Friday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Must-See Artists, Pt. III

Another day, another day closer to departure. Here's part three of Bears and Bullets Lollapalooza 2010 countdown.

#6: Hot Chip
As with The New Pornographers, English pop-dance-whatever group Hot Chip are making their first Lollapalooza appearance since 2006. Since the group's first appearance, the sounds of Alexis Taylor and a small amount of revolving members have achieved a slow progression through 2008's Made in the Dark and this year's One Life Stand, with songs like "Ready for the Floor" and "Shake a Fist" that we in the blog world have heard about probably a thousand times over.

Regardless, the group's dynamics and well-regarded live prowess push them to the middle of this year's list. Plus, I haven't seen them. Hot Chip will be performing at 6:00 on the Parkways stage, Friday, August 6.

Hot Chip - I Feel Better



#5: The National
If it hasn't been mentioned enough this year already, The National have become a pretty big deal. For the band's first studio release since 2007's The Boxer, 2010's High Violet have all-but affirmed their continuing climb up the indie music echelon.

On a short return from their last Lollapalooza performance in 2008, The National are set again to finish off the last night of the festival on the north side of the park, on the Playstation stage at 7:15, on Sunday, August 8. Side note; fans can meet the band at 4:30 on that Sunday for autographs at the F.Y.E. Tent.

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio



Check in Monday for Parts IV and V ...

Thursday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Must-See Artists, Pt. II

As the days to Lollapalooza 2010 swiftly approach, we continue the list of my top ten must-see acts of the festival. And now, here's part two.

#8: The Walkmen

A relatively under-billed, for some reason, act at this year's festival, The Walkmen are on the cusp of releasing what is expected to be another stellar album to their frequently filled catalog. Five years after the group broke into the hearts of indie-philes everywhere with their dynamic, and all-engrossing single "The Rat", The Walkmen, led by lead-singer Hamilton Leithauser are on the cusp of yet another studio release, Lisbon.

The new album, scheduled for release in September, via Fat Possum Records, is a continuation of the matured sound from 2008's You & Me, with plenty of modern saloon-esque horns cascading the slow decadence of Leithauser's surprisingly booming voice. For more on Lisbon, you can read an NPR highlight on the band's new works here.

The Walkmen will be performing at 1:00 on the Adidas Mega stage, Friday, August 6.

The Walkmen - Stranded - MP3

#7: The New Pornographers

Canadian super-group The New Pornographers - led by singer-songwriters AC Newman, Dan Bejar and Neko Case, who made her own appearance at Lollapalooza last year - will be making their first appearance at the festival as a whole group in four years.

After a successful string of critically acclaimed albums released in the first half of the 2000's, The New Pornographers, coupled with their various side projects, took a bit of a side-step with their somewhat disappointing 2007 release, Challengers. Fast-forward three years, and you have Together, a collective reshaping of the band back to the enduring sounds fans first experienced with Mass Romantic.

The group will be performing at 4:00 on the Budweiser Stage, Friday, August 6. Together is out now via Matador Records.

The New Pornographers - Crash Years (Live on Fallon)

Check in tomorrow for Part III ...

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Must-See Artists, Pt. I

That heavily-anticipated time of year has finally drifted within the week. Next Tuesday, August 3, I'll make my annual departure to Chicago for Lollapalooza. If you don't know that by now, well, now you do. And as with the coming days, I'll give out my list of my ten most anticipated acts of the festival.

Now keep in mind, because of schedule restrictions and conflicts, that seeing literally every act I wish would be utterly impossible. So, there will, unfortunately, be some omissions in this list; including: The Black Keys, Grizzly Bear, and others.

So to start my list, we'll highlight two artists that made my first official top ten list, Gogol Bordello and Yeasayer.

#10: Gogol Bordello
Eugene Hutz and Co. are somewhat frequent here (considering how much I adored them in 2008), so me seeing them as much as I can always ends up being a must. The group, an eclectic mix of European, Asian and American gypsy punks (the only title that works) are well-known for their electric live shows and rampant fan base.

Fresh off the release of their fifth studio album, Trans-Continental Hustle, Gogol Bordello will be performing at 3:45 on the Parkways stage, on Saturday, August 7.

Gogol Bordello - Immigraniada (Live on Jools Holland)



#9: Yeasayer
Another act I first saw at Lolla 2008, Yeasayer have gained a little more recognition in the past few years, especially after the release of their Odd Blood last February. Over those years, the group's sound has evolved from slow, psychedelic jams from their All Hour Symbols album in 2007, to a more flexible electro-pop.

The group will be performing at 4:00 on the Budweiser stage, Sunday, August 8.

Yeasayer - O.N.E.



Part II will be continued tomorrow ...