its 10th anniversary this August, and it was a weekend that we can definitively say had its share of ups, downs and unexpected twists. While many found plenty to gripe about, some took away a more positive experience, proving that music festivals and live music events are truly unpredictable even when you have some of the best in business at the helm. That said, the increasingly over-inflated market of music festivals right now can be volatile and may not be a cakewalk for concert promoters as more and more folks are drawn to large-scale events such as Lollapalooza, Coachella and Outside Lands.

Some stated that the 2017 edition of OSL lacked fireworks when the lineup dropped. Others said the lineup catered closer to the 25-35 demographic. There was no lack of opinions with regard to the acts that Another Planet Entertainment and Superfly booked, but it was clear they did have a vision and a bill that stood apart from the pack with a rare group of festival legends in The Who, Gorillaz and Metallica. Below those names led to further intrigue with the return of Queens of the Stone Age, Fleet Foxes and A Tribe Called Quest after a multiyear absence from the live arena.

But many now know that two out of those three sub-headliners were unable to perform for one reason or another, and while these sorts of things are generally out of anyone’s hands, they still take a toll on everyone involved in the days, hours and even minutes leading up to those highly anticipated sets. Alas, when you have such festival production pros who were backed by three insanely spot-on headliners, these bumps in the road can create something different than initially intended, yet equally satisfying.

So, without further ado, here are our awards from the 2017 edition of Outside Lands.


Outside Lands 2017 - Gorillaz


Gorillaz

Best three-time OSL performer: Hamilton Leithauser
One highlight this year was the debut of Hamilton Leithauser’s solo act on the Sutro Stage. Having played the festival in 2008 and 2012 with his primary outfit, The Walkmen, his set marked the rare occasion of an artist performing at Outside Lands for the third time, and while Leithauser did have to battle some minor sound issues, he rallied past them like the consummate professional that he is. Short of “Alexandra”, Leithauser exclusively dug into tracks from his collaborative album with fellow New Yorker Rostam Batmanglij (formerly of Vampire Weekend) by the name of I Had a Dream That You Were Mine. The spirited crooner still remains at the top of his game, and his vocal performance can’t be rivaled by even the best. One can only hope that this will not be Leithauser’s final time onstage at OSL as fans clamor to know what’s next from this crooning, indie god. -KQ

Best cameo’d performance of the weekend: Gorillaz
Easily one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend, Gorillaz’s Humanz tour made its West Coast debut on Day 1 at OSL. After a six-year hiatus, expectations ran extremely high for this headlining performance. On previous tours, the band’s members had played second fiddle to the cartoon projections of their alter egos onstage, but everyone was visible this time around. Several collaborators from Gorillaz’s previous albums, including Kali Uchis, Yukimi Nagano and Del the Funky Homosapien, came out to join them, and the Damon Albarn-led group still pulled some even bigger surprises with cameos appearances from De la Soul and Pusha T. The two-hour set also saw Little Simz deliver a blistering performance of “Garage Palace” as well as a string of radio hits that included “Feel Good Inc.”, Clint Eastwood” and “Demon Daze”. With longtime fans and a new generation of contemporaries on hand, there was something truly special about seeing a packed crowd sing along with some cartoon legends. -MK

Best reason to sit in Golden Gate Park with your friends and listen to music: Real Estate
Real Estate continue to tour off this year’s stellar LP release, In Mind, and they demonstrated their live prowess at OSL with a sphincter-tight set of jangle pop. “Stained Glass” got the show started for the rather sizable crowd, which only grew over their allotted time. The Sutro Stage has become an ideal locale for mellower acts to play for slightly-more-seated audiences, and this set felt more loungey than others even though fan favorites “It’s Real” and “Green Aisles” punctuated a strong, breezy performance from Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker and crew. -KQ

Most in need of performance pointers: KAYTRANADA
KAYTRANADA’s debut LP 99.9% was a highlight from 2016, and the Canadian producer has been continuing his victory lap with banner festival sets all around the world. While there’s no denying the infectious nature of his tracks like “Glowed Up” and “Got It Good” in a large-group setting, we yearn to get a little more out KAYTRA when he’s onstage. To be fair, he has loosened up a little and will toss a quick little dance move or hand gesture, but he still really doesn’t engage his audience much, whether it’s in the intimate confines of Mezzanine or in front of 25,000 strong at Outside Lands’ Twin Peaks Stage. Kay, like many others, was pretty stoked for A Tribe Called Quest to follow, but we all know how that ended. -KQ

Outside Lands 2017 - Cage the Elephant


Cage the Elephant

Next “big” rock headliner (TIE): Cage the Elephant and Royal Blood
While the cancellation of Queens of the Stone Age was a blow a week prior to the event, the replacement that was lined up more than delivered a blistering set of rock ‘n’ roll. Cage the Elephant are now being widely considered festival-headliner material, and frontman Matt Shultz is making a strong claim for that accolade as he continues to elevate his stage act to near-Mick Jagger levels of pomp and energy. “Come a Little Closer” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” received hearty sing-alongs from a decidedly youthful crowd as Cage have become a favorite of Generation Z.

But Cage did have some competition at OSL, and these guys are moving at a helluva pace for the crown. Royal Blood have been one of the hottest rock acts over the past few years. I mean, their first single wasn’t even released four years ago. Royal Blood quickly rose to fame in the UK, then set their sights on Europe and lately have become the new darlings of alt-rock radio here in the U.S. with one of their newest singles, “Lights Out”. The bass-and-drums duo make a serious racket for only two blokes onstage, but they put on a show that rivals any full-band act with four or five members. Similar to Cage, the kiddos were swirling up a decent little pit in front of the stage while Mike Kerr belted out an impressive setlist with minimal effort and contributed to the low end in a serious manner. -KQ

Best use of Thai funk in a group setting: Khruangbin
Sure, many think K-bin (short for “Khruangbin”) have Thai origins with their Thai name (which means “airplane”) and their Thai funk-infused groove rock. But this rising trio that met and formed in Texas have steadily built a following based around an infectious sound that feels home both on the dance floor and at the lounge. Mark Speer on guitar is a phenom to behold; his playing style, coupled with his tone, has a true lyrical quality that’s perfect for the trio, which opted to not have a lead vocalist. It was clear that the band, like many fans in attendance, were bummed about ATCQ’s sudden cancellation, so they decided to bring one of their classics, “Electric Relaxation”, to life as drummer Donald Johnson delivered the chorus. Many chuckled and grooved to the track before the band jumped back into a set that featured “Mr. White” and “The Infamous Bill”. We can only hope a sophomore LP is not too far off. -KQ

Best use of a festival billing for a greater purpose: Solange
After a weekend marred with schedule changes and cancellations, Solange was the festival’s saving grace on Day 3. Despite starting 15-20 minutes late, she descended upon the glowing stage in a choreographed flight pattern, followed by her backing band and team of dancers, and segued directly into a soulful montage of hits from 2016’s A Seat at the Table, extending each breakdown with some interpretive dance routines. An outstanding cover of Thundercat’s “Heartbreaks + Setbacks” was seamlessly woven midway into her set before leading into an all-out dance party with deep cuts from her 2012 LP True. Solange then took a minute to touch upon the events that were happening concurrently in Charlottesville. As the only artist on the OSL bill to do so, she addressed the tragedy and utilized the stage as a final public platform before deleting her Twitter account the next day. The evening ended in dramatic fashion with the power getting shut off and the performance concluding with the crowd singing the lyrics to “Rise” in the dark. -MK

Outside Lands 2017: Top 5 things to see, eat & drink

Outside LandsPhoto by James Pawlish // Written by Kevin Quandt //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 11th-13th, 2017 //

Outside Lands returns this weekend for its 10th anniversary, and to get you ready for three fun-filled days in Golden Gate Park, we’ve outlined our top sets that you won’t want to miss, this year’s biggest scheduling conflicts, some potential guest appearances and the very best beverages to drink.

Also, don’t forget to create your own schedule here, and enter for a chance to GO4FREE to XXYYXX’s show this Saturday, August 12th at a secret location here.


Outside Lands 2017 - A Tribe Called Quest

TOP SETS NOT TO MISS

A Tribe Called Quest: While we see how this may be a controversial choice to top this list with the untimely passing of founding member Phife Dawg, it appears this may be the final time the Bay, or even the U.S., get to see the legendary hip-hop group perform. The group’s FYF Fest and Panorama performances featured multiple references to being the final ATCQ shows in those cities, so all the chatter about how extensive this “farewell tour” will be has reached a fevered pitch. Pro (Q)tip: Wanna hear Tribe’s popular hits? They’ll be featured at the end of their set.

Lorde: Sure, she has found herself toward the top of many festival lineups this year, and for good reason, as Lorde is one of the most popular artists out there right now, and her latest release Melodrama will surely be in top contention for Album of the Year. At only the age of 20, the singer’s recent sophomore success has also translated to the stage in impressive ways and will surely satiate the 18-25 demographic before The Who close out the event on Sunday.

Royal Blood: The unfortunate cancellation of Queens of the Stone Age has put a dampening on fans of all things rock, especially since Saturday was stacked in said department. Though some will be pleased with Cage the Elephant as the replacement, it does leave a glaring gap for many hoping to get another hour-plus of fist-banging rock and f’in roll. So, let’s longingly look to the upstart UK hard-rock duo that continues to make waves across the global festival circuit and delivers some amalgamation of Muse and The Black Keys. Expect to hear a solid smattering of tracks from their most excellent recent release How Did We Get So Dark?

Fleet Foxes: Has it really been six years since Robin Pecknold and band last played the Bay Area? Yup! A lot has changed in those years, but thankfully they are still producing their own unique brand of cool-kid folk and should fit in nicely for their premier performance in Golden Gate Park. We’ll be hearing many tracks for the first time live to go along with a different band lineup onstage. While no one who attends the event ever wishes for Karl the Fog, he could fit semi-decently into this set like during Sigur Rós in 2012.

The Who: The legendary rock bands of our parents’ generation are quickly folding up shop and The Who may be the next to wave a fond farewell. While many attendees have griped in various online forums about this closing headline slot, it seems only fitting considering that Sunday has become the fest’s more legacy-leaning day. Roger Daltery and Pete Townsend are backed by a killer band and have been churning out enigmatic setlists the past few years, so expect to hear all your favorites with a few rare gems.


Outside Lands 2017 - Gorillaz

SCHEDULING CONFLICTS, THOUGHTS & QUERIES

Friday

• Sub-headliner jumble: End of ATCQ vs. Future Islands vs. beginning of Fleet Foxes.

• alt-J vs. Gorillaz: There’s likely a fair amount of fan crossover between these two acts.

• “Bouncin’ for Beignets” moves to Friday afternoon from its previous weekend mid-day slot.

Saturday

• Royal Blood vs S U R V I V E: Seems like an odd conflict, but these artists are playing their first OSL this year and are some of 2017’s most buzzy acts.

• Anyone else notice that two-hour-and-35-minute gap after Kaytranada and Empire of the Sun? We did, too. Our bet is we’ll be getting either an EDM or hip-hop late addition. Does Afrojack fly up from Vegas for the day?

Sunday

• Solange will now be closing the Sutro stage. We surmise her set was on Saturday after Kaytranada before the shift.

• The Heineken Dome has a mystery set scheduled from 5:10-5:40 p.m. that’s billed as a “Pop-Up Guest Performance.” Our bet is DJ Qbert gets this slot as he’ll be onsite for his GastroMagic set earlier in the day.

• This will be the first time Another Planet has put three acts against each other in the form of The Who, Solange and Above & Beyond.


Outside Lands 2017 - Metallica

POTENTIAL GUEST APPEARANCES

• Little Dragon vocalist Yukimi Nagano comes out with Kaytranada to perform “BULLETS”.

• Lady Gaga with Metallica … remember this year’s Grammys?

• Del the Funky Homosapien joining Gorillaz for “Clint Eastwood”. He’ll be at the GastroMagic stage the next day for Kimchi 3030.

• Kali Uchis and Rag’n’Bone Man joining Gorillaz for their Humanz tracks.


Outside Lands 2017 - Cocktail Magic

BEST BEVERAGES TO DRINK

Fort Point Beer Company: Fort Point has been making waves from their Presidio location over the past few years but has recently started to see the brand grow out from the Bay. Their flagships Villager, a West Coast IPA, and KSA, a Kölsch style ale, will surely please the palate whether we get a typical foggy summer day or are blessed with clear skies.

Whitechapel (Cocktail Magic): You like gin? Yeah, us too. Well, all us are in for a treat as SF’s hottest gin bar will be serving up a few of their signature cocktails in the Mclaren Pass section of the fest. While it’s unlikely they’ll schlep over all 400 varieties of gin they offer at their Tenderloin brick-and-mortar, they’ll certainly offer some of the most complex cocktails offered at any major U.S. music festival.

Bushido’s “Way of the Warrior”: OSL wine curator Peter Eastlake knows his stuff, and while winos will find many of their favorites, it’s this sake debut that makes us a little excited. The can graphics feature some rad little samurai fox character while the contents display notes of raspberry and watermelon rind with a spicy finish. I mean, sake in a can? Yeah, I’ll take two … and arigatou.

Outside Lands - 2017 lineup

Outside Lands reveals its 2017 schedule

Outside Lands - 2017 schedule

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 11th-13th, 2017 //

One day after Outside Lands announced some stunning news that Saturday sub-headliner Queens of the Stone Age will not be performing this year “due to injury” (and then quickly replaced them with Cage the Elephant), the three-day festival has unveiled what every live music fan clamors for … set times!

Take a peek at the festival’s 2017 schedule for its 10th anniversary here and start making your plans for which artists you’ll be seeing at Golden Gate Park this August.

Of course, when it comes to scheduling conflicts, this year — just like every year at Outside Lands — isn’t void of them. For starters, festivalgoers on Friday will have to choose between Electric Guest/Tove Lo, Fleet Foxes/Future Islands and Gorillaz/alt-J, and that’s just Day 1.

Meanwhile, Saturday sees Warpaint and The Lemon Twigs pitted up against one another, along with Dawes vs. Thundercat, Royal Blood vs. S U R V I V E, Vance Joy vs. Kaytranada, Cage the Elephant vs. Foxygen, and Metallica vs. Empire of the Sun. Plus, there’s this …

Outside Lands 2017 - Saturday TBD

The question is, who will it be? Our money is on an EDM act (i.e. Afrojack, A-Trak, Tiësto), considering the festival has barely any superstar DJs performing this year besides English progressive-trance trio Above & Beyond, but anything’s still possible with a little less than two weeks to go.

And finally, Sunday offers its own set of difficult choices, with Bleachers and Maggie Rogers scheduled only 20 minutes apart (as well as James Vincent McMorrow and Sofi Tukker) and The Who, Solange and Above & Beyond all performing at the same time as they close down the fest.

But with so many quality options from top to bottom, you really can’t go wrong. So, keep that in mind when you’re stressing over who you should see. Whatever you do though, make sure to pick up a comfortable pair of running shoes before heading to the park and download the mobile app here.

Pumped for Outside Lands? Go back in time and check out our coverage from 2016 here.

Outside Lands - 2017 lineup

Outside Lands reveals 2017 lineup, headlined by Metallica, The Who & Gorillaz

Outside Lands - 2017 lineup

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 11th-13th, 2017 //

Outside Lands is going BIG for its 10th anniversary.

The three-day music festival returns to Golden Gate Park this August with a lineup for the ages, headlined by Metallica, The Who and Gorillaz. All three headliners were mentioned among our OSL predictions this year, with Metallica pretty much becoming a sure bet last week after Ranger Dave’s not-so-subtle tweet.

Natives of the Bay, Metallica have been on the road in support of their 10th LP Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, and their headlining set at Outside Lands will come toward the tail end of their North American tour during a string of West Coast shows. The Who, on the other hand, have only a limited number of 2017 gigs planned right now, culminating with a six-night residency in Las Vegas that concludes on Friday, August 11th. With that said, we know then that Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and company will perform at OSL on Saturday or Sunday, with the latter being all the more likely. The festival, after all, has been known to schedule its “older” headliners for the Sunday night slot a la Lionel Ritchie (2016), Elton John (2015), Tom Petty (2014), Paul McCartney (2013) and Stevie Wonder (2012), and we expect The Who to get the same kind of treatment in 2017.

But for Gorillaz fans in the U.S., Outside Lands could be the one place to see the band perform this summer. The festival is one of two North American dates for the Damon Albarn-led group, which headlines its own Demon Dayz Festival in June before making a stop at Festival d’été de Québec in Quebec City a month later. The same could even be said for sub-headliner Queens of the Stone Age, considering that OSL is their first scheduled North American show this year. The same, however, definitely can’t be said for Lorde, who is making the festival rounds with Coachella, JazzFest, Governor’s Ball, FPSF, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, Rock Werchter, OpenAir St. Gallen, Fuji Rock, Lollapalooza, Osheaga and now OSL all on her current tour schedule.

Other standout acts lined up for OSL this year include A Tribe Called Quest, alt-J, Above & Beyond, Fleet Foxes, Empire of the Sun, The Avett Brothers, Belle and Sebastian, Solange, Future Islands, ScHoolboy Q, Young the Giant, Rebelution, Vance Joy, Tove Lo, Bleachers, Little Dragon, Kaytranada, Action Bronson, Sleigh Bells, Royal Blood, Shovels & Rope, Dr. Octagon, Louis the Child, Thundercat, Dawes, Warpaint, Rag’n’Bone Man, Bomba Estéreo, Temples, Real Estate, RAC, James Vincent McMorrow, K.Flay, MUNA, Hamilton Leithauser, Sofi Tukker, Maggie Rogers, Foxygen, Goldroom, SOHN, Electric Guest, How to Dress Well, Hundred Waters, Noname and many more. Check out the poster above for the rest of this year’s bill.

Boasting six consecutive sellouts to date, Outside Lands is sure to do the same in 2017 and will once again include a full lineup of comedy performances in addition to its famed Beer Lands, Wine Lands and Choco Lands + Cheese Lands. Of course, you’d have a tough time finding much better food and drink at a music festival than what Outside Lands offers.

If you missed out on Eager Beaver tickets last Thursday, you can buy Outside Lands tickets starting this Thursday, April 6th at 10 a.m. It’s worth mentioning, though, that with the new lineup also comes increased ticket prices. Three-day GA passes are up to $375 and three-day VIP passes have climbed to $795. Shuttle passes and parking passes, meanwhile, will be sold for $48 and $255, respectively. And though the festival makes no mention of it yet, single-day tickets are usually sold at a later time.

UPDATE (June 6th): Outside Lands has unveiled its daily lineups for 2017, and not to pat ourselves on the back, but our predictions for which days the festival’s headliners would perform were right on point, with Gorillaz performing Friday, Metallica storming the stage Saturday and The Who closing things down Sunday. Check out the daily schedules below before single-day tickets go on sale this Thursday, June 8th at 10 a.m. PT.

Outside Lands 2017 - daily lineups

UPDATE (July 31st): Outside Lands has announced that Queens of the Stone Age, after all, will not perform this year “due to injury” and have been replaced by Cage the Elephant. No details on the “injury” have been released at this time.

UPDATE (August 1st): The festival has revealed the schedule for its 10th edition. Take a peek here and start mapping out who you’ll be seeing at Golden Gate Park.

Can’t wait for Outside Lands’ 10th edition? Check out our coverage from 2016 here.

Outside Lands 2016 - Beach House

Albums you’ll want to hear in 2017

2017 albumsWritten by Josh Herwitt //

For as bad as 2016 might have been, there’s no question it yielded some excellent albums. So, what’s in store for 2017? It’s still early, but from what we know right now, there’s plenty of new music on the horizon — and a lot of it we can’t wait to get our hands on.

Here are 10 upcoming albums (in chronological order by release date) that you’ll want to hear and could very well end up being on some “Best of 2017” lists in another 12 months.


Bonobo – Migration

Bonobo - Migration

Release date: January 13th
Record label: Ninja Tune

British musician, producer and DJ Simon Green has organically built a loyal following among electronic music fans for almost two decades with a unique sound that combines downtempo electronica with trip-hop and world-music influences. Since 2013’s The North Borders, he has moved to Los Angeles and recorded his sixth LP Migration, which boasts a few notable guest appearances from Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker), Rhye and Hundred Waters.


The Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody

The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody

Release date: January 13th
Record label: Warner Bros.

Wayne Coyne and his psychedelic sidekicks have been busy over the last few years, recording Beatles cover album With a Little Help From My Fwends in 2014 and releasing a collaborative LP with Miley Cyrus the following year. On their 15th studio effort, the difficult-to-pronounce Oczy Mlody that drops on Coyne’s birthday, the Lips return to the days of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and get a little help from their pop-star “fwend” on closing track “We a Famly”.


SOHN – Rennen

SOHN - Rennen

Release date: January 13th
Record label: 4AD

London native Christopher Taylor has been known for working extensively with such artists as BANKS, Lana Del Rey and Rhye, but his transition in becoming a legitimate solo act was cemented with the release of his 2014 debut LP Tremors, which peaked at No. 31 on the UK charts. Now calling LA his home, he has spent the last three years constructing Rennen, his second record as SOHN that’s led by “Signal” and its frighteningly beautiful music video.


The xx – I See You

The xx - I See You

Release date: January 13th
Record label: Young Turks

No impending album in the first quarter of 2017 may have as much hype around it as The xx’s I See You, their long-awaited follow-up to 2012’s Coexist. The build-up to its release in the last few months has seen the London trio perform on SNL, where they showcased lead single “On Hold” and debuted “I Dare You”, and play shows in Eastern Europe to go along with the news of guitarist/vocalist Romy Madley Croft’s recent engagement.


Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound

Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound

Release date: January 27th
Record label: Carpark Records

Lo-fi noise rockers Cloud Nothings have come a long way since Dylan Baldi started recording songs in his parents’ basement. With their last two LPs — 2012’s Attack on Memory and 2014’s Here and Nowhere Else — garnering critical acclaim from the music media, the four-piece will release Life Without Sound, its fifth studio album and first with lead guitarist Chris Brown now officially a member of the band, later this month.


Japandroids – Near to the Wild Heart of Life

Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life

Release date: January 27th
Record label: ANTI-

Known for their DIY approach and high-energy performances, Brian King and David Prowse are back after what some may have considered a brief hiatus since touring in support of their 2012 studio album Celebration Rock. This time, the Canadian garage-punk duo is signed to a new label, with its third LP Near to the Wild Heart of Life set to drop on ANTI- in a couple of weeks before embarking on a 20-date North American tour this winter.


Elbow – Little Fictions

Elbow - Little Fictions

Release date: February 3rd
Record label: Polydor

2017 marks a big year for Elbow. The Mercury Prize winners have been going at it for 20 years, and to celebrate the occasion, frontman Guy Garvey and company are unveiling their seventh studio album Little Fictions, which features collaborations with The Hallé Orchestra and their choir after longtime drummer Richard Jupp announced in 2016 that he was leaving the group to pursue other creative projects, from expanding his drum school to various charity work.


Sampha – Process

Sampha - Process

Release date: February 3rd
Record label: Young Turks

Sampha Sisay, who performs under his mononymous stage name, has built much of his reputation on working with high-profile artists like Drake, Kanye West and Solange. But almost seven years after unveiling his debut EP Sundanza, the South London electronic musician, singer-songwriter and producer is finally dropping his own full-length effort, highlighted by previously released singles “Timmy’s Prayer” and “Blood on Me”.


Ryan Adams – Prisoner

Ryan Adams - Prisoner

Release date: February 17th
Record label: PAX AM/Blue Note

At the age of 42, Ryan Adams is as prolific as any musician out there right now, with Prisoner marking his 16th LP and the follow-up to his Taylor Swift cover album. And while he has been teasing the record for about six months, originally hinting at a possible November release, the alt-country songwriter gets ready for his next chapter, which he says was inspired by 80’s rock giants like Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC despite coping with a very public divorce at the time.


The Shins – Headworms

The Shins - Heartworms

Release date: March 10
Record label: Columbia

By the time The Shins unleash their fifth LP this March, it will be nearly five years between album releases for the Portland-based outfit. Of course, it’s no secret that bandleader James Mercer keeps a tight schedule between The Shins and Broken Bells, but on Heartworms, the Albuquerque native made sure to include “So Now What”, the song he wrote for the “Wish I Was Here” soundtrack that he later said was “one of the best things” he has ever done.


The following artists and bands are expected to release new albums in 2017 but have yet to confirm an official release date and/or an album title:

ANTEMASQUE
Arcade Fire
Broken Social Scene
Bruce Springsteen
Chic
Chromatics
Depeche Mode
Diddy
DJ Premier
Gorillaz
Grizzly Bear
GZA
Haim
Jesu/Sun Kil Moon
John Mayer
Kanye West
The Killers
LCD Soundsystem
Lupe Fiasco
Major Lazer
Mastodon
Modest Mouse
My Morning Jacket
The National
The Offspring
Pond
Ride
Sky Ferreira
Spiritualized
St. Vincent
T.I.
Troye Sivan
Vampire Weekend
Wyclef Jean
Zack de la Rocha


The Independent serves as the perfect setting for Baio’s moody electropop

BaioBy Marc Fong //

Baio //
The Independent – San Francisco
February 3rd, 2016 //

It wasn’t long ago that Baio, the solo project from Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio, came through the Bay Area.

Back in October, Baio made his SF debut, performing on the first day of Treasure Island Music Festival. Undoubtedly, TIMF was a great place for Baio to debut his live show for the Northern California crowd. The crème of the indie/hipster/backpack hip-hop scene, after all, definitely would have remissed not performing at the Bay Area’s premiere indie-pop festival. The oxymoron notwithstanding, TIMF does bring out some amazing acts which aren’t quite “there” in today’s music scene.

Baio happened to be one of those acts. Sure, he’s best known for his contributions with Grammy-winning Vampire Weekend, but the 31-year-old record producer is capable of a lot more. And though the audience may have chanced upon Baio at TIMF the first time, the smarties took note and kept an eye out for his return.

Baio

Unfortunately for Baio, tickets were still on sale the night of his show at The Independent last Wednesday. But, that’s OK. At TIMF, Baio was on point, even if his shining talent seemed to get lost in the glare of the sun and the overwhelming size of even the festival’s second stage.

In a more intimate environment like The Independent however, Baio’s moody electropop fit perfectly. Looking sharp in a white blazer, the Bronxville, N.Y., native opened his set slow and steady. His sound, for one, is a lot more dreamy than Vampire Weekend’s more dance-driven songs. Combine that with his mind-bending visuals onstage, and Baio’s live show the second time around was a slow, chill ride through an electronic soundscape.

Showbams’ top tracks of 2013

Best-tracks-post

Sometimes the more music you listen to, the feeling of missing out on a song or an album can make you feel a little neurotic. You simply can’t give every piece of good music it’s proper due. So when it comes to picking your favorite songs, a safe bet is to pick the songs that not only soundtracked your year but also helped define it.

Showbams presents our Contributor top tracks of 2013. What are your favorite tracks of this dwindling year? Holler with links in the comment section…


James Blake at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19. Photo by Marc Fong.

James Blake at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/20. Photo by Marc Fong.

Mike Frash // Founder, Editor, Columnist // @MikeFrash

01. James Blake – “Retrograde”
“Retrograde” perfectly represents the state of music in 2013, providing an amalgamation of cutting edge electronic, bass & R&B sensibilities. Also, the track is hauntingly memorable — How many contemporaries can use their pitch-shifting croon-hum as a low melodic layer like this? Lyrically, manipulative seduction is the center piece as Blake propositions his subject, asking to “show me where you fit.” Retrograde means ‘moving backwards’, and the theme is splendidly represented in the song’s payoff through elongated synth that modulates enough to sound like slow degradation.


02. Disclosure – “When A Fire Starts To Burn”
The mantra of the year, “When A Fire Starts To Burn” can ignite a party or help work get done faster. Somehow the motivational speech sample never tires, and it’s one of the only samples on Settle, proving the keen production sense Guy and Howard Lawrence have ingrained in them. The simple four on the floor house beat slightly evolves every 16 bars, allowing the sample to dominate throughout. An instant classic, it’s a track that uses long-used underground themes and brings them to the forefront as Disclosure continues to explode with popularity.


03. Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
The penultimate song from Reflektor explicitly stares death in the face and dares you to live. More than any other song on the record, “Afterlife” successfully digs into the idea of what happens when we die in Arcade Fire’s serious, intense style. The song offers multiple rhetorical questions that function as a challenge. Our time is finite, and love should be the focus. “It’s just an afterlife with you…”


04. FOALS – “Milk & Black Spiders”
So much of FOALS’ music is about being on the verge of total loss, although the message is almost always vague. A far cry from yelling at “Cassius” that she’s “second best”, “Milk & Black Spiders” centers on the idea of confidence in finding the right mate and openly admitting it. Found in an album full of potential top tracks, this cut contains the best moment of the album at about 3:30. Is it hyperbole to consider this one of the most euphoric crescendo of all time?


05. my bloody valentine – “in another way”
To be truly understood, my bloody valentine needs to be felt, not only heard. To experience MBV live or in the comfort of your living space like the Maxwell Guy is encouraged (although it may be too late to catch them live). The sound is jarring at first, but upon adapting to the volume level, “in another way” transforms into magnificent hypnotism once the first major chords hit. It’s like a persistent, awesome airplane is taking off in your face, in a very good way…

06. Baths – “No Eyes”
07. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt”
08. Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean – “New Slaves”
09. The National – “I Need My Girl”
10. Rhye – “Open”
11. Volcano Choir – “Byegone”
12. Phosphorescent – “Song For Zula”
13. Run the Jewels – “Job Well Done (feat. Until the Ribbon Breaks)”
14. Mount Kimbie – “Made To Stray”
15. Kurt Vile – “Wakin on a Pretty Day”
16. Darkside – “Paper Trails”
17. Autre Ne Veut – “Play by Play”
18. Jon Hopkins – “Breath This Air”
19. Haim – “Falling”
20. Bill Callahan – “Small Plane”


Vampire Weekend at Fox Theater Oakland 4/17. Photo by Marc Fong.

Vampire Weekend at Fox Theater Oakland 4/17. Photo by Marc Fong.

Molly Kish // Artist Relations Manager, Columnist // @MollyKish

01. Vampire Weekend – “Unbelievers”
Far from the New England prep rock of their previous two albums, the boys of Vampire Weekend explore new territory both in songwriting and soundscape on their 2013 release Modern Vampires of the City. This breakout pop gem explores the frivolity of faith, dissecting spirituality in the context of a contemporary domestic relationship. Paying homage to blissful rockabilly melodies executed by such greats as Buddy Holly and the Crickets and Jerry Lee Lewis, Vampire Weekend put a current spin on an archetypal pop formula, composing easily one of the best tracks of 2013.


02. Big Black Delta – “Side of the Road”
Jonathan Bates, of Mellowdrone fame, delivers one of the catchiest terrestrial dance jams of 2013 with the lead single off of his debut album, Big Black Delta. A solo project, Bates performs the entire song through layers of modified vocals, electronic improvisation and innovatively tracked percussion. He succeeds in developing an addictive one man dance party that’s just as entertaining to see live as it is to listen to on record and calls for near immediate loops of repetitive play.


03. Disclosure -“F For You”
UK sibling duo Disclosure deliver one of the hardest hitting and simplistically rendered club hits of 2013 with “F For You.” Stripping away frivolous electronic production, they find success in a modest deep house composition featuring a pulsating baseline, repetitive chorus and a stylistically pert, finger-snapping beat. The song’s sassy subject matter and infectious groove are bound to get any dance floor moving and set the song apart as a standout hit on the band’s 2013 debut album.


04. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
Departing from their traditionally art punk mold, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s burst back on the scene with the first single off of their fourth studio album, Mosquito. Highlighting rooted soul riffs and Karen O’s bluesy wails, the beat driven arrangement pays homage to the band’s time spent writing and recording in New Orleans. The track in a fiery choral cameo by the Broadway Inspirational Voices Choir and serves as the band’s rousing call to arms for their alternative counterparts. The song exemplifies the band’s successful feat in retaining some of the genres fearlessness and artistic credulity as well as their willingness to step outside of the convoluted mainstream box.


05. Holy Ghost! – “Dumb Disco Ideas”
Often compared to fellow DFA records’ flagship artist LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost! assumed the label’s inherent responsibility of producing the next wave of synth-pop super hits with their 2013 album Dynamics. The most comparable track, coming in the form of this funk laden jam, draws directly from the genre-defining record label’s indisputable formula for discotheque domination. Rhythmically resonating with old and new fans alike, Holy Ghost! seamlessly transitioned into their new reign of the DFA universe with this stand out party anthem that floored live music venues and festival stages, all summer long.

06. Daft Punk – “Get Lucky”
07. Atoms for Peace – “Default”
08. Arcade Fire – “Here Comes the Nighttime”
09. Toro Y Moi – “Say That”
10. Empire of the Sun – “Alive”
11. Cut Copy – “Free Your Mind”
12. STRFKR – “While I’m Alive”
13. Jagwar Ma – “Man I Need”
14. Phoenix – “S.O.S. in Bel Air”
15. Washed Out – “All I Know”
16. Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
17. CSS – “Into the Sun”
18. Devendra Banhart – “You’re Fine Petting Duck”
19. Wild Belle – “Another Girl”
20. The Strokes – “One Way Trigger”


Palma Violets at The Independent 4/23. Photo by James Nagel.

Palma Violets at The Independent 4/23. Photo by James Nagel.

Kevin Quandt // Assistant Editor, Columnist // @KJQuandt

01. Daft Punk – “Get Lucky”
When the ‘Song of the Summer’ (sorry “Blurred Lines”) is as thoroughly enjoyable as this interstellar first single off of RAM, you know you won’t get nearly as tired of it as past summertime jams. “Get Lucky” is still is as fresh as the first time it was debuted on a Saturday night at Coachella, eventually ruling airwaves across multiple genres all over the globe. This track has it all; from a space disco groove that rivals any legendary disco jam to the sultry vocals of the multi-talented Pharrell Williams. Was it the single that most fans were expecting? Probably not, but lends even more to the production and writing talent of these two mysterious French robots that most of us know by the name of Daft Punk. Though we haven’t seen how it’ll shake out on stage, if ever, it is sure to be on repeat for the foreseeable future. 


02. Foxygen – “No Destruction”
What a fun slice of American tinged psych-pop these young San Franciscans delivered this year. Sure this band has had a rough year on the road, but these issues never diminished their stellar sophomore release, spotlighted by this rousing tale of youthful urban life and love. Dylan-esque crooning coupled with phrasing that would make Ray Davies blush lends a nod to some of rocks legends in the form of “No Destruction”. Every listen also shines more light on the storyboard that these lyrics build, adding another key component to Foxygen’s success.  


03. FOALS – “My Number”
I’m not sure exactly when FOALS became masters of catchy song structures, but many are happy to hear this British act upping their game to dazzling new heights. The formula of placing the hook early in the track is part of the key, and this is not to mention the amazing returns to said hook while balancing afro-inspired guitar lines, piercing melodies and unpredictable rhythm shifts. “My Number” signifies the next era for FOALS while displaying they are ready to leave the clubs to larger theaters while bearing the banner of Bono-esque grandeur in the face of a changing landscape in popular rock music. 


04. King Krule – “Baby Blue”
Young Archie Marshall has come along way for a 19 year old Brit with a refreshing spin on bedroom-produced darkwave music. Though in all honesty, King Krule can not be defined as he bends genre lines all over his debut LP, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon. Archie’s unique vocal stylings paint a brilliantly simple portrait of love lost over a stripped down production that is akin to the muted style that launched acts like the XX and Toro Y Moi. The baritone delivery pitches and bends on the singer’s whim over gentle guitar flourishes and minimal beat production equally something fully unique. In an age of EDM maximalism, it’s tracks like this that demonstrate the idea of ‘less is more.’ 


05. London Grammar – “Hey Now”
London Grammar may not be an artist that the majority are familiar with, but a head-turning debut LP released in the fall has garnered this trip-hop trio much deserved attention. Hannah Reid’s vocals soar all over this chilled-out track that slowly builds to a mellow peak that could remind you of early Zero 7 (the Sia years). A feature on Disclosure’s album closer and vocal comparisons to Jessie Ware are promising signs for these up-and-comers that understand restraint can be extremely powerful as demonstrated in this powerful single.  

06. Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
07. Parquet Courts – “Stoned and Starving”
08. Palma Violets – “Best of Friends”
09. Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean – “New Slaves”
10. Jake Bugg – “Lightning Bolt”
11. A$AP Ferg feat. A$AP Rocky – “Shabba”
12. HAIM – “The Wire”
13. Queens of the Stone Age – “My God is the Sun”
14. Vampire Weekend – “Diane Young”
15. The National – “Humiliation”
16. Ducktails – “The Flower Lane”
17. Deerhunter – “Dream Captain”
18. Jon Hopkins – “Open Eye Signal”
19. iceage – “Ecstasy”
20. White Fence – “Pink Gorilla”


Holy Ghost! at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19.

Holy Ghost! at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19.

Pete Mauch // Festival Manager & Columnist // @PeteMauch

01. Daft Punk – “Get Lucky”    
The summer anthem is just too good to be denied the number one spot. With Nile Rodgers laying down the funk chords on guitar and Pharrell Williams’s resurgence back on the scene with smooth croons, it gives the song has some serious lasting power.


02. Kurt Vile – “Wakin On a Pretty Day”
Best morning song ever besides Dylan’s “New Morning”? I absolutely love waking up to this song — it’s bright, catchy guitar licks are matched perfectly with Vile’s earnest lyrics about solitude, yet he’s optimistic about this pretty day. 


03. FOALS – “My Number”  
This song come firing out of the gates with infectious dance grooves that are nearly impossible to not move your feet to. The hypnotizing multi-guitar work is such a great complement to the vocals on this should-be hit single.


04. Jagwar Ma – “Come Save Me”
If the Beach Boys started to make electrified, psychedelic dance songs then I suspect it would sound a lot like this. These Australian rockers put together one hell of a dream-like track this year.


05. Superhuman Happiness – “Sentimental Pieces”
One of the most fun and creative songs I’ve heard in a long while. The way they combine dance grooves, hand claps, piano work, and some serious vocal harmonizing is quite impressive.

06. Holy Ghost! – “Dumb Disco Ideas”
07. Earl Sweatshirt – “Chum”
08. White Denim – “Pretty Green”
09. Sigur Rós – “Isjaki”
10. Phosphorescent – “Song for Zula”
11. Youth Lagoon – “Mute”
12. Savages – “She Will”
13. Anders Osborne – “Peace”
14. Ty Segall – “Sleeper”
15. Atoms for Peace – “Judge, Jury, and Executioner”
16. Jim James – “Know Til Now”
17. Deerhunter – “Back to the Middle”
18. Johnathon Wilson – “Moses Pain”
19. Bonobo –  “Cirrus”
20. Darkside – “Paper Trails”


Washed Out at First City Festival 8/24. Photo by Marc Fong.

Washed Out at First City Festival 8/24. Photo by Marc Fong.

Kevin Raos // Columnist // @Semirec

01. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt”
The best song, on perhaps the best album of the year, “Hannah Hunt” is an instant classic. Modern Vampires of the City is littered with tracks that will be considered amongst Vampire Weekend’s best, and “Hannah Hunt” leads the pack. Despite the lack of “quirkiness” that Vampire Weekend is sometimes known for, the track gently builds the listener up to one of the most jubilant climaxes found on any record this year.


02. Youth Lagoon – “Raspberry Cane”
Another song that builds you up and sweeps you off your feet, “Raspberry Cane” is a bright spot on Wondrous Bughouse, a sophomore effort that fell slightly short of expectations. Hauntingly fascinating and beautifully psychedelic, this song takes the listener on a musical journey.  


03. Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
“Afterlife” is a song that took a few years to see the light of day. When it was released, Win Butler commented on the history of this song, saying it began “with a Haitian percussion loop we recorded way back at the end of the The Suburbs tour and “took a while to get the chorus right.” Enter producer James Murphy and the result is an extremely danceable synth-pop tune that is up there with the year’s pedigree.


04. Rhye – “Open”
Passion oozes from this song. Simple and pure love in it’s most basic form. Lyrics, musicianship and delivery make this track one of the most soothing songs of the year. Turn this on,  embrace those you love, and all will be right in the world if only for a couple minutes.


05. Washed Out – “It All Feels Right”
The title of this song says it best. Washed Out’s sunbathed reverb vibes can instantly transport you to a beach and put a beverage in your hand. Fact. Move aside “Get Lucky”, this was the summer anthem of 2013 on my stereo.

06. Major Lazer – “Get Free”
07. Wild Belle – “Keep You”
08. Holy Ghost! – “Dumb Disco Ideas”
09. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
10. James Blake – “Retrograde”
11. Phosphorescent – “The Quotidian Beasts”
12. Daft Punk – “Instant Crush”
13. Boards of Canada – “Nothing is Real”
14. Mikal Cronin – “Weight”
15. Sigur Rós – “Brennisteinn”
16. Kurt Vile – “Wakin on a Pretty Day”
17. Phoenix – “Trying to Be Cool”
18. Foxygen – “San Francisco”
19. Junip – “Line of Fire”
20. Disclosure – “White Noise (feat. AlunaGeorge)”


Cut Copy at Fox Theater Oakland 11/02. Photo by James Nagel.

Cut Copy at Fox Theater Oakland 11/02. Photo by James Nagel.

Brooks Rocco // Columnist // @brooksrocco

01. Jagwar Ma – “Uncertainty”
In the wholly subjective exercise of selecting a favorite song of a year, one must consider one’s most notable experiences, focusing upon those driven by the most notable soundtracks. 2013’s best dance party, in my little sphere of dominion, was Jagwar Ma’s headlining set at Rickshaw Stop, and it was the song ‘Uncertainty’ that made me most notably lose control of my senses. Even upon sober reflection, the song (defining the tone of the album it appears on) is a sledgehammer of a good time, a song that revels in the Clichés that in an earlier year would have manifested in sardonic irony. It’s finally time to embrace what works, and in doing so, create the future that pushes towards the goal: a musical tribute to our ecstatic humanity, as we remain fueled by uncertainties.


02. Deafheaven – “Dream House”
In some ways, “Dream House” is the end of black metal. It’s been a long time coming though, with American kids raised on the stuff tilting their combo amps backward, screaming their fresh-faced idolatry for the legends that dared to not give a fuck. With the pink Pitchfork kiss of approval, black metal has become another texture in the tech-savvy hipster’s chest, to be yanked out when the time is appropriate (then and only then!). ‘Dream House’ is the black metal song that everyone can agree on. Euronymous is Dead. Long live Black Metal.


03. Cave – “Arrow’s Myth”
Shifting space, coagulating color, sound, motion; breaking barriers, and driving the motorized swirl ever farther, Cave returned in 2013 with some of their most funky and delicately harmonious hues yet. Once again they delivered just the right the stuff we all need—imbalance your chemicals (whatever that means to you), throw on “Arrow’s Myth”, and wrap your head around whatever comes natural. If it feels good, right?


04. Carcass – “A Congealed Clot of Blood”
I got a little worried when I found out Andy Sneap was producing the followup to Carcass’ swan song, Surgical Steel, as said producer is the type of surgeon to sterilize all his instruments thoroughly before performing his delicate incisions. Fortunately, this sublime return to force by the UK legends is necrotising death metal masterpiece; ‘A Congealed Clot of Blood’ worthy amongst their greatest.


05. my bloody valentine – “in another way”
I wasn’t listening to Loveless in the 90’s like it was my religion. In my erumpent musical debut, I was blasting stuff like Emperor, Dissection, Meshuggah; bands louder, noisier, and far, far more unsettling than My Bloody Valentine. But for a lot of people, MBV were the anti-music of their spheres. That said, the night m b v dropped, I got sucked into the tornado along with everyone else.  A cursory pirated listen and I was in. ‘in another way’ was the tune that made me whip out the plastic capital and order the wax. Full disclosure for Mr. Shields: it was that guitar.  How did you…

06. RP Boo – “Invisibu Boogie!”

07. Dispirit – “All Paths End The Same”

08. David Bowie – “Where Are We Now?”

09. Föllakzoid – “9”

10. FOALS – “Late Night”

11. Thee Oh Sees – “No Spell”

12. Mikal Cronin – “Shout It Out”

13. The Five Eyes – “HEY HEY NSA (Tinfoil in Every Hat)”

14. The Knife – “Old Dreams Waiting to be Realized”

15. Kanye West – “On Sight”

16. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – “Desert Ceremony”

17. Parquet Courts – “Master of My Craft”

18. Cut Copy – “Free Your Mind”

19. Anthroprophh – “Hermit”

20. Telekinesis – “Power Lines”


MS MR at The Independent 6/16. Photo by James Nagel.

MS MR at The Independent 6/16. Photo by James Nagel.

Nikki De Martini // Columnist & Photographer // @SweetSoundBites

01. M.I.A. –  “Y.A.L.A.”
Seducingly rhythmic percussion loops, heavy dropping bass lines and a shining bratty-tude mock US society fads on this effortless dance track from my favorite Sri Lankan West-Londoner. M.I.A.’s signature ballsy Bollywood flavor minus the familiarity of foghorns will make you want to get up and dance before realizing what she’s singing about sets in and when it does, this track gets even better. “Y.A.L.A.” makes me wonder why Interscope Records repeatedly shelved her 4th album for not being “dark” or “controversial” enough.


 
02. RAC Featuring Kelle Okereke and MNDR – “Let Go”
As a fan of MNDR for years and a Bloc Party fan for even longer, this collaborative RAC track won me over since the very first time hearing it — the emotionally charged lyrics paired with it’s uplifting melody just melt into one so well.


 
03. MS MR – “Hurricane”
Easily one of my favorite tracks off of their breakthrough debut album, the first single “Hurricane” showcases the multitude of MS MR’s talents to a tee with rich, relatable lyrics and an underlying electro-pop essence wrapped up and delivered in a neat indie rock fashion.


 
04. Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know?”
It’s heavy drums, low bass chords and dirty guitar licks reminiscent of The Black Keys are that draw me to this song. Then the lyrics hit and that was it. Every time I hear this song I turn it up and sing along.


 
05. Schoolboy Q Featuring Kendrick Lamar – “Collard Greens”
The catchy hooks and layered verses are a throw back to old school “dirty” rap yet remain fresh, leaving me hungry for more Kendrick Lamar!  


 
06. Lana Del Rey – “Summertime Sadness” (Cedric Gervais remix)
07. LORDE – “Team”
08. Cage the Elephant – “It’s Just Forever (featuring Alison Mosshart)”
09. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Wedding Song”
10. Queens of the Stone Age – “Sat by the Ocean”
11. Jay Z – “Tom Ford”
12. Little Boots – “Strangers”
13. Portugal the Man – “Purple Yellow Red and Blue”
14. VV Brown – “Apple”
15. Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”
16. Broken Bells – “Holding on for Life”
17. NONONO – “Pumping Blood”
18. CSS – “Hangover”
19. Atlas Genius – “Electric”
20. Smallpools – “Dreaming”


Atoms For Peace at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19. Photo by Marc Fong.

Atoms For Peace at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19. Photo by Marc Fong.

Pedro Paredes // Photographer // @pedropar

01. Atoms for Peace – “Before Your Very Eyes”
Every great album needs an opening song worthy of it, and “Before Your Very Eyes” gives just that to the supergroup formed by members of Radiohead (Thom Yorke, Nigel Godrich), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Flea), Beck (Joey Waronker) and Forro in The Dark (Mauro Refosco). With dense, steady percussions, electronic arrangements, a simple guitar section, and the soft sound of Thom Yorke’s voice, this song walks to the beat of life and death, joy and sorrow, and begins the path for one of the best albums of 2013.


02. Vampire Weekend – “Obvious Bicycle”
Vampire Weekend’s first song of their amazing Modern Vampires of the City sets the mood for an album that takes a different route from their previous work, with a warmer, more mature sound. A beautiful song for a beautiful album.   


03. James Blake – “Retrograde”
Melodic Bass Music are the words James Blake chose to describe his work, and “Retrograde” seems to fit that description quite well. It’s a love song for the future, coming from the darkness of the dawn.


03. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “Jubilee Street”
Nick Cave is a natural storyteller that makes use of his musical talent to make any story come alive (his music scores for films like ‘The Assassination of Jesse James’ or ‘The Proposition’ are enough to prove my point)  Jubilee Street starts simple, growing in complexity in the subtlest of ways, beautifully contained under the spell of Nick Cave’s voice.


05. Blood Orange – “It is What it Is”
“It is What it Is” is exactly what it should be — Deliciously elegant, precise, presenting a new version of 80’s pop-reset. This song is the cherry on top of one of the best albums of 2013.

06. Mutual Benefit – “Golden Wake”
07. Arcade Fire – “Here Comes the Night Time”
08. Daft Punk – “Instant Crush”
09. Lorde – “Royals”
10. William Tyler – “Cadillac Dessert”
11. Kurt Vile – “Wakin on a Pretty Day”
12. Phosphorescent – “Ride On/Right On”
13. Deerhunter – “Back to the Middle”
14. Darkside – “Paper Trails”
15. Nine Inch Nails – “Copy of A”
16. Parquet Courts – “Stoned and Starving”
17. Low – “Plastic Cup”
18. Blue Hawaii – “Try To Be”
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Despair”
20. Foxygen – “No Destruction”

Showbams’ 40 best albums of 2013

Best-Albums-of-2013

“Best of” lists are always subjective, and this one is no anomaly. When it comes to the best albums of any given year, we can most likely agree that the best records are excellent from beginning to end — no “skip ahead” songs — and that groundbreaking new music can emerge from any genre.

At the same time, we imprint music on moments in our lives, and this will always influence personal taste. Combine these past influences with modern streaming capabilities in 2013, where new records are now accessible before an album release date, and our collective creation and criticism of music begins to transform, adapt and influence more rapidly.

Here are our most addictive albums of 2013, the records we couldn’t stop spinning.

01. Arcade FireReflektor
02. DisclosureSettle
03. Atoms For PeaceAmok
04. FOALSHoly Fire
05. Vampire WeekendModern Vampires of the City
06. Daft PunkRandom Access Memories
07. Kurt VileWakin On a Pretty Daze
08. James BlakeOvergrown
09. White DenimCorsicana Lemonade
10. Toro Y MoiAnything In Return

11. RhyeWoman
12. DarksidePsychic
13. Boards of CanadaTomorrow’s Harvest
14. The NationalTrouble Will Find Me
15. My Bloody Valentinem b v
16. Sigur RósKveikur
17. Parquet CourtsLight Up Gold
18. Danny BrownOld
19. Holy Ghost!Dynamics
20. Jagwar MaHowlin

21. Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike) – Run the Jewels
22. Washed OutParacosm
23. ClassixxHanging Gardens
24. Hanni El KhatibHead In The Dirt
25. Queens of the Stone Age…Like Clockwork
26. The StrokesComedown Machine
27. Thee Oh SeesFloating Coffin
28. Volcano ChoirRepave
29. A$AP RockyLONG.LIVE.A$AP
30. Anders OsbornePeace

31. Jon HopkinsImmunity
32. Yeah Yeah YeahsMosquito
33. King Krule6 Feet Beneath The Moon
34. Kanye WestYeezus
35. Mount KimbieCold Spring Fault Less Youth
36. Superhuman Happiness – Hands
37. BonoboThe North Borders
38. Tyler, the CreatorWolf
39. PhoenixBankrupt!
40. PhosphorescentMuchacho


Vampire Weekend at Fox Theater Oakland 4/17. Photo by Marc Fong.


Vampire Weekend at Fox Theater Oakland 4/17. Photo by Marc Fong.

Mike Frash // Founder, Editor, Columnist // @MikeFrash

Vampire WeekendModern Vampires of the City
1The focus on larger themes of mortality and spirituality in Modern Vampires of the City have catapulted this indie group from angst-ridden collegians to mainstream players — and in the process Ezra Koenig and company crafted an American classic. Compulsively listenable, this record matured with age in 2013, just like the artistic path Vampire Weekend seem to be on. The album continuously waxes poetically about death and higher powers, and “Unbelievers” sums it up best: “Girl you and I will die unbelievers, bound to the tracks of the train.” The ambiguousness is biting, as it is tough to tell if the statement is earnest atheism or harsh criticism of Godless existence. In “Step”, we’re told, “Wisdom’s a gift but you’ll trade it for youth, age is an honor it’s still not the truth…we know the true death, the true way of all flesh. Everyone’s dying, but girl – you’re not old yet.” Even “Dianne Young” is a double entendre for ‘dying young’. Every track is filled with high-level substance lyrically, but sonically it’s multi-faceted as well, melding baroque sensibilities and African grooves at a wonderfully variant pace throughout. Ultimately, it’s a supremely empowering coming of age album from Vampire Weekend, one that stares mortality in the face while celebrating time’s finite quality.

Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike)Run the Jewels
2Early in Run The Jewels, Killer Mike announces, “Producer gave me a beat, said it’s the ‘beat of the year’, I said ‘El-P didn’t do it, so get the fuck outa here.’ El-P, the sole producer of rap music’s most dynamic duo, bases his production in captivating weirdness, micro-sampling everything from classic organ to nintendo glitch sounds to electric guitar, building epic beats for Killer Mike & El-P to deliver clever rhymes, based both in reality and playful hyperbole. One of Run The Jewels’ greatest successes is that it can be both funny and deadly serious within the same song, and often within in the same flow or line at times. So motherfuckin’ grimy, “Job Well Done” highlights how successfully dolphin sounds can contrast with aggressive lyricism, for example. Killer Mike broaches serious topics, bringing up the “elephant in the room” whenever possible, and EL-P is hyperactive and light-hearted as he spits his ‘future shit’. Put these two together and you have the best hip hop album in years.

FOALSHoly Fire
3The beauty is in the build with FOALS, and that is the case with Holy Fire more than prior album as the UK-based festival-headliners-in-the-making have largely abandoned their post-dance punk sound aesthetic for a more ballad-based approach. Sure, “My Number” and “Providence” continue the upbeat, math rock-dance-freak-outs, but overall FOALS have centered their 2013 record around patient song development in order to establish more memorable, ecstatic moments. “Milk & Black Spiders” does just that, taking a full three minutes and forty five seconds to reach it’s blissful summit. “Late Night” is a harrowing slow burner, repeating the line, “Calling out your name,” asking for the subject of the song to “Stay with me.” Lead singer Yannis Philippakis’ impassioned vocals, paired with the band’s guitar interplay and non-standard rhythms make FOALS a unique force in the world of modern rock.

The NationalTrouble Will Find Me
4Matt Berninger has a way with words — who else could make the phrase “full of punks and cannonballers” sound eloquent and measured in the track “I Need My Girl”? The National thrives on non-literal lyricism, but the instrumental elements from The National in Trouble Will Find Me prop the singing up on a pedestal better than prior records. Void of any filler, this contemplative record easily allows the listener to take their own meaning from any given track, applying it internally. The first half impresses quickly with “I Should Live In Salt” through “Sea Of Love”, but it is the second half that solidifies the effort as The National’s best work to date. An album that also gets more addictive with subsequent listens, Trouble Will Find Me works well as both a “pick me up” record and one to embrace life’s good times, an odd duality indeed.

Volcano ChoirRepave
5Who needs Bon Iver when Justin Vernon is making music like he has with The Shouting Matches and Volcano Choir in 2013? Vernon, the creative centerpiece behind Bon Iver, announced while promoting Repave that Volcano Choir is his new band. Arguably, this is a genius move, as Vernon is exhibiting a higher level of confidence and innovation with this possibly permanent collaboration with members of Collections of Colonies of Bees. Repave traverses a path that balances grandiose and minimalism, choosing off-beat, unexpectedly contrasting moments to ‘drop the sound hammer’ in both “Comrade” and “Byegone”. “Drop the sound hammer” refers to the mesmerizing technique Volcano choir uses to quickly transition from falsetto-based minimalist intros into hard-hitting Philip Glass-like synth blasts and authoritative drums. I’m fine with Vernon considering himself a legend, as long as he continues creating music with cryptic, poetic lyrics and the progressive intermingling of intense and soothing sounds.

06. Darkside – Psychic
07. James Blake – Overgrown
08. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
09. Rhye – Woman
10. Disclosure – Settle
11. Kurt Vile – Wakin On a Pretty Daze
12. My Bloody Valentine – m b v
13. Atoms for Peace – Amok
14. Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
15. Washed Out – Paracosm
16. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
17. Bonobo – The North Borders
18. Phosphorescent – Muchacho
19. Jagwar Ma – Howlin
20. John Vanderslice – Dagger Beach


Atoms For Peace at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19. Photo by Marc Fong.


Atoms for Peace at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/19. Photo by Marc Fong.

Molly Kish // Artist Relations Manager, Columnist // @MollyKish

Atoms For PeaceAmok
1Alternative Rock super group Atoms for Peace delivered one of the most evocative, skillfully executed and notable debuts of 2013, completely as expected. Bringing together some of the most innovative, iconic and artistically defining tastemakers of the past two decades (most notably Thom Yorke & Flea), Atoms for Peace composed a near-perfect representation of contemporary sound evolution. Touring this past year promoting Amok through intermittent concert dates and festival-headlining performances, Atoms for Peace captivated live audiences on a global scale while generating critical acclaim, and for good reason.

Toro Y MoiAnything in Return
2Drawing artistic influence from elements of 90s dance music while paying homage to the iconic hip hop sounds of the era, Chaz Bundick departed from his signature “chillwave” style to compose his third studio album, Anything in Return. Revisiting harder house elements from his 2010 debut Causers of This, Bundick taps into a funky soundscape filled with intensified vocals and hard hitting jam-based percussion. Paying homage to legendary producer J Dilla, Anything in Return touches upon intimate subject matter while remaining accessibly pop-driven, delivering Bundick’s “biggest sounding” album to date.

DisclosureSettle
3UK sibling duo Disclosure was one of the most successful breakout acts of the past year, largely in part to the global commercial appeal of their debut album, Settle. Mixing the perfect blend of R&B vocals, UK garage, two step and deep house cuts, Settle is a seamless composition of dance floor ready hits. Disclosure’s first full length succeeded in curating a sound both primed for the band’s spellbinding live improvisation and the album’s inevitable mainstream sampling and remixes.

Daft PunkRandom Access Memories
4Preceding its April release date with a show-stopping album trailer debut at Coachella (and nationally syndicated on Saturday Night Live) and a video website series presented by The Creators Project, Daft Punk set the bar early this year for the future of mainstream album promotional campaigns. Defying the expectations of their devoted fan base along with the speculatory opinions of many EDM counterparts, Random Access Memories marks the band’s groundbreaking introduction of live musicians into their otherwise strictly electronic body of work. Their most successful album to date, Random Access Memories is a definitive album that highlights the robots’ personal influence, and the effect is a lasting impact on popular music.

Arcade FireReflektor
5Arcade Fire’s Reflektor serves as a testament to their creative ingenuity as a modern art rock group. Its evolutionary sound was produced by nu-disco vanguard James Murphy and features collaborations with David Bowie, Kid Koala and an armada of additional percussionists and recording personnel. Promoted and released through an ingenious guerrilla marketing campaign, intriguing the attention of a frothing worldwide audience.

06. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
07. Kanye West – Yeezus
08. Washed Out – Paracosm
09. Holy Ghost – Dynamics
10. Phoenix – Bankrupt!
11. Devendra Banhart – Mala
12. Major Lazer – Free The Universe
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito
14. Starfucker – Miracle Mile
15. Cut Copy – Free Your Mind
16. Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
17. Classixx – Hanging Gardens
18. The Strokes – Comedown Machine
19. St. Lucia – When The Night
20. Jay Z – Magna Carta


Thee Oh Sees at Phono Del Sol 7/13. Photo by Mike Frash.


Thee Oh Sees at Phono Del Sol 7/13. Photo by Mike Frash.

Kevin Quandt // Assistant Editor, Columnist // @KJQuandt

Parquet CourtsLight Up Gold
1In a year with many strong rookie efforts (Haim, Disclosure, Lorde, etc.), it was this Brooklyn quartet that rejuvenated garage-tinged, punk rock with a blisteringly fierce debut LP, Light Up Gold. Opening track “Master of My Craft” lets us know we are in for one helluva a ride and it doesn’t let up in the least as Andrew Savage belts out anthems full of modern tales of urban decay and the slacker lifestyle. This we do-whatever-the-fuck-we-want mentality was also clearly present on a recently released EP entitled Tally All the Things That You Broke, which was equally as impressive as the full length. Alas, all is not lost when it comes to irreverent rock music in a sea of shiny synths and EDM takeovers. 

My Bloody Valentinem b v
2If this album was a person, it could legally drink in this country. Now, after that fact settles in, we can concentrate on how impressive m b v actually is. Kevin Shields and cohorts took 22 years to deliver this baby and it is chock-full of all the aural beauty that made these shoegaze legends modern rock royalty a couple of decades ago. Standout final track “wonder 2” is a whirling dervish of otherworldly drums, guitars and distorted vocals, slowly building into one serious rapture. Attention to detail is not lost on this album as meticulous craftsmanship is ever-present, especially when listened to fully, or in the distinct ‘3 EP’ structure that m b v is recorded in. All I ask Kevin Shields is that I don’t have to wait till I’m almost 50 years old to hear another new release from My Bloody Valentine.

Arcade FireReflektor
3There’s little surprise that this ‘double’ release ended in my, and many others, top albums list. Why? Because Arcade Fire make great albums, and I enjoy great albums. The grab bag of influences on this album is truly startling and lends much to it’s overall success whether it be deep Haitian rhythms or the the electro-dance production of James Murphy. With so many standout tracks, it really makes you wonder what they are putting in the water up in Canada. “Joan of Arc”, “Normal Person”, “Afterlife” and so many others create something fully unique and fully Arcade Fire. 

Boards of CanadaTomorrow’s Harvest
4It was a bit of a long wait for fans of BoC, but well worth the interesting journey that was to become Tomorrow’s Harvest and it’s unique marketing campaign which precluded the June release. Not much has changed from the ambient electronic soundscapes that put these Scots on the map nearly two decades ago. What makes Boards so significant is their knowledge of analogue gear they use to transform sound into warm ambience that is loaded with emotion, complexity and cinematic themes. Songs like “Nothing Is Real” fully demonstrate their textbook mix of instrumentation and warm, vintage synths which gracefully paint a picture of the natural world which we live in. It’s albums like this which should make every listener wanna go out and spend four figures on some serious headphones, and Boards of Canada wouldn’t object.

Thee Oh SeesFloating Coffin
5It’s been a long time coming for the San Francisco garage titans that, most popularly, go by Thee Oh Sees. John Dwyer once used this moniker as his solo effort, but eventually became his primary effort, eventually growing from one man to a full blown band. Floating Coffin shows a shifting of the tide as the once tin-can recording sound has matured to a sonic boom of heavy guitar, driving rhythm and quintessential weirdo vocal. All these elements, and many more, equated to the most comprehensive sounding release in their extensive discography. “Come From the Mountain” opens this album with atomic bomb-shredding guitar and doesn’t really relent from this style till the soothing album closer, “Minotaur”. What’s most profound about Floating Coffin is that they have arrived with a permanent lineup, a better produced sound and a band mentality that creates a more unified front as opposed to it being solely Dwyer’s project. Oh yeah, they are also straight bananas on stage.

06. Disclosure – Settle
07. King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
08. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
09. Atoms for Peace – Amok
10. Tyler, the Creator – Wolf
11. Jon Hopkins – Immunity
12. Kurt Vile – Wakin On a Pretty Daze
13. Rhye – Woman
14. Danny Brown – Old 
15. David Bowie – The Next Day
16. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires in the City
17. White Denim – Corsica Lemonade
18. Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork
19. Pickwick – Can’t Talk Medicine
20. Mount Kimbie – Cold Spring Fault Less Youth


White Denim at Bill Graham Civic Center 10/31. Photo by James Nagel.


White Denim at Bill Graham Civic Center 10/31. Photo by James Nagel.

Pete Mauch // Festival Manager & Columnist // @PeteMauch

Arcade FireReflektor
1All-star collaboration of these Canadian rockers and producer James Murphy proved a success with their fourth release. The album, filled with instant hits like “Reflektor” and “Here Comes the Night Time”, is heavily influenced by traditional Haitian music that adds a deep rhythm to the elongated grooves, but the real treat is how its all tied together. Arcade Fire let loose on Reflektor, finding comfort in initiating a party atmosphere while staying confident with a dash of weirdness.

Jagwar MaHowlin
2There seems to be a psychedelic air blowing in Australia these days, and Jagwar Ma’s debut album is filled with trippy yet danceable songs like the opening pair “What Love” and “Uncertainty”. “Come Save Me” evokes a dream land where the Beach Boys created acid-dance music. This album is gonna get a lot of play on Friday nights for many years to come.

White DenimCorsicana Lemonade
3These Texas rockers put out an intense album in 2013 filled with screaming guitar solos layered over intense time signatures and wailing vocals, but White Denim makes it all sound so simple. Songs like “Pretty Green” and “Cheer Up/Blues Ending” are straight up rocking songs, rooted in the genre’s past while offering a progressive take at where rock is heading. It never hurts to have Jeff Tweedy producing as well.

Daft PunkRandom Access Memories
4The instantly classic single “Get Lucky”, the summer anthem of 2013, is still hyper-catchy, but “Instant Crush”, “Lose Yourself to Dance” & “Doin’ It Right” succeed as pleasantly repetitious tunes that represent a variety of decades. What makes Random Access Memories work completely is all the mellow cuts, perfect for bedtime or a drive down the coast. The music lesson that is “Giorgio by Moroder” just takes off after the ballsy call to include an interview with Giorgio Morodor before launching into an exploratory space jam. 

Anders OsbornePeace 
5Underground New Orleans guitar slayer Anders Osborne released a very impressive long player, filled with deep personal songs that are truly outstanding. Title track “Sentimental Times” showcases Osbornes’ brilliant songwriting, and his guitar work is simply phenomenal and engrossing. Personal favorite “Sara Anne” begins with a reggae feel that builds into a great bouncy song that has me repeating it often.

06. Kurt Vile – Wakin On a Pretty Daze
07. Atoms For Peace – Amok
08. Sigur Rós – Kveikur
09. Superhuman Happiness – Hands
10. FOALS – Holy Fire
11. Holy Ghost! – Dynamics
12. Jonathan Wilson – Fanfare
13. Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse
14. Darkside – Psychic
15. Bonobo – The North Borders
16. Phosphorescent – Muchacho
17. Savages – Silence Yourself
18. Deerhunter – Monomania
19. Ty Segall – Sleeper
20. Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound of God


Toro Y Moi at Fox Theater Oakland 11/15.


Toro Y Moi at Fox Theater Oakland 11/15. Photo by James Nagel.

Kevin Raos // Columnist // @Semirec

Toro Y MoiAnything in Return
1Toro Y Moi just keeps getting better and better with subsequent listens. Part dance, part melancholy electro, Anything in Return strikes many different chords. From feelings of longing and romance, to coming to terms with growing up, Anything in Return ranges the emotionally gamut. This album stood the test of time in 2013, being one the first albums of 2013 to make a dramatic impact, then remaining front of mind come Christmas time.

RhyeWoman
2Woman is the mellow album of the year — If you need to relax, fall asleep, or just chill out, this is the album for you. A go-to in the bedroom, Rhye’s Woman also has the uncanny ability to cradle and comfort you from start to finish. Equally as good in a live setting, Woman proves excellent musicianship can flourish in downtempo form. The record’s male vocalist, Milosh, also released an excellent solo record titled “Jetlag” in late 2013 that clicks at a slightly faster tempo.

White DenimCorsicana Lemonade
3Funky, fresh and just downright dirty, the guys from Austin can bring the heat. Corsicana Lemonade is an album that might not make many end of the year album lists, but it should not be overlooked. Cool and collected while still being rhythmically aggressive, Corsicana Lemonade pushes forward an innovative rock sound that should make The Black Keys nervous their throne is currently up for grabs.

Danny BrownOld
4Danny Brown’s Old creates a new genre of hip hop, one with an electronic psyche. Old may offend some and be lost on others, but Brown’s distinctive voice and tongue-flaunting rhymes constitute a “grower”. Here we have a rapper who isn’t afraid to talk about more than banging it out in the streets, and all together Brown breathes more fresh air into a hip hop landscape that has been seeing a resurgence the past few years.

Vampire WeekendModern Vampires of the City
5It’s tough to deny that indie kings Vampire Weekend are on top of their game right now. If you haven’t heard of these A-Punks that escaped from Cape Cod, you surely have been living under a rock. With Modern Vampires of the City, an already huge band has gotten huger, blasting off into new territory more than in previous efforts. Did I mention they shout out Oakland and Alameda, too?

06. FOALS – Holy Fire
07. Sigur Rós – Kveikur
08. Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
09. Atoms For Peace – Amok
10. Disclosure – Settle
11. James Blake – Overgrown
12. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
13. Darkside – Psychic
14. Kurt Vile – Wakin On a Pretty Daze
15. Jon Hopkins – Immunity
16. Camera Obscura – Desire Lines
17. Wild Belle – Idles
18. Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
19. Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe
20. Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle


Classixx at Fox Theater Oakland 11/15. Photo by James Nagel.


Classixx at Fox Theater Oakland 11/15. Photo by James Nagel.

Sean Little // Columnist // @Splittle

FOALSHoly Fire
1FOALS have made their best album to date with Holy Fire. It’s a wall of sonic noise mixed with strong doses of angst that starts with “Prelude” and continues to pin listeners to their seats until the last track. The British quintet have produced my number one record of the year, and their live performance is one to see if you haven’t.

ClassixxHanging Gardens
2Classixx made a superb album here. Being a primarily electronic poduction group, their skills show something much deeper and diverse as they move from bouncey disco tracks to deeper, more evocative tracks like “Borderline” where they showcase their ability to craft a tune that hits heart strings and nods heads. Classixx are vastly underrated and should be given a serious listen, even by non-electronic fans.

DisclosureSettle
3What can be said that hasn’t already about this brotherly duo? They hit the scene hard and made a lot of people snap their heads in their direction. Their production quality and use of instruments in their sets has turned many notions of a “DJ” set on its head and opened the doors for a whole new type of set that calls to the crowd more. This album is full of gems that will surely go down in dance history as classics.

Hanni El KhatibHead In The Dirt
4Hanni grew up immensely since his last album and really fine-tuned his sound. This is a pure rock album with no pretense. If you arere tired of pop rock bands trying to make the next iPod commercial-worthy track and long for a record that slaps you in the face to wake you up while still being a tad gentle about it, this is the one for you.

A$AP RockyLONG.LIVE.A$AP
5Hip Hop has fallen to the wayside in years past as electronic has made its resurgence. Fans have grown weary of the over-produced, same old lyric songs that most artists offer. A$AP though brings in, what I consider to be the finest hip hop album of the year. Production by Skrillex, and cameos by Florence Welch, Drake, and Birdyman attest to his range not just as a rapper but as a producer and curator as well.

06. James Blake – Overgrown
07. Queens of the Stoneage – …Like Clockwork
08. The Strokes – Comedown Machine
09. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
10. DJ Koze – Amygdala
11. Atlas Genius – When It Was Now
12. Portugal. The Man – Evil Friends
13. Bass Drum of Death – S/T
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito
15. MS MR – Second Hand Rapture
16. Tesla Boy – The Universe Made of Darkness
17. Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
18. Cut Copy – Free Your Mind
19. Ryan Hemsworth – Guilt Trips
20. The Weeknd – Kiss Land

Outside Lands 2013: Here are our top sets from this year’s festival

Outside Lands 2013Photos by Tim Hampson, Pat Tyrrell & Eric Shaden // Written by Mike Frash, Molly Kish, Kevin Quandt, Kevin Raos, Sean Little & Dara Shulman //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 9th-11th, 2013 //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is the ideal adult playground for live music fans — you can chow sardine chips and a Denogginizer from Drake’s while taking in a secret set in Choco Lands. Or maybe you prefer to laugh your face off at The Barbary or dance your ass off in the Heineken Dome. It may be a “walking festival” to some, but Outside Lands is at it’s best when you run. Feet don’t fail me now, use ’em while you got ’em.

SF’s music fest is clearly in a groove now. A free comprehensive webcast was brought back this year, enticing future festival-goers near and far to be super jealous and to start saving money for next year. Beer Lands was moved to a strategically perfect spot opposite the Land’s End Stage on the polo fields, making a quick stop-off convenient on the way to the next show. And it was cold — duh, it’s August in the Bay Area.

For the festival’s sixth incarnation, Outside Lands patrons witnessed the festival’s biggest headliner to date: Paul McCartney.

But Macca wasn’t the only auditory treat at Outside Lands. Here are our top sets from 2013.


Outside Lands 2013

DAY 1

Midi Matilda
Friday • Twin Peaks Stage • 12:45 p.m.

For an early afternoon festival spot, Another Planet booked properly when deciding to put Midi Matilda on the Friday bill. Kicking off what undoubtedly was going to be a long weekend with bang, this percussion-heavy duo immediately got the crowd moving. Rife with dance-heavy beats, an animated stage show and no expense spared on the lights and fog machines, Midi Matilda came out swinging. The most memorable moment occurred when both guys jumped on the drum set during their last song to deliver a joint solo to close out the set. –MK


Houndmouth
Friday • Panhandle Stage • 1:30 p.m.

Houndmouth provided a delightful opening to Outside Lands for many on the festival’s smallest stage, which is solar-powered. From the opening line of “Penitentiary”, which references San Francisco, the foursome brought bluesy gospel goodness right into everyone’s faces. With lyrics that seemed rooted in finding one’s self — and sobriety — Katie Toupin’s seductive stage presence and heavenly vocals were downright delightful. -MF

Wild Belle


Wild Belle

Wild Belle ~ TOP SET
Friday • Twin Peaks Stage • 2:15 p.m.

Wild Belle has been making a splash since releasing their debut album in early 2013, and they have only been getting bigger. As one of the first acts of the weekend, Wild Belle got the crowd moving in a major way with their psychedelic reggae beats. Comprised of brother-sister duo Elliot and Natalie Bergman, Wild Belle were lucky enough to draw one of the only moments of sunshine the entire weekend. One could say it was the incredible vocals of Natalie Bergman that elicited the sun’s rays. Wild Belle has been progressively adding more pieces to the puzzle throughout their short career, and they unveiled their latest piece during their performance at Outside Lands. The newest addition to their live show is a large “wall of sound” speaker system meant to enhance their live sound, and boy did it sound good. Wild Belle was an unexpected jewel Friday and one of the reasons we go to festivals: to discover new music. -KR


Twenty One Pilots
Friday • Twin Peaks Stage • 3:50 p.m.

Twenty One Pilots might be trying to be cool, and that seemed to be on the mind of Tyler Joseph, as he kept referencing the ‘cool factor’ in a self-depreciating way. But the duo turned the stage antics up to 11, performing backflips off the grand piano, jumping into the crowd, and donning a full ski mask while climbing to the top of the Twin Peaks stage. And ya know, as much as it was Macklemore-esque cheese, the passion and musicianship these two young men exhibited transcended any second thoughts. -MF


The Plump DJs
Friday • The Dome by Heineken • 4 p.m.

There’s nothing quite like an afternoon break-beat set in the Heineken Dome to get the blood moving. British duo, Plump DJs featuring Lee Rous and Andy Gardner, greeted the crowd with smiles on their faces and fists in the air. Although the Dome is slightly different than their usual SF stop, The Mighty in Potrero Hill, they brought their high-energy 2 a.m. beats to their Friday 4 p.m. set. Their beat selection was progressive and original; transitions and mixing were flawless as always. –DS


Rhye
Friday • Sutro Stage • 4:45 p.m.

Rhye’s soothing sounds blanketed Lindley Meadow’s Sutro Stage at the midpoint of Day 1. The sun had fallen behind the eucalyptus trees, sprinkling the stage with beams of light — a perfect setting to relax to the peaceful beauty of Rhye. Rhye sounded excellent, delighting the crowd with many tracks from their 2013 debut album Woman. Minimal, yet captivating, Rhye demonstrated superior musical prowess with their performance, led by the delicate vocals of Mike Milosh. Their set was drawing to a close, and instead of squeezing in extras songs the group opted for a long version of the song “Open”. The extended version of the enchanting song highlighted the bands’ improvisational ability. Although very mellow, Rhye put on a magical performance. A must-see act. -KR


The National
Friday • Land’s End Stage • 5 p.m.

As many learn every August, SF is not known for its stunning summer weather, but sometimes a little haze can add to the emotive release that is Matt Berninger and The National. However, the group lit the stage on fire with their stylish take on moody indie rock, opening with crowd-pleaser “Fake Empire” before fully utilizing Kronos Quartet’s strings on “I Should Live in Salt” and “Demons”, among others. Berninger’s characteristic baritone was strong, though not at it’s best on this day, but his lively mannerisms were in full effect as he paced nervously around on the large Land’s End stage. Once “Mr. November” had begun, it was inevitable that “Terrible Love” would close the set, but a late guest appearance in the form of Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead would truly put an exclamation point on this afternoon set. -KQ


Zedd
Friday • Twin Peaks • 5:25 p.m.

Zedd may not be the best DJ in the world, but his energy is hard to deny. It was the first truly “rager” set of the festival, and you could see people losing their minds all over the place, getting out the pent up energy they had been sitting on all week in anticipation of the Outside Lands. It ended up being a strong set and a lot of fun with hits “In My Mind” and “Clarity” satisfying the masses. –SL


CHIC


CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers

CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers ~ TOP SET
Friday • Sutro Stage • 6:05 p.m.

The last-minute D’Angelo replacement was a surprise hit Friday evening at the Sutro Stage. Guitarist Nile Rodgers accompanied by a crew of horns and backup singers “le freaked” out the crowd with super funky dance hits. Rodgers expressed to the audience, “Now if this is your first Chic show, I have to make you understand something, you absolutely have to sing and you absolutely have to dance.” No problems there. Highlights included “We Are Family”, “I’m Coming Out” and a groovy singalong to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” over the PA system after Rodgers had set down his electric guitar. –DS


Yeasayer
Friday • Twin Peaks Stage • 7 p.m.

Pitted against the incomparable Sir Paul at a festival is a spot that most bands would dread to be placed in. If you’re Yeasayer, however, it’s a challenge to be lived up to and utilized to your advantage. Knowing the crowd that evening would be filled with strictly die-hard fans, the boys pulled out all the stops. Playing a fan favorite set that included the most dance-heavy tracks from their entire catalogue, the intimate crowd was whipped into a collective frenzy. The best part — there was plenty of room for everyone to lose themselves in the energy of the moment. –MK


Paul McCartney ~ TOP SET
Friday • Land’s End Stage • 7:10 p.m.

It doesn’t get a whole lot better than Paul McCartney’s show, honestly, it’s nearly 3 hours of brilliantly competent showmanship, blazingly pleasing song selection and sheer crowd emotion. One highlight was watching Paul become giddy when Kronos Quartet joined him for a masterfully beautiful take on the tender Beatles classic, “Yesterday”. Even in his 70s, Macca keeps his crowds, and likely even himself, on their toes with an ever-changing setlist and bombastic surprises up his sleeve in the form of pyrotechnics during “Live and Let Die.” Selections from Wings were pleasantly received, especially “Band on the Run”. Closing the set, as he normally does, the crowd sang along to the timeless communal song “Hey Jude”. Friends locked arm in arm, and all was right in the world. Young and old were abuzz with the show they had witnessed on the exodus out of the park, whether it was vets finally hearing “Lovely Rita” or first-timers discussing their emotion during “Blackbird”. I mean, hey, it’s not everyday a legend plays your backyard. -KQ


Pretty Lights
Friday • Twin Peaks • 8:40 p.m.

Pretty Lights was the perfect Friday night closer for the Twin Peaks Stage and to oppose Sir Paul. Derek Vincent Smith featured most of his new album A Color Map of the Sun, plus the stand-by favorites remixed just enough on the fly to make them fresh and new. His musical ability is truly amazing, and his vibe was infectious as he’d build huge grooves then dropped them into massive basslines with his trademark soul vocals overlays that catapulted foggy Hellman Hallow to the stratosphere. Smith seemed genuinely happy and it bled into the crowd. By the night’s end, everyone was grooving and giving out high fives. –SL


DAY 2

Atlas Genius


Atlas Genius

Atlas Genius
Saturday • Twin Peaks Stage • 2:10 p.m.

Another example of perfect placement, Atlas Genius continued Saturday with pop-centric bliss. Catching what little sunshine the weekend had to offer on the hillside of the Twin Peaks stage, one could view the expectedly young crowd so genuinely stoked to catch this band, and couldn’t help but make you smile. No matter how tired you were of hearing that top forty hit, you were undoubtedly up and dancing when it finally played. Spontaneously starting the morning with a sing-along really was a great way to kick off Saturday on the right foot. –MK


Youth Lagoon ~ TOP SET
Saturday • Twin Peaks Stage • 3:40 p.m.

“Robert De Niro” — Trevor Powers uttered the famous actor’s name casually between songs early in his set. Oddly there wasn’t any other memorable stage banter, just hypnotic renditions of the highlights from Powers’ recent Dropla. Youth Lagoon has always thrived on a sharp aural duality; the contrasting of minimalist, quiet soundscapes for half of a song — then BANG — the blooming, triply explorations are more exciting and create a more impacting memory in the listener. You could call it “post-drop” music. And on the Twin Peaks Stage where dance fans usually got their fix, the bass was body-rattling, forcing the maximal parts of the songs to hit harder than one might expect. Consequently, the crowd mostly obliged with the subtle, quiet parts, allowing “Mute” and “Dropla” to play quite nicely. -MF


Gary Clark Jr.
Saturday • Land’s End Stage • 2:20 p.m.

Gary Clark Jr. simply rips, there is no doubt about it. One should be careful to even consider covering a Jimi Hendrix song, but based on Clark’s rendition of “Third Stone From the Sun”, Jimi is smiling down at a man that is following in his footsteps over 50 years later. Clark floats around the stage with ease, flashing easy smiles then melting faces with his reverberating guitar solos. This was a set where it would be best to be close to the stage (or close to speakers) — the sound was entirely too low in some spots, allowing friendly festival conversations to drown out this 29 year-old legend in the making. “Bright Lights” ended the set per usual, coalescing the large audience into the moment. -MF


Young the Giant
Saturday • Land’s End Stage • 3:40 p.m.

Sameer Gadhia is one helluva a front man, and YTG’s rise from the small stage in Orange County to the big show at events across the world is nothing less than earned. They filled both the Lands Stage and polo fields with infectious alterna-indie-pop offerings from their lone self-titled release. Luckily, the group had some new selections they were eager to test on the sizable early afternoon crowd, which seemed to go over well, especially to diehards awaiting new material. Singles “My Body” and “Cough Syrup” obviously received the loudest response, and Sameer’s venture down the center barricade further poured on the feverish energy they thrive on. -KQ


Bombino
Saturday • Panhandle Stage • 4:30 p.m.

The energy Omara “Bombino” Moctar and his band Bombino exhibit while performing is the first thing that is noticeable. They are constantly moving, dancing — vibing to their own music. When a group creates good music, this physical ‘being in the moment’ presence is an effective way to draw the audience into your world, and this tactic worked for Bombino (both the man and the band) in Golden Gate Park. The group stays true to their African roots through their politically anthemic music, and they rock their Tuareg garb with pride, showcasing their culture on the road as the buzz grows with each performance. After seeing them at Outside Lands, it makes sense — they left it all on the Panhandle Stage, pouring their hearts into each song. -MF


Jurassic-5-Mike-Frash


Jurassic 5

Jurassic 5 ~ TOP SET
Saturday • Land’s End Stage • 5 p.m.

Los Angeles hip hop ambassadors Jurassic 5 took the Land’s End stage to a BIG midday crowd, especially for a hip hop act at a primarily indie rock & electronic festival, which is a testament to their crossover appeal and lasting legacy. Maybe this demonstrates how hungry the people are for more hip hop and rap. The best part of the set went down when Cut Chemist scratched with a turntable guitar strapped to his chest while DJ Nu-Mark elicited sounds from the ridiculously large turntable set up square in the middle of the stage. This collective, allegedly in the midst of a ‘reunion tour’, has most definitely honed their act since Coachella, and festival-goers ate up every minute, following commands as if in a massive yoga class. –SL


Baauer
Saturday • Twin Peaks • 5:15 p.m.

Is the “Harlem Shake” dead? Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean that we can’t get thoroughly down to the bass-heavy set of this “Rookie/One-Hit-Wonder of the Year” candidate that goes by the name of Baauer. His take on Outkast’s “B.O.B” beckoned back to Big Boi’s triumphant set from last year’s Outside Lands, while simultaneously making asses shake and hands fly skyward in ecstasy. Much like Coachella, a youthful cult of EDM lovers are ever-present at any, and every, set that pulsated bass and catered to that beloved phenomena known as “the drop”. And surprisingly, the crowd kind of shrugged when his virally ubiquitous anthem was played, go figure. -KQ


The Mother Hips
Saturday • Panhandle Stage • 6:05 p.m.

Organizers of the festival always strive to showcase local Northern California acts, young and old, and this year, Chico’s own legendary act, the Mother Hips, brought their defining take on California rock and roll sound to the under-appreciated Panhandle Stage. “Toughie” opened this set before launching into “White Falcon Fuzz”, which showcased the raw, vibrant sounds of Tim Bluhm and the band. Though few were in attendance, at least a couple of patrons had to have been won over by the soul-drenched psychedelia that these vets bring every time they grace a stage. -KQ


Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Saturday • Land’s End Stage • 6:30 p.m.

Equal parts punk rock and dance party, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs held nothing back Saturday, perfectly segueing into whichever headliner you chose to witness. Pulling hits from their entire body of work, the set was equally as entertaining for hardcore fans and new converts alike. The band’s energy was at an all-time high, transferring a sense of mania in the crowd, which created dance circles and mosh pits throughout the entire set. The polo fields were electric and gained much more raw energy during the last five minutes, when Karen O. decided to let her body do the talking. After her signature deep-throating, she not only placed the bedazzled microphone down her shirt, but also into the front of her pants, while further emphasizing her need to be heard. Saturday night had officially started, and from that moment on it was going to be epic, whichever stage you ended up at. –MK


Grizzly Bear
Saturday • Twin Peaks • 6:50 p.m.

One of the toughest decisions of the weekend was choosing the electricity of Karen O and Yeah Yeah Yeahs or the tightness of the well-toured Grizzly Bear. Well, everyone won in their respective choices, but Grizzly Bear’s growing crowd demonstrated that these Warp label, psych-folk rockers are more than capable of stepping up to the festival plate and knocking one out of the park, so to say. Shields was well represented on this final tour stop, after 105 shows on the road behind the release. The vocal interplay is one of their strongest suits as the responsibilities are well shared over their contagious take on the rising avant-rock sound. -KQ


Nine Inch Nails ~ TOP SET
Saturday • Land’s End Stage • 8:25 p.m.

Like The National, the fog which veiled the Land’s End stage created an aura of dark beauty for serious talent to shine through. Saturday’s headlining set by Trent Reznor and cohorts was one of nostalgia equally coupled with the future possibilities of Nine Inch Nails. Opening with a trio of new tracks that beckons closer to Radiohead and How to Destroy Angels than Pretty Hate Machine era industrial rock Nails, it was evident Reznor didn’t, nor shall he ever, miss a beat with his primary project. “1,000,000” into “March of the Pigs” picked up the energy, and built upon the ever-shifting new stage setup that has been winning accolades the past three banner festival performances (think Stop Making Sense meets Aliens). Though the masses were at Phoenix, the crowd energy was high, especially during “Terrible Lie” and “Closer”. As per usual, “Hurt” left the crowd in an introspective gloom, though their hearts were surely still pounding from the assault that is Nine Inch Nails live. -KQ


Phoenix
Saturday • Twin Peaks • 8:40 p.m.

French indie-rock sensation, Phoenix, rallied the youth with a strong set featuring many songs from their 2009 album Wolfgang Amedeus Phoenix. “Listomania,” “Rome,” and “1901” were just some of the highlights. Front man Thomas Mars was spot on with his vocals. “This next song is a dancing one, so feel free …” was followed by longtime fan favorite “If I Ever Feel Better”. They played a solid handful of tracks from their 2013 release Bankrupt! such as “SOS in Bel Air” and “Entertainment”, but the clear goal of Phoenix’s headlining festival set is get the crowd rallied and ready to dance. The rock riffs were on point and the visuals were equally entertaining and Mars crowd surfed the entire audience near the end of the set as has been the habit this tour. Yes, he safely made it back to the stage with a little help from his friends. -DS


Outside Lands 2013

DAY 3

Dumpstaphunk
Sunday • Land’s End Stage • 12:10 p.m.

The Sunday morning main stage “Gospel Slot” was appropriately given to Ivan Neville’s (and NOLA’s) Dumpstaphunk — where two bassists and double-bass drum work got booties shaken’ early. Original Neville Brother Ivan asked the crowd if we had been to New Orleans, and when we’d be going back — you’ve gotta love how musicians are the best sellers of tourism for the Crescent City. “Meanwhile…”, a song about still having a good time in post-Katrina NOLA, showcased the spirit of New Orleans perfectly. “You might as well have yourself a good time…there might not be a next time” — a refrain that glows longer then the verses that detail political corruption and violence. It may all read as a didactic song for the TV show Treme, but no one deals with hardship better than New Orleans, led by the “can’t stop, won’t stop” musicians that call the city home. -MF


Fishbone
Sunday • Land’s End Stage • 1:30 p.m.

Fishbone rocked out Sunday afternoon with their ska/punk-rock hybrid sound. Angelo Moore, aka Dr. Madd Vibes, pumped crowd the crowd up with his high energy vocals and stage banter. Not only did Moore and audience members crowd surf during their fifty-minute set, but Moore introduced “Flying Jay”, clad in a red cape, the ultimate crowd-surfing trombone player. Moore also encouraged a mosh pit during their Sublime cover, “Date Rape”. Highlights included “Party at Ground Zero” and “Everyday Sunshine”, when Moore tried to solicit the sun to come out…the fog won. –DS


Rudimental
Sunday • Twin Peaks Stage • 2:05 p.m.

An unexpected highlight on this year’s bill, this mash up of blues, rock, funk and soul with DNB percussion was legit. A lively and large band fronted by two modelesque vocalists (knock off Fergie included), the group is accompanied by an assortment of horns, drums, piano, guitar and a live DJ. Rudimental pumped up the crowd for a positively charged last day, and they proved to be an act worth seeing at any venue – whether you’re looking to start a party or keep the fire burning at the end of a festival weekend. –MK


Kurt Vile and the Violators ~ TOP SET
Sunday • Sutro Stage • 2:30 p.m.

Sunday’s weather left a little to be desired, but that didn’t deter the throngs from arriving a bit early for the likes of Kurt Vile. This seasonal festival veteran’s breezy sound lent perfectly to the tepid atmosphere thick with “San Francisco cigarette” plumes. Nodding heads were rewarded with classics like “Freak Train” and newer offerings, “Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze” and “Girl Named Alex”. Some monitor issues didn’t slow the already laid back pace of the band, even when FOALS’ sound started to bleed into Lindley Meadow. -KQ


FOALS


FOALS

FOALS ~ TOP SET
Sunday • Land’s End Stage • 2:50 p.m.

Front man Yannis Philippakis walks around with purpose, like he has a chip on his shoulder – something to prove. Maybe it’s hard to go from headliner back home in the UK, then play broad daylight performances in the US like they did at Outside Lands. Philippakis and lead guitarist Jimmy Smith are doing everything they can do to catch the US up to them as FOALS gain more traction and success each week. The polo fields were pretty packed as “Prelude” began, and once Smith appeared ripping on lead guitar, pure fire ensued. FOALS’ purvey cutting-edge rock – their so-called “math rock” deals heavily in progressive time chord changes, while emphasizing the offbeat ones and threes in melodies that mimic rhythm. Absolute rager “Milk & Black Spiders” finished out the all-too short hour in manic fashion — come back to the Bay soon FOALS for a proper show please. -MF


The Head and The Heart (secret show)
Sunday • Choco Lands’ Hell Brew Review • 3:50 p.m.

The tweet came across at 3:30, which inspired thoughts of Jack White performing a special Choco Lands set last year on Sunday. Reeling off of FOALS’ amazing set, a quick solo sprint to the Hell Brew Review across from Lamb Lands paid off magnificently. The three mainstays from Head and The Heart emerged on the tiny vaudeville stage for a hushed acoustic set, which included their new song “Shake”. Then crowd-pleaser “Lost In My Mind” took center stage when Josiah Johnson asked the close proximity crowd mid song, “Does anyone want to come help sing with us up here?” The stage was quickly at maximum capacity, a couple drunk goofballs stood in front of the performers, and someone managed to pull the plug, ceasing all speaker sound. This only made the sing-along more essential, especially for a song that already relies heavily on community spirit. -MF


Hall and Oates
Sunday • Lands End Stage • 4:20 p.m.

Everyone’s favorite 70’s and 80’s nostalgia act took to Land’s End Stage Sunday afternoon sandwiched between two of today’s most influential acts, FOALS and Vampire Weekend. Hall and Oates have been the benefactors of a complete career resurgence despite the fact their only recent album was a Christmas record in 2006. A slow start to their set sent many people to Dawes and A-Trak, but those who stuck around were delighted with classic hits such as “Maneater”, “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” and “Rich Girl”. The corny nostalgia was high, but so were the good times. You can’t ask more from a Sunday afternoon set. -KR


A-Trak
Sunday • Twin Peaks Stage • 5:10 p.m.

Producer, DJ/live mixer extraordinaire A-Trak brought the heat quickly Sunday, feverishly building to sneaky drops that revealed deliciously crunchy beats. The most pleasurable part about taking in Alain Macklovitch live is during transition time, when his scratching abilities deserve close up attention on the video screen. He does it all in a robotic trance; what A-Trak does is on par with what a jazz guitarist does in a blues club or what Ivan Neville did earlier in the day on the main stage — it’s freestyle jamming with pin-point control. After an almost EDM-free Saturday, A-Trak got things going the final day with Duck Sauce’s “Big Bad Wolf” and a raging remix of Kanye West’s “New Slaves”. Fool’s Gold! -MF


Vampire Weekend


Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend ~ TOP SET
Sunday • Lands End Stage • 5:50 p.m.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend came from one of the biggest bands of the year, Vampire Weekend. The polo fields were packed as everyone and their mother (Hall and Oates performed before them) wanted a piece of the boys from the North East. Vampire Weekend came out firing contemporary classics “Cousins”, “White Sky” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”. Next came the first offerings from their latest record Modern Vampires of the City, “Diane Young” and “Step”. Vampire Weekend dedicated “Step” to Bay Area hip hop legends Souls of Mischief, who were the song’s source of inspiration. Take one listen to Souls of Mischief’s “Step To My Girl” and you will hear the resemblance. During “Oxford Comma”, the camera zoomed in on a sign a fan created that read “I give a f*ck about an Oxford Comma.” Vampire Weekend wound down their set with “Giving Up the Gun” and my personal favorite from the new album “Hannah Hunt”. Two more tracks from their self-titled album concluded the impressive set with “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” and “Walcott.”

Throughout the performance, the crowd was equally enamored with the older classics as they were with the new material. Vampire Weekend is currently at the top of their game, and their dominance was on full display as they delivered one of the strongest performances of the festival. They may not appear to be enjoying themselves while performing, but open your ears and listen for a moment — you will hear a band in their prime. -KR


Dillon Francis
Sunday • Panhandle Stage • 7:35 p.m.

Oddly placed at the Panhandle Stage, reminiscent of Wolfgang Gartner last year, there was no way Dilllon Francis wasn’t going to be a rager. Crowds rolled deep to watch this bass heavy set, and in no way did this DJ disappoint. Small stage be damned, Francis killed it, rattling off a consistent set of club bangers and EDM hits. The crowd ate up every second of the eardrum pounding womps, causing many members of the passing crowds to second guess the direction they were headed. The haystacks were packed deep with frottage and pool noodles dancing wildly. –MK


Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sunday • Lands End Stage • 7:45 p.m.

Red Hot Chili Peppers closed out the festival Sunday evening, a slot many thought would be reserved for Sir Paul McCartney when the initial lineup dropped. Whether it was a scheduling conflict or Ranger Dave optimizing his own schedule, the Chili Peppers proved that they were up to the task. In a roughly two hour set, the Chili Peppers were playing with something to prove as they ripped through single after single with fervent intensity. Their energy did not cease for the duration of the show as the band took the audience on a musical journey of one of the most celebrated funk-rock bands in history. Hits like “Under the Bridge”, “Californication”, “Give it Away” & “Around the World” sent off the rock fans happy. After a sand-swept Coachella performance, expectations were not very high, so it’s not shocking that they exceeded them at Outside Lands. They might not be the most relevant bands in today’s musical landscape, but they proved they can still bring the freaky styley when the time is right. -KR


Kaskade ~ TOP SET
Sunday • Twin Peaks Stage • 8:25 p.m.

For those in dire need of one more dance party before the weekend came to a close, alas Ryan Raddon was primed to set the field ablaze with his hard-hitting take on deep-house music. The moist air felt nice as revelers fist-pumped and bounced to a particularly bass-heavy set from the longtime San Francisco resident and torch-bearer for the new American electronic sound which gained immense popularity some years back. A tasteful remix of Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” was a highlight, and as 9:35PM ticked closer, many hoped the speakers wouldn’t compromise with dead silence. -KQ


Outside Lands 2013 - Twin Peaks

Beer Lands!

In only it’s second year onsite, Beer Lands has become a popular meeting spot, and, obviously, the place for the best local suds this region has to offer. An upgraded location in the polo fields, as opposed to tucked in the back of Lindley Meadow, made this spot even more popular and viable for social get-togethers. Doing away with the $1 ‘tickets’ as opposed to cash and card was a relief to those who would rather opt to not drink Heineken all day and night. Sierra Nevada offered a fragrant, herbal Saison exclusive to Outside Lands. Anchor Brewing brought their popular new California Lager and debuted an Autumn Maple Red Ale that was a tasty treat to those paying attention to the constantly rotating cast of taps. Drakes 1500 Pale Ale was this writers beverage of choice, but honestly, there were no losers in the bunch, and many look forward to this addition every year. Bottoms up. -KQ

We didn’t catch them all this year! We missed Chromatics, The Tallest Man on Earth and Daughter — amongst others. What were your favorite shows at Outside Lands 2013?

Torch us in the “Comments” section below.

2013 Outside Lands schedule announced!

Outside LandsPhotos by Mark Fong // Written by Mike Frash //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 9th-11th, 2013 //

The schedule has been released for the completely sold-out 2013 Outside Lands Music Festival, meaning the schedule conflict stress has already begun. Some folks have the misplaced assumption that they can see half, or even most of the artists on the OSL bill. They are wrong. With four stages and long walks from Lands End/Sutro to Twin Peaks/Panhandle (and back), you won’t see more than 1/4 of the performers on any given day.

So, now it’s time to start dealing with this first-world festival problem by making some tough choices. But remember, you don’t have to commit! Sometimes it’s best to choose shows while at the fest based on your mood.

Here are the biggest conflicts we see on the schedule — along with the sets we are most likely to attend in bold.

OutsideLands
FRIDAY SCHEDULE // AUGUST 9th

Paul McCartney vs. Yeasayer, Chromatics & Pretty Lights
*Macca has a two-hour, 45-minute set!

The National vs. Rhye vs. Zedd vs. Stanton Warriors
• Band of Horses vs. Jessie Ware vs. Twenty One Pilots vs.
• Surfer Blood vs. Wild Belle vs. Jeffrey Ross
Smith Westerns vs. Midi Matilda

OutsideLands
SATURDAY SCHEDULE // AUGUST 10th

Nine Inch Nails vs. Phoenix

Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. The Head & the Heart vs. Grizzly Bear
Jurassic 5 vs. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down vs. Baauer
• Young the Giant vs. Youth Lagoon
Gary Glark Jr. vs. Milo Greene vs. Atlas Genius

OutsideLands1
SUNDAY SCHEDULE // AUGUST 11th

• Red Hot Chilli Peppers vs. Dillon Francis, Kaskade

Vampire Weekend vs. Willie Nelson & Family vs. Matt & Kim vs. MS MR
• Dawes vs. A-Trak
Hall & Oates vs. Trombone Shorty vs. King Tuff
*4:20 Hall & Oats set. Just sayin’
FOALS vs. Kurt Vile and The Violators vs. Deap Vally
*Winner of worst conflict: FOALS vs. Kurt Vile


Check out our previous Outside Lands articles:
Outside Lands 2013 Beer/Artist Pairings
Outside Lands 2013: Ten sets not to miss
Outside Lands Music Festival Lineup 2013: Rumors vs. Reality

OutsideLands2

MIDTERM REPORT: Best Albums of 2013

BEST-ALBUMS-so-far-2013Photos by Marc Fong and Mike Frash

Is 2013 the year digital dance music makes the big leap, fully taking over the Top 40 but also ingraining itself into the hearts of critics? Daft Punk made all the noise as the year was young, but young EDM-upstarts Disclosure, Flume & Jagwar Ma have all made an impact on the Bam Team.

That stated, the musical output in 2013 so far is pretty damn strong overall. And just think, we will be hearing new LPs from Arcade Fire, Earl Sweatshirt, Washed Out, Ty Segall, Franz Ferdinand, Nine Inch Nails, Arctic Monkeys, Holy Ghost!, Chvrches, and many more still. Take a gander at our favorite albums of the year as of July 17, 2013 – What are we missing?

*Any album released in the US in the year 2013 is eligible for Best Albums of 2013.
**Check out all of our music reviews from 2013.

Vampire Weekend

Mike Frash
1. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
2. Disclosure – Settle
3. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
4. James Blake – Overgrown
5. FOALS – Holy Fire
6. Flume – Flume
7. Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
8. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
9. Jagwar Ma – Howlin
10. Baths – Obsidian

Phoenix

Molly Kish
1. Atoms For Peace – AMOK
2. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
3. Disclosure – Settle
4. Toro Y Moi – Anything In Return
5. Phoenix – Bankrupt!
6. STRFKR – Miracle Mile
7. Devandra Banhart – Mala
8. Major Lazer – Free the Universe 
9. Cold War Kids – Dear Miss Lonelyhearts
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito

Thee-oh-Sees

Kevin Quandt
1. my bloody valentine – m b v
2. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
3. Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
4. Kurt Vile – Wakin on a Pretty Daze
5. Thee oh Sees – Floating Coffin
6. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
7. Disclosure – Settle
8. Rhye – Woman
9. Foxygen – We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
10. A$AP Rocky – Long Live A$AP

Sigur-Ros

Pete Mauch
1. Sigur Ros – Kveikur

2. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
3. Superhuman Happiness – Hands
4. FOALS – Holy Fire
5. Boards of Canada – Tomorrows Harvest
6. Deerhunter – Monomania
7. Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse
8. Bonobo – The North Borders
9. Kurt Vile and The Violators – Walkin’ On A Pretty Daze
10. Disclosure – Settle

Toro Y Moi

Kevin Raos
1. Toro Y Moi – Anything In Return
2. Rhye – Woman
3. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
4. Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
5. Sigur Ros – Kveikur
6. FOALS – Holy Fire
7. Foxygen – We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
8. Camera Obscura – Camera Obscura
9. Atoms for Peace – AMOK
10. Portugal. The Man – Evil Friends

Classixx

Sean Little
1. Flume – Flume
2. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
3. Classixx – Hanging Gardens
4. Jessie Ware – Devotion
5. Hanni El Kattib – Head In The Dirt
6. Disclosure – Settle
7. Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork
8. Empire of the Sun – Ice on the Dune
9. Portugal. The Man – Evil Friends
10. DJ Koze – Amygdala

Starfucker5

Eric Shaden
1.  Jagwar Ma – Howlin
2.  James Blake – Overgrown
3.  Daft Punk – Random Access Memories  
4.  Starfucker – Miracle Mile
5.  Disclosure – Settle
6.  Phoenix – Bankrupt!
7.  Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
8.  Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety 
9.  Major Lazer – Free the Universe 
10. Thundercat – Apocalypse 

MS MR
Nikki De Martini
1. MS MR – Secondhand Rapture
2. Deap Vally – Sistrionix
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito
4: CSS – Planta 
5: Little Boots – Nocturnes
6. Portugal The Man – Evil Friends 
7. Cold War Kids – Dear Miss Lonelyhearts
8. Kanye West – Yeezus
9. Great Gatsby Soundtrack
10. Sigur Ros – Kveikur

New Music Tuesday: Vampire Weekend • Wild Nothing • Wampire • Snowden

Vampire Weekend - Vampires of the City
Every Tuesday, we focus on new music releases by naming our top tracks, album highlights, lowlights and important takeaways for select albums.

Vampire WeekendModern Vampires of the City

4.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“Step”
“Hannah Hunt”
“Worship You”

Album Highlights: Vampire Weekend’s third album Modern Vampires of the City further cements their status as one of the preeminent indie rock bands in modern music. The band has grown up and matured with Modern Vampires, creating a vibrant and rejuvenating album that will likely be high atop many “Best of the Year” lists in 2013. Vampire Weekend has already established themselves as a veritable force in contemporary music with their highly acclaimed first and second albums Vampire Weekend (2008) and Contra (2010). Their distinctive baroque sound has aged and ripened with Modern Vampire in the City, blossoming into one of the freshest album of the year thus far. This album is littered with hits like “Ya Hey”, “Diane Young” and “Step”, which have already been making the rounds on local radio stations. It’s only a matter of time before these songs appear in another Honda commercial.

It’s the distinctive characteristics of the band’s sound that carry this record. Ezra Koenig’s playful and expressive vocals shine through this lyrically rich album. Every song on this record has captivating vocals that take the listener on a poetic journey, one of my favorites being “Step.” The shoutouts to San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda don’t hurt either. Perhaps the greatest emotional outpouring from Koenig comes at the end of “Hannah Hunt” when the song crescendos to a peak; this moment is an absolute highlight.

Album Lowlight: With little help from Steve Buscemi, Vampire Weekend has created one of the best albums of 2013. It is perhaps this cringe-worthy marketing campaign that is the worst part about the album, if it could even be considered that. Perhaps this was done to curb expectations on this record that was nearly 2 years in the making? Whatever the reason, it worked, because Modern Vampire of the City is an incredible record that will be listened to and cherished by music lovers for ages to come.

Takeaway: Without too much commotion, this LP has propelled Vampire Weekend from a quirky indie band to one of the most influential groups in contemporary music. Their distinct sound, songwriting ability, and musical diversity make this album one of the most compelling albums of the year. They’ll serenade you to sleep one moment, only to rock you awake the next. Modern Vampires of the City will transform the casual fan to a Vampire Weekend advocate. They have quickly climbed the power rankings for anticipated bands performing at Outside Lands Music Festival. I’ll be there.

~Kevin Raos


Wild NothingEmpty Estate [EP]

3.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“Ride”
“Ocean Repeating (Big-Eyed Girl)”
“The Body In Rainfall”

Album Highlights: Wild Nothing released one of the best records of 2012 with Nocturne, but Jack Tatum outfit has already returned with a seven-track EP that presents an interesting duality that is not foreign to these shimmering, dream-pop curators. The sounds and songs on Empty Estate vacillate between “traditional” Wild Nothing cuts and luscious, cinematic dreamscapes. Two of the EP’s highlights are the first two tracks, “The Body in Rainfall” and “Ocean Repeating (Big-Eyed Girl)”. These songs fit into this group’s synth-pop wheelhouse – they would have fit fine in either of Wild Nothing’s two long players. “Ride” sticks out as the best instrumental soundscape, channeling Philip Glass’ wild, sonic adventures.

Album Lowlight: It’s an interesting choice to put out another EP – maybe these were left over tracks from last year that were prettied up for this EP? It seems like they were half way to another excellent full length record. And while the dreamscapes here are interesting, they aren’t always perfect. The final track “Hachiko” wanders off so far that it suffers then dies a slow death – a stark way to end a mostly hazy-yet-upbeat record.

Takeaway: Wild Nothing continues to be a lead innovator of dream-pop indie music with inspiration. With involved dreamscapes like “On Guyot” and “Ride”, Tatum proves he has the chops for scoring cinema – at a minimum for films that deal in experimental, sonically-progressive audio. Overall, this new material gives the visceral feeling of wandering around as part of a journey, not a means to a destination. One device that enhances this feeling is seamless segueing between songs, which happens twice on this shortened record. This EP is another must-listen for fans of Wild Nothing.

~Mike Frash


WampireCuriosity

3-BamsTop Tracks:
“The Hearse”
“Trains”
“Magic Light”

Album Highlights: Ever wondered what Arcade Fire might sound like if they got all new-wave? The answer would be something pretty damned close to the Portland duo which goes by the name Wampire, and they would make rocking music for dark, dark house parties. “Giants” features the semi-characteristic combination of heavy organ flourishes and artificial sounding drum machines, before dropping into a groovy section that even Boris Karloff would get down to. Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps are the musical buds behind this project, and have been playing together for a length of time, freaking out the Portland party scene, before molding their sound into the more slick production thanks to help from Jake Portrait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Album Lowlight: Curiosity can border on the novelty and kitschy at certain times, but it never really crosses the line, thankfully. Lead single “The Hearse” might have lead many to think this album would be a bit more dance oriented, but the mix of tempos is rather refreshing, in fact.

Takeaway: It’s a dead man’s party, and Wampire are playing said party. These guys have crafted a ghoulishly catchy album full of hook-laden goth dance romps and tenderly macabre ballads. Long anticipation has lead to a fulfilling release that will likely transcribe well to the live stage, even though Wampire seems to be a name blatantly missing from the lower throngs of festival lineups across the country. Children of the 70s and 80s can rejoice in the possibility of their new favorite release being Curiosity.

~Kevin Quandt


SnowdenNo One Is in Control

3.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“Hiss”
“Don’t Really Know Me”
“So Red”

Album Highlights: Snowden returns with No One Is in Control after a six-year hiatus since their first album, Anti-Anti, a break brought on by label fighting. While singer Jordan Jeffares was unable to create a new album, he was able to continue writing and he churned out some great songs that bring to mind Interpol with a bit more pop and indie rock energy to them. One of the tracks that defines this is “Hiss”, which brings out Jeffares’ down-a-hallway vocals with static filled garage guitars that build to create a insanely catchy chorus and breakdown that leave you moving your head and singing along. “Don’t Really Know Me” is another infectious track that takes the low-fi angle to bring the listener in and sing along.

Album Lowlight: Overall, the album didn’t have many lowlights. “No Words, No More” was a personal non–favorite as I found it a bit boring, but the albums still delivers as far as a sophomore effort goes. If anything, the albums seems to have not matured much from Anti-Anti, possibly due to the long hiatus in between and the log jam of songs it created, but for fans of Snowden I don’t feel they’ll be disappointed as No One Is In Control is Snowden through and through.

Takeaway: Crisp snare pops, low-fi guitars and distant vocals are Snowden’s hallmark and they don’t miss on their sophomore album. Some of the tracks stand out more than others in both song writing and mass appeal, but the album as a whole hits the mark for true fans and those looking to check in on what Jeffares (and Snowden) have been up to these last six years. I would also anticipate this album spawning a host
of remixes from various artists, as San Francisco’s own Lane 8 has already remixed
the lead single of the album “The Beat Comes”, so expect Snowden to follow in the
St. Lucia et..all vein and become a source of remix inspiration in the near future for a
variety of producers.

~Sean Little