Lollapalooza

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Today’s feature is on Lance Herbstrong, performing at Perry’s Saturday @ 11:15AM.

It’s always a little sweeter when it’s one of your own. Like when the friend from high school becomes a professional athlete, or the girl you’ve know since diapers wins The Amazing Race. Such is the case with Lance Herbstrong. One of the two founding members, Kamal Soliman, has worked for C3 Presents for the last 6 years, and with Perry Farrell on both Jane’s Addiction and the Lollapalooza tour. Currently, Kamal is Artist Relations Director for C3 festivals, acting as every band’s go-to guy for their every request (I wonder what’s on his dressing room rider?). Outside of his roll in the festivals, Kamal tour manages Thievery Corporation.

The other half of Lance Hersbstrong is fellow Austinite, Bill Sarver. Bill has been producing electronic music since he was 16. His programming appears on notable early metal industrial acts such as 16volt, Scum of the Earth(Members of Rob Zombie and Prong), Soak(Interscope) and Bronx Casket Company(Members of Overkill). His recent project OHN produced three well reviewed downtempo albums and he performs special solo DJ appearances from LA to Greece.

Lance Herbstrong came into existence two years ago when Manu Chao released his fourth album Radiolina, and opened up the track Politikills to be remixed. Knowing his friend Manu loves the Clash, Kamal decided they needed to do a Manu/Clash mash-up, and that Bill Sarver was the man that could make it happen. The result was Politikills (Clash of Power Mix), a combination of the original Politikills track, with The Clash’s Mustapha Dance, an instrumental of their iconic song Rock the Casbah.

It wasn’t until a year later, at the end of a Thievery tour, that the duo decided they needed to work together again. This time they mixed a Thievery track with another Manu Chao song. The result was an amazingly sensual mix dubbed as Manu Destino, that works beautifully on a lyrical level, mixing Manu’s spanish lyrics from Mi Vida, with Thievery’s portuguese, on Meu Destino. Thievery was so pleased with the mix they passed it on to label mate Federico Aubele, who commissioned the duo to remix a song from his new album Amatoria. Properly Chilled had this to say about the remix when the EP came out:

“In its original form, “Luna Y Sol” is a slowly drifting, very islands inspired, Latin-Caribbean lullaby. Lance Herbstrong [‘s remix] brings in some heavy, triphop-like breakbeats and layers synth pads, and a healthy portion of dub production effects that pretty much obliterate the Latin-Carribean lullaby sound of the original. It’s a song for that moment in a movie where the music is underscoring that epic, hopeful moment when the hero, or heroine, has decided to take control of the situation and the director is delivering a montage of scenes wherein our lead character is hard at work preparing to make a change. You know you want that moment too.”

Federico Aubele confirmed, “It’s one of the best remixes anyone has ever done of my songs.”

“After Luna y Sol was released, we had to come up with a name for ourselves, but I’ll save the Lance Herbstong backstory for another time,” muses Kamal.

On the strength of Luna y Sol and Manu Destino, ESL Records commissioned 2 more remixes. In between work on the commissioned tracks, Lance Herbstrong were also finalizing a remix of the timeless classic by Canned Heat, On the Road Again. Right click and save the download below…

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Lance Herbstrong opens Perry’s stage on Saturday morning from 1115 AM to Noon. Joining Lance Herbstrong are Frank Orrall from Poi Dog Pondering and Thievery Corporation and Ricky Gonzales from The Thickness and Chicago Afrobeat Project. Anyone there early enough to catch the performance will be treated with a special guest appearance, as the band plans to open the day with Porno for Pyros’ song Orgasm. Recently remixed (and unveiled at Lollapalooza) original Porno for Pyros guitarist Peter DiStefano will be joining them onstage to play live on the song he helped co-write with Perry Farrell. You know Perry, he’s the reason we’re all here at this epic festival.

If you’re in the park early dont be surprised by the lack of working staff. You’ll likely find them at Perry’s stage dancing to one of their own.

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on Peanut Butter Wolf comes from CreamTeam.tv.

To many musicmakers, Peanut Butter Wolf’s career is the stuff of dreams. What began as the typical story of young friends falling for hip-hop would lead to an illustrious role as a beat producer and eventually find its apex; the formation and operation of the eclectic label Stones Throw. Chris Manak (Peanut Butter Wolf) has spent decades fine tuning his own talents and with focus and an astute ear, he searches out the best and brightest for inclusion on his imprint’s roster.

Peanut Butter Wolf the musician first came to rise in the early ’90s by way of his work with emcee partner Charizma. At the time, they were still teenagers, a testament to the talent he held within. The pair’s relationship spread their names in print, allowed them to tour the world and cemented the duo as talents to watch. When Charizma passed suddenly in 1993, it was tragic loss for Manak but an event that would come to fuel much of his future success.

After a hiatus, Manak returned to music with Peanut Butter Breaks, a 1994 instrumental LP that put his solo name on the radar of the very same producers he’d long admired. His signature style reflects the eyes and ears of a vinyl collector, collages of dusty samples, original beats and vocal clips across familiar genres are combined with savvy and a flawless hand. His live and DJ sets are amongst the most entertaining out there, transporting you to a space where sounds of the past, present and future merge. Watching Manak man the decks is as entertaining as a live band. He moves with quick, calculated actions, flipping a barrage of knobs that control not only his sound, but live video that moves in time to the music.

If you’re not yet familiar with the Stones Throw label, founded in 1996 and launched off a posthumous single from Charizma, catching Peanut Butter Wolf at Lollapalooza will give you all the aural context necessary to become an instant fan. From J Dilla to Madlib, DOOM and new arrivals Dam-Funk and Mayer Hawthorne, expect Peanut Butter Wolf to showcase the sound of Stones Throw alongside his own production talent and DJ skills on Friday, August 6.

Written by Veronica Murtagh

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on Metric comes from Loud Loop Press.

Melodic dance-rockers Metric work hard and play hard.

Since self-releasing their acclaimed 2009 album Fantasies, the members of Metric (singer Emily Haines, guitarist James Shaw, bassist Josh Winstead, and drummer Joules Scott-Key) have been locked on a speeding train of touring and press junkets. Yet, somehow the band takes comfort in festival gigs and the hope of someday getting back into the studio.

With the digital age encouraging artists to shed record label dead weight and go their own way, Metric decided that the timing just made sense when it came to self-releasing Fantasies.

“It was just painfully apparent,” said James Shaw in a telephone interview. “It just seemed like we’d learned too much about the record industry and we knew what the risks were going to be and what the pay offs were going to be (of self-releasing).”

The road to Metric’s success was paved with building a more intimate relationship with its fans. That meant producing extras such as music and behind-the-scene videos as well as connecting with fans via social networks.

While music videos are not his preferred method of self-expression, Shaw said that an artist’s role is to create art.

“Your artistic output is the thing that keeps people interested and involved,” Shaw said. “It keeps a dialogue and it keeps your life interesting and the fans’ life interesting.”

Shaw said that Metric’s videos allow fans to get to know them by using an element of humor.

“It’s as entertaining to watch a band make a video as it is to watch the video itself,” Shaw said. “I like a little sense of humor and self-deprecation. Self-deprecation is probably the strongest influence that Canada could offer the rest of the world.”

While Shaw admits that touring can be an alienating experience, it is the festivals that give bands a chance to relax and hang out.

“The only real connection you have is via the stage,” Shaw said. “Festivals are fun because you get to hang out with like-minded people and everyone just has a good time.”

Shaw recounted an experience at this year’s Ottawa Blues Festival where Metric came back to its dressing room to find Wayne Coyne holding two shirts from Metric fans he had met on the festival grounds. Shaw was impressed with both Coyne’s lack of ego and his prowess as a live performer.

“What [Coyne] does as a reverend of love is completely out of control,” Shaw said. “There isn’t one out of 30,000 people that isn’t smiling beyond ear to ear.”

Lollapalooza 2010 will mark Metric’s fourth trip to Chicago since the release of “Fantasies” in 2009. While Metric returns frequently, Shaw said that Chicago remains a daunting city to play.

“There’s a lot of real music fans in that town (Chicago) and they’re really listening with all their ears and all their hearts,” Shaw said. “You can feel that as a musician and it’s a very different experience.”

This year’s Lollapalooza will be Shaw’s first since playing the festival in 2006 as a member of Broken Social Scene.

“That (Lollapalooza) was one of the – probably the pinnacle Broken Social Scene performance in the last seven or eight years,” Shaw said. “We were right before the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers and the crowd was not wanting to turn around and it was just one of those magical, magical shows.”

Shaw is excited to return to Lollapalooza not only to play onstage with Metric but to see The Strokes.

“The Strokes, to me, are absolutely seminal, a very important band in my own life as a musician,” Shaw said. “I think they are awesome; I’m really happy they’re playing.”

After Lollapalooza Metric will join British alternative rockers Muse on tour in October and November. Shaw speculated that more tour dates may be on the horizon but his wish is to dive back into the recording studio as soon as possible.

“Records are made very meticulously by us and they take time,” Shaw said. “So I want to get back in and start working.”

Make sure to catch Metric at Lollapalooza before they speed off into the sunset with Muse. Metric will perform on the Playstation stage on Saturday, August 7.

Written by Audrey Leon

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on Flosstradamus comes from Gaper’s Block: Transmission.

When it comes to hometown heroes and proving that the Midwest is the best bet, Flosstradamus is one of the strongest examples for Chicago. The DJ duo of Autobot (Curt Cameruci) and J2K (Josh Young) first popped up on the Chicago music radar in 2005, when the duo formed and hosted the “Get Outta’ the Hood” parties at local joint Town Hall Pub. The event was a huge success, a no frills affair where the one guarantee was the night would end in a massive dance party. The Town Hall Pub days might be long gone, but Flosstradamus has kept Chicago moving with their FlosstraPROMus, a yearly event, and the long running Oldies Night that just wrapped up after two successful years. Besides throwing party after party, the duo found time to tour all over the globe with the likes of Chromeo and Kid Sister (J2K’s sister), release a slew of mixtapes and singles, and play massive festivals including Coachella, South by Southwest, Pitchfork Festival, and Lollapalooza, where they’ll return to the stage this year to keep Grant Park moving Lolla 2010 weekend.

Despite logging long hours on the road, Flosstradamus are hometown boys at heart. Chances are you can find them behind the decks somewhere within the city limits. A typical show is a packed dance floor, sticky from jostled drinks, a thumping bass beat, and the heat of a usually at capacity room moving in time. Chicago is a city that loves to party until the lights come up, whether it be hip-hop, house, juke, soul or a mix of anything (and everything) else, and Flosstradamus’s set usually contains all of these aspects. As J2K told Gapers Block in a 2007 interview, their performance has “a lot to do with family and where we came from.” J2K stated “we didn’t have much, but my parents were really into music,” and that “we play stuff that our families has around the house,” which included a mix of ’80s funk, bluegrass, ’90s rap and R&B, and metal. As any music fan knows, a steady diet of an eclectic mix of genres and sound is the perfect recipe for a good DJ set, so given their background it’s no surprise the success of Flosstradamus.

I first heard of Flosstradamus when I moved to Chicago to attend college. They went to the same school as I did, so their sets around campus and at local parties were pretty common. I was spoiled in a way, having the pleasure of seeing Flosstradamus multiple times, like a resident DJ to my college year soundtrack. So clearly I’ve got a soft spot for the boys and beam like a proud parent when I see them on television. Same goes for Kid Sister, another alumni of my college, the Chicago music scene, and the Lollapalooza stage as well. Chicago sticks together, and whether you personally know the bands are just recognize each other from numerous last calls at local clubs, everyone feels like a family in a way. I’ve seen Flosstradamus at my local bar, even been to their garage sale, and have some friends in common. This is the nature of the beast here, where the degrees of separation in the Chicago music give the six degrees of Kevin Bacon a run for its money.

Whether Flosstradamus mans the booth at Burlington or headline a huge festival stage, they’ll always be one of my Chicago acts, because if the Chicago music scene is one thing for sure, it’s fiercely allegiant to the locals. The last time I caught Flosstradamus was their yearly prom this past February, and it was familiar yet fresh as always. The remixes might be different, a new sample or two might pop up, but overall I know what to expect. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a perfect mantra to follow when it comes to building a following, and Flosstradamus has done just that. I know they’ll pull out some classic and hidden tracks that will me make me nostalgic, show me something new, and make sure that I work up a sweat and curse my aching feet the next day. And always leave the dance floor with a smile on my face. They’re the perfect Chicago soundtrack to a quintessential Chicago night.

Written by Lisa White. Photo courtesy of Clayton Hauck.

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on Frightened Rabbit comes from HEAVEMedia.

My first experience with Frightened Rabbit, a short set caught on a whim at Do Division 2008, was uncomfortable. It was partly the band. They didn’t seem at home outside on a hot June afternoon, the tension of living in a van in a foreign country was visible in some of their onstage interaction, and frontman Scott Hutchison isn’t exactly the picture of cocksure Scottishness we’ve all grown up with over here. A little bit of my unease had to do with the crowd, if you could call it one. Despite a couple of nice write-ups in the local music press (A.V. Club’s inclusion of the video for “Head Rolls Off” with their review of the band’s revelatory The Midnight Organ Fight was what did it for me), the steady stream of passersby remained mostly that. It was really hard to see a band as good as they were struggle so mightily to hold the attention of so few – even an onstage collection of stuffed animals won from various Bear Claw machines (yes, really) and multiple reminders by Hutchison that the band was playing a free show in Chicago the following week didn’t seem to have much effect.

Problems onstage and with the setting, though, were peripheral. Most of my unease was due to the fact I’d overdressed for my first Chicago street festival. It had been an unseasonably cool May, even for the city, where nighttime temperatures had routinely dipped into the forties and every day seemed a wink and a bad angle away from rain or a bitter wind. And so, this first weekend of June, I’d worn a long-sleeved button-up shirt for the afternoon bike ride. With an undershirt, and warm socks, and it was miserable. To make matters worse, my fiancée began making fun of my “boating outfit” as soon as we were out of the apartment building, and we argued most of the way there. Getting to the point, my problems were silly, and mundane, but they were mine. And as I stood in front of the stage, half-engulfed by my self-obsessed little drama, I stayed quiet. And marveled, as the part of me that wasn’t checking my armpits was witnessing what grand things could come of someone else’s seemingly insignificant personal struggles.

Like a bedroom U2, I thought. The songs were raw and confessional; Hutchison’s portrayal of his attempts to deal with love, loss, and self-doubt brutal and brutally honest. Smart, yet unpretentious, sad but with no hint of the weepy screech of the canned radio-emo you couldn’t escape in 2008. At the same time, the band’s sound was huge. Over building arrangements and drummer/brother Grant’s primal, pounding backbeat, the personal became universal. The songs were Hutchison’s cries to be loved and his fears that he wasn’t worth it; they were my sweat-stained shirt, fight with my fiancée, the anxiety of fitting in in a new city. Hutchison shouted to the heavens, baring his soul for all that would listen. That day, there were only a few dozen of us. That, however, would quickly change.

Only seven months later, on the eve of President Obama’s inauguration, I saw Frightened Rabbit give a stellar performance at Washington, D.C.’s famed Rock n’ Roll Hotel. The club was small, but it was undeniable that people had caught on to the band. Packed like sardines on a Monday night when the entire city had someplace to be the next morning, the crowd sweated, swayed, and hung on Hutchison’s every word. The singer remarked that it was a good time to be in America, and the band was noticeably happier than the last time I’d seen them. Another summer came, and FR (as they’d come to be called by a rapidly expanding fan base) traded up from Do Division to a slot at the sold-out Pitchfork Music Festival.

Cut to 2010, and Frightened Rabbit are ready for the big leagues. Their new record The Winter of Mixed Drinks, a stirring set about the process and hang-ups of moving forward, is among the year’s very best. The wide-open setting of Grant Park, expansive Chicago skyline, and throngs of music fans at Lollapalooza are an ideal backdrop for FR’s rousing sound. At the same time, the songs cut so deep as to make you feel as though they’re yours. Yours, and everyone’s. Grab your beer, wander, do your thing, but whatever that is, do not miss this band. And, just in case, dress light.

Written by Miguel Harvey

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on Mumford and Sons comes from The FiveThreeSix.

Enjoy, and check out the rest of our Artist Discovery Series to get hip to Lolla 2010.

Last fall, a friend at MTV suggested we at The FiveThreeSix check out Mumford and Sons. While an MTV employee garners more respect than others who send us suggestions (mainly 60-year-olds and spam bots), we’re both a little surprised that we actually typed their band in to the Google search tab. It’s fair to say that on a daily basis, whether it’s through blog-hunting, twitter-stalking or personal submissions, we hear a hundred different band names. We cannot listen to them all and therefore usually the rule of repetition works: if we hear it a few times, we scope. Yet, destiny intervened this time, and for some miraculous reason the Mumford and Sons suggestion wasn’t taken lightly. Before iTunes could confirm that we did in fact want to buy the album, we were in love.

The music of Mumford and Sons falls into the world of folk-rock that is emerging as the newest almighty genre. Our moms like it, our “Kesha or Taio Cruz only” sisters like it, and we like it. That’s a trifecta that very few other bands have ever been able to engage. Mumford and Sons could line themselves up with bands such as The Avett Brothers or The Punch Brothers and no music god would even look twice. (Note: Would all bands find success if they had a familial word in their name? Possibly.) Look, if we had to sum up our thoughts on this band in one full-swooping dramatic statement, we’d say: “Mumford and Sons are about to take over the world”.

They have the talent and personality to give their audience a perfectly composed live music experience. With a powerhouse sound, English accents and hilarious stage fodder, we are having a hard time trying to find anything we do not like. We were lucky enough to catch them at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall this past May. To say that the crowd was entertained is an extreme understatement; it may be more appropriate to use the word “entranced”. Fairly new to the American scene, we assumed superiority for ourselves because we knew the words to all their songs -super fans amongst tragic wannabes, if you will. Well, the US tour sold out, the venues filled up and the rarity quickly became not knowing every word. Yet again, we are not as cool as we thought.

You will have a hard time peeling your eyes away from the stage because while all the members are captivating, Marcus Mumford is a show in himself. From the moment we heard his voice we knew it was nothing short of love. Not only is he incapable of singing a sour note, but he strums the guitar, hits the kick drum and shakes the tambourine while he does it. Frankly it wouldn’t matter if he could barely play said instruments, it would still be impressive.

Look, we can’t tell you what to do. What we can do is make you a bet to get your competitive juices flowing. Go to the Mumford and Sons show at Lollapalooza. If you don’t fall in love at their performance, email us and we’ll reimburse your ticket. No we don’t have unlimited financial resources, in fact if we have more than $50 between us that’s considered a good day. We can place this bet solely on the notion that it is an impossibility to not adore Marcus Mumford & Co. In the unlikely event you don’t like them, you’re clearly an idiot and we don’t answer the emails of idiots anyway. We’re not being rude, we’re just being honest.

Go. Fall in love. This will be a simple kind of love. Nothing wavers, nothing ends, no unpleasant surprises, no disappointments. Later, when you’re forced to turn down your boyfriend’s marriage proposal because he cannot offer you what Mumford and Sons can, play him their CD. We promise he’ll understand.

Written by Nora Silver & Bridget Luehrsen

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on Frightened Rabbit comes from HEAVE Media.

Enjoy, and check out the rest of our Artist Discovery Series to get hip to Lolla 2010.

My first experience with Frightened Rabbit, a short set caught on a whim at Do Division 2008, was uncomfortable. It was partly the band. They didn’t seem at home outside on a hot June afternoon, the tension of living in a van in a foreign country was visible in some of their onstage interaction, and frontman Scott Hutchison isn’t exactly the picture of cocksure Scottishness we’ve all grown up with over here. A little bit of my unease had to do with the crowd, if you could call it one. Despite a couple of nice write-ups in the local music press (A.V. Club’s inclusion of the video for “Head Rolls Off” with their review of the band’s revelatory The Midnight Organ Fight was what did it for me), the steady stream of passersby remained mostly that. It was really hard to see a band as good as they were struggle so mightily to hold the attention of so few – even an onstage collection of stuffed animals won from various Bear Claw machines (yes, really) and multiple reminders by Hutchison that the band was playing a free show in Chicago the following week didn’t seem to have much effect.

Problems onstage and with the setting, though, were peripheral. Most of my unease was due to the fact I’d overdressed for my first Chicago street festival. It had been an unseasonably cool May, even for the city, where nighttime temperatures had routinely dipped into the forties and every day seemed a wink and a bad angle away from rain or a bitter wind. And so, this first weekend of June, I’d worn a long-sleeved button-up shirt for the afternoon bike ride. With an undershirt, and warm socks, and it was miserable. To make matters worse, my fiancée began making fun of my “boating outfit” as soon as we were out of the apartment building, and we argued most of the way there. Getting to the point, my problems were silly, and mundane, but they were mine. And as I stood in front of the stage, half-engulfed by my self-obsessed little drama, I stayed quiet. And marveled, as the part of me that wasn’t checking my armpits was witnessing what grand things could come of someone else’s seemingly insignificant personal struggles.

Like a bedroom U2, I thought. The songs were raw and confessional; Hutchison’s portrayal of his attempts to deal with love, loss, and self-doubt brutal and brutally honest. Smart, yet unpretentious, sad but with no hint of the weepy screech of the canned radio-emo you couldn’t escape in 2008. At the same time, the band’s sound was huge. Over building arrangements and drummer/brother Grant’s primal, pounding backbeat, the personal became universal. The songs were Hutchison’s cries to be loved and his fears that he wasn’t worth it; they were my sweat-stained shirt, fight with my fiancée, the anxiety of fitting in in a new city. Hutchison shouted to the heavens, baring his soul for all that would listen. That day, there were only a few dozen of us. That, however, would quickly change.

Only seven months later, on the eve of President Obama’s inauguration, I saw Frightened Rabbit give a stellar performance at Washington, D.C.’s famed Rock n’ Roll Hotel. The club was small, but it was undeniable that people had caught on to the band. Packed like sardines on a Monday night when the entire city had someplace to be the next morning, the crowd sweated, swayed, and hung on Hutchison’s every word. The singer remarked that it was a good time to be in America, and the band was noticeably happier than the last time I’d seen them. Another summer came, and FR (as they’d come to be called by a rapidly expanding fan base) traded up from Do Division to a slot at the sold-out Pitchfork Music Festival.

Cut to 2010, and Frightened Rabbit are ready for the big leagues. Their new record The Winter of Mixed Drinks, a stirring set about the process and hang-ups of moving forward, is among the year’s very best. The wide-open setting of Grant Park, expansive Chicago skyline, and throngs of music fans at Lollapalooza are an ideal backdrop for FR’s rousing sound. At the same time, the songs cut so deep as to make you feel as though they’re yours. Yours, and everyone’s. Grab your beer, wander, do your thing, but whatever that is, do not miss this band. And, just in case, dress light.

Written by Miguel Harvey of HEAVE Media.

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on The New Pornographers comes from LoudLoopPress.com.

Enjoy, and check out the rest of our Artist Discovery Series to get hip to Lolla 2010.

It pretty much goes without saying that whenever some band gets described as a “supergroup,” your immediate, and appropriate, reaction, is to roll your eyes and brace yourself for the worst. Given that fact, even though The New Pornographers feature A.C. Newman and Neko Case of solo acclaim, Dan Bejar of Destroyer and Swan Lake, and members of other Canadian rock groups such as Limblifter, perhaps we’re better off focusing not on the band’s pedigree, but on the consistently great music The New Pornographers create as one of the best rock bands together today.

Right out of the gate, the Pornographers made huge waves with their 2000 debut album, Mass Romantic, which The Onion A.V. Club ranked as its #21 album of the decade, and Blender called the 24th best indie album of all time. On that record, the band introduced their brand of what is probably best described as indie power-pop, combining driving guitars, keyboards, and crisp drums with well-crafted melodies and perfectly accented harmonies to create an updated AM-radio sing-along sound that almost forces you to drum your hands to the beat. The band isn’t engaging in hyperbole when, speaking of a track on Mass Romantic, their website proclaims that upon the Pornographers forming, the group wrote “the classic ‘Letter From An Occupant,’ and it was on.”

Not content to rest on the laurels of that awesomeness, the band thankfully hasn’t let up or let down since. Including Mass Romantic, the Pornographers have released five full-length albums in the past decade, the last three all cracking the Billboard top 50, with the most recent, 2010’s Together, hitting #18. But don’t go thinking that means the band has gone and lost their indie cred. They’re still on Matador Records (doesn’t hurt that Newman is married to the label’s marketing manager), and even got David Cross to appear in their 2005 music video for the excellent single “Use It.”

For a band that can technically be called a side project for many (if not all) of its members, it’s a compliment to say that nothing the Pornographers have ever done sound like a throw-away track or a half-assed attempt at pushing out another record. The songs are all deftly, yet intricately, written and tightly performed, but unlike some other indie power-pop acts (no offense, Ted Leo…”Me and Mia” still makes the list of top tracks of last decade), The New Pornographers back up their perfectly-crafted songs with an energy and emotion that makes their records more than just an exercise in great form. And continuing in that vein: yes, we’ve probably overused the phrase “power-pop” while discussing the band, but don’t let that term fool you. The New Pornographers write songs with originality and character that put them not just in the upper echelon of pop-rock bands today, but place them firmly at the top of the list of ensemble rock acts of the past decade.

So don’t miss these guys and gals out at Lollapalooza—even if you’ve never heard them before, you can’t help but to instantly fall in love with The New Pornographers come August sixth.

Written by Andy Kondrat

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on HEALTH comes from Consequence of Sound.
Enjoy, and check out the rest of our Artist Discovery Series to get hip to Lolla 2010.

Lollapalooza is just around the corner, so Consequence of Sound will be giving you the heads up on this year’s lineup, highlighting a variety of acts we think you need to know about. You’ve most likely heard a few (if not most) of them by now, but maybe a few more paragraphs, videos, and songs will convince you to stop by their stage come set-time…

It’s kind of sad to think that HEALTH’s best known release is only half theirs. Nigh three years ago, the Los Angeles-based four-piece released a semi-remix/semi-collaboration version of their song “Crimewave” with Crystal Castles. While the track is the perfect dance-inducer, it fits a separate niche from the rest of the group’s material. One must only compare that “Crimewave” with the one on the group’s debut to find the differences. Where the CC version is funky and constant, the HEALTH version is tribal and angular, even crushing.

Discover: HEALTH.

From their 2007 self-titled effort on, HEALTH has established its own unique sound: from the zoothorns (microphones filtered through god knows how many pedals) to the extra tom in front of the sickeningly powerful drum kit, the bass that sounds nothing like a bass to the haunting, near-whispered vocals. While this may sound like more of the usual freak-noise-mumbo-jumbo out there, it all comes together as a slick, entirely comprehensible package.

“Triceratops” is easily the best track on the first album (one of the best of 2007 if not a larger time-frame), a bone-bruiser that rampages with the mania of a pack of said dinosaurs. “Are you broken, are you leaving, is your blood red, are you breathing?” vocalist Jake Duzsik intones a few times before the needling guitars and thunderclap drums fall out in favor of a wordless moan from multiple voices. Epic, swirling tones and thumping toms fade out the track, a receding storm of noise.

That album led to a show leading into 2008’s Pitchfork Music Festival at Chicago’s Hideout. The gig was one of the sweatiest, rowdiest, most crowded I’ve ever seen. Bassist John Famiglietti’s swagger and howl took center stage, while drummer B.J. Miller and multi-instrumentalist Jupiter Keyes provided impressive, substantial bases from which Duzsik could monotone and scream.

Before heading out as a support act for industrial legends Nine Inch Nails, the group released a remix album called HEALTH//DISCO which featured, among other re-envisions, the Crystal Castles’ hit “Crimewave”. The sound didn’t always get rave reviews from NIN fans, but it’s safe to say the tour earned a few new fans. A year later, the group released Get Color, a strong sophomore effort featuring a newer, tighter sound.

But, to get a better idea of the band’s unique sense of humor/aesthetic, take a look at this MySpace journal entry regarding the group’s Willy Wonka Golden Ticket-esque release of Get Color. Prizes ranged from breakfast in bed to a poster signed in blood to a package of childhood photos. Though, sadly, some of those wacky gifts have gone unclaimed.

“We just went to Magic Mountain with the grand prize winner,” explains Famiglietti. “We’ll have a video up on YouTube shortly. We’ve done most of ‘em though, like blood autographs and stuff like that.”

There have been more shenanigans involving the ol’ MySpace page, though. Recently, the group put up examples of HEALTH-related tattoos. The response was larger than even they imagined. “We’ve only had some photos sent our way, but they look amazing,” Famiglietti says. “I think some chickened out.” That’s not all, however. In addition to the wacky internet memes, the group made some time to swim with dolphins, which Famiglietti adds, “When a dolphin jizzes it’s like a fucking shotgun blast.” Lovely image.

Regardless, the music is what’s important here, and I’m not just saying that because I didn’t win a bag of Keyes’ cat’s hair (seriously). “In Heat” opens Get Color with the same tooth-chattering waves of distorted synth and guitar noise. Lead single “Die Slow” stutters its way into an immense groove. Fun fact: The video to that track was recently removed from YouTube, due to some sexual content, prompting the band to release an edited version in which a giant orange square is placed over the “racy” material. The band was a little disappointed by that, though. “What irks me is that the ‘Die Slow’ video was flagged for sexual writhing and not the blood,” Famiglietti argues. “But the “We Are Water” video, which has a stabbed ball sack and some beheading, was not even flagged.” What gives?

So, if you like your music danceable, but with an edge, HEALTH is the band for you. Everything comes together in a tangled mess of groovy fun. No napkins, necessary. Plus, they go on early enough, which should avoid any nail biting conflicts in your schedule. Famiglietti’s, too. Much like you, he plans to check out the rest of the festival come Sunday. Who’s he psyched for? Famiglietti only had one answer: “Cypress Hill!”

Laugh riot.

Be sure to pick up HEALTH’s latest effort, DISCO2, out now via Lovepump United.

All the way up to August 6-8, we will be featuring reviews and previews for artists playing Lollapalooza 2010. Not only that, we’ve enlisted Lolla-loving blogs, many which you guys picked out yourself, to help us out. Today’s feature on The Morning Benders comes from LoudLoopPress.com. Enjoy!

Spend a day or two out on the West Coast and you’ll pick up on the laid-back, worry-about-it-tomorrow attitude that persists throughout many of the various locales. Give Big Echo, the sophomore album from Berkeley, California’s The Morning Benders a spin or two and just as quickly you’ll pick up that airy West Coast vibe. Despite the relaxed atmosphere there’s nothing lazy about the group bringing their melodic and breezy brand of pop to Lollapalooza’s The Grove stage at noon on Saturday, Aug. 6.

The quartet, led by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Christopher Chu, worked with Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor on Big Echo to capture a lush but warm sound that the group has transferred to their live show. In the studio or on stage there’s a cool confidence in what they do. “The grass is always greener – when we are in the studio, I get antsy, and all I want to do is go on tour,” said Chu, “When we are on tour for months at a time, all I want to do is get back in the studio and make something new. Can’t have one without the other.”

At a recent performance at The Vic Theatre opening for Broken Bells in Chicago, Chu personalized the set by chatting with the audience between songs. He’ll try and do the same in front of the larger, outdoor festival crowd at Lollapalooza. “I always find a way to feel connected to the audience when I am performing,” said Chu. “And even if we can’t talk to people from the stage, we’ll go into the crowd after and talk to everyone. We do that at every show.”

Chu’s ability to connect with the audience is aided by his charming and vulnerable lyrics that are laced with romantic imagery. There’s sincerity in his tone that’s bolstered by the focused rhythms of drummer Julian Harmon and bassist Timothy Or and the blissfully harmonic guitar of Joseph Ferrell. The Morning Benders have toured extensively in 2010, already having played in Chicago twice. But Chu and company are excited to be coming back for Lollapalooza. “Chicago is one of our favorite cities to play,” said Chu. “Festivals are a lot of fun for us though because we get to see a lot of our friends in bands. Due to our crazy schedules there are few times when all our band homies are in the same place at the same time.

Who is Chu looking forward to catching at Lollaplooza this year?

“I would love to see The Strokes, and Arcade Fire. I very rarely go to see big bands like these at shows, and a huge music festival seems like the ideal venue to see them in. Could be epic.”

Written by Associate Editor Andrew Kahn. Photos by Craig Shimala.