New Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools (Drank)

Before performing at last weekends Pitchfork Music Festival, alongside Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar released the first official track from his major label debut. The new track, "Swimming Pools (Drank)" doesn't feature any guest spots, which Kendrick has become increasingly fond of, but does feature steady hard beats from T-Minus.

Check out the new track below, and grab good kid, m.A.A.d city October 2.

A logical refute of Bitchmedia's criticisms towards Lollapalooza

Browsing through people's reactions to the Lollapalooza lineup on Twitter, you'll see a genuinely mixed batch of responses: some enthralled, some disappointed, some indifferent - the usual norm to any situation like this.

However, one reaction garnered a significant amount of attention from Bitchmedia - an online analytical take on feminist pop culture.

After the lineup was revealed, Katie Presley, writer for the site, promptly noted an alarming absence of female acts placed upon the billing, sans a small handful. The response, aptly titled, "Lollapalooza 2011: Dudefest Midwest," which you can read here, noted that on the Lollapalooza official poster, there wasn't a single female act represented in any shape or form until Crystal Castles, the 20th artist on the list.

"The rest of the lineup is more of the same," Presley writes. "Five or ten dudes or dude bands, one lady or lady band. There are 100 acts playing at Lollapalooza this year. 32 of them have a woman in the band. Not at the center of the band, not necessarily the singer. Just in the band, anywhere."

Is her reaction appropriate? Of course. Anyone can read the lineup one time over and notice the overwhelming majority of male-led acts. But the same can be said about any major music festival. In fact, Coachella, which just passed two weeks ago, had even less female participants (but more headlining females at the same time).

So while Presley indeed has a valued point to be made, the frustration is completely misdirected. Before I explain why, I will note that I am a fan-boy of the festival, so take whatever you want from the response.

At the end of the entry, Presley notes her frustration with the festival's organizers, C3. From that, we can logically understand that the deft of the blame is to be put on their shoulders, but is that looking at the situation too narrowly?

Presley notes the frustrations specifically with a lack of female headlining material, but the absence of it never tells a straight-line story. The foot of the blame should be more focused towards the state of females in alternative music in general. The number of females that could realistically headline the festival, or those like it, is incredibly small. Lady Gaga of course headlined last year, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (who originally headlined this year's Lollapalooza Chile) headlined in 2009, but headliners from the previous year never repeat.

That being said, what other options could there realistically be? This is, after all, an alternative music festival footed by immense marketing and investment. To solely blame organizers is to ignore the audience that the event generates and caters toward.

While Presley does indeed have a point that should be addressed, where the reality lies is beyond the organizers of this and other music festivals like it.

Monday Bears: Arcade Fire ... wins?

Last night, the 53rd annual Grammy Awards gave one of the most shockingly righteous awards in the show's history. After being nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, the Arcade Fire seemed more like outsiders thrown into the comical ring for nothing more than pity and forced acknowledgement. A lot of people who know me have heard my on-again off-again verbal detest of the lauded award show. Year after inconsequential year, denominated awards were handed out like peripheral life-time achievement statues, giving awards to Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock, and a dead guy.

Throughout the course of the show, the Grammy's were unsurprisingly Grammy-like: Lady Antebellum seemed to be getting every award they had been nominated for, and "Hey, Soul Sister" actually won something -- so, it didn't look good. To put things in an even wider perspective, Arcade Fire actually lost their first two awards to the Black Keys.

Three years ago, Radiohead was also shockingly nominated for Album of the Year for In Rainbows, only to lose to who-gives-a-fuck Robert Plant and Allison Krauss. I'm basically trying to tell you in a bevy of different ways that The Suburbs had virtually no shot to win Album of the Year.

Well, I was wrong. Happily wrong. Arcade Fire beat out Lady Antebellum, Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry - four massive mainstream pop acts with legions of followers dwarfing anything the Montreal group has come close to. Barbara Streisand, who announced it, couldn't even seem to get the right words out of her mouth - like she couldn't pronounce the insanely foreign phrase "The Suburbs."

So, what does it all mean? Twitter indie-philes were utterly shocked (just like these people), and dishearteningly concerned that the group would transpose into the mainstream, even though their radio play is few and far between. Will the group actually get radio play now? How will "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" sound between an Usher and the Black Eyed Peas on top 40 radio?

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but right now the band isn't just important to those of us who try to pay attention to more than 10 artists - they matter on a global scale. And whether that lasts or not, right now, fans like me feel like we won something.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Review - Day One

Lollapalooza 2010 has come and gone. And as with every year, I'll post my day-by-day in depth review of everything that happened, to me at least.

Day One:

By now, I feel comfortable calling myself a Lolla veteran. Despite the new shake-ups organizers made to the park - moving some stages and increasing size and ticket revenue - certain things about the festival have now become somewhat predictable. Now that's not me saying that I don't enjoy my time, because I certainly do, but the surprise factor has somewhat been diminished. Regardless, August 6, the festival's first full day, was one of the best I've ever had the privilege of being a part of.

The sun was out in pristine blue sky, as Chicago usually seems to this time of year, at a hot, but bearable 80 degrees. Walking in I noticed two distinct things that we're a bit different: one; the size expansion. The Lolla-area had been extended to Michigan Avenue, allowing several stages their own space, more bathrooms and easier in and out access to the park. The other was the overwhelming amount of Lady Gaga fans. They had come in black and pink droves, with colored hair, flaring costumes and skin-tight everything, parking themselves at the south side of the park for the entire day, hoping to save a seat in the enormous crowd that was growing throughout the day. It was a big change of pace for a festival that had never billed a pure mainstream pop act of this caliber. For once, the festival wasn't a haven for mislabeled hipsters and older fans looking for a fun weekend. More on that later.

So, officially, my third Lollapalooza began with Wavves at around noon. For those familiar with the band and their studio work, you'd understand the risks seeing them. Luckily, or in another sense, predictably, the band is better live than advertised. With a weekend short on surprising acts, Wavves was a good start. The noise rock trio, headed by notorious frontman Nate Williams, were a bit out there (if you know the cover of their King of the Beach album you can pretty much figure it out) for the majority of the show, accusing fans for being Ben Stein and whatnot, but they settled into their own, making them a bit more endearing than before.

Wavves

Leaving Wavves with a little time to spare, I made my way to the opposite end of the park to catch the Walkmen, the first of my many heavily anticipated performances. While the first five minutes of the show were clouded with immense, for some reason, technical difficulties, the band broke into with the first of many new tracks from their upcoming album Lisbon.

Decked in their usual casual yet formal clothing, the group, thanks most to Hamilton Leithauser's booming vocals, gave maybe the best early performance of the day, mixing in new work and more familiar singles like "In the New Year" and "The Rat" throughout the show. All in all, a pretty damn good start for just being 2:00 p.m.

The Walkmen

My eventual down-time was few and far between, but between 2:00 and 4:00 I had my first breather. I took short trips to see Ana Sia, my first visit to the updated Perry's Place, and a couple minutes with noise-gaze trio Cymbals Eat Guitars, but eventually found myself waiting for the New Pornographers to start.

Kicking off with my favorite song of theirs, "Sing Me Spanish Techno," Neko Case (draped in a sun-protecting hat), AC Newman, Dan Bejar (who came in and out often) and the rest of the group performed almost every hit they've had in their near ten-year careers, spanning from 2001's Mass Romantic to this year's Together. Needless to say, the group sounded flawless on stage, despite the direct sunlight on Case's fair frame. Friday afternoon had again spurned what would turn out to be one of the weekend's best shows.

The New Pornographers

Once 5:00 rolled around, I was caught in my first of several weekend dilemmas. Do I stay at the north side of the park and catch the Dirty Projectors? Or Fuck Buttons? Well, I knew I wasn't going to Matt & Kim on the south side so there wasn't too much worry there, so I tried my time at both and wound up just grabbing my spot for Hot Chip.

It's unfortunate to note that this was probably the only stain on day one. As I mentioned before, the plethora of Gaga fans camping out at the south end of the park eventually begun to choke the area around the main stage. And by 6:00 any person hoping to grab a spot for either Hot Chip or Gaga had to really manage their way through the sidelines. It's a shame too, because the group put on one of the best shows of the weekend, but half of time I was trying not to bump shoulders with 40,000 others. Still, it was another great show for the day.

With the first night a few hours away from closing, I geared up for day one's headliner, The Strokes. I stayed a short time at Jamie Lidell's bearded and disheveled performance, trying to rest my legs in anticipation of two and half hours of straight standing (and/or jumping). Yeah, it didn't really do much to help.

Jamie Lidell

For those who weren't aware, or don't regularly read this thing, this was the first show the Strokes had done in the United States in nearly four years. While there wasn't any new material to speak of (could be a good or a bad thing), the band seemed like they haven't spent too much time apart, performing almost their entire track list from Is This It? and several other songs from their last two albums. It's hard-pressed for Lolla headliners to put on disappointing performances, and aside from the late start and somewhat early exit (making a scheduled hour and half show into an hour and 10 minute show), The Strokes easily delivered. So for fans electing to, or adamant about staying away from anything Gaga, their night ended pretty well.

The Strokes

Best Performances: The Strokes, The New Pornographers, Hot Chip, The Walkmen
Worst Performances: None

Highlights: "Reptilia" by the Strokes, "Bleeding Heart Show" by The New Pornographers and "In the New Year" by The Walkmen
Lowlights: The Gaga crowd at Hot Chip

Day Two Review Tomorrow ...

Tuesday Bears: Back from Chicago

Well, as it always unfortunately is, Lollapalooza must come to its end. I'll post my in-depth three day review later. But for now, enjoy.

Semi-Precious Weapons (with Gaga)

Lollapalooza 2010 Must-See Artists, Pt. V

And finally, here's part V.

#2: Spoon
No, Spoon aren't one of the six headliners at Lollapalooza this year, something that speaks volume to the festival's plethora of solid mid-tier acts, or their maybe weak-ish headliners. The Austin, Texas indie-alterna veterans, now 12 years into their critically-amassed studio career, have become a staple for summer music festivals, appearing at Pitchfork Music Festival two years ago, Coachella in April, Lolla (for the third time) and Austin City Limits later this year.

It seemed that the release of 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga, that the band would be poised for an enormous breakout, similar to what Phoenix has experienced since the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix last year. While things didn't exactly pan out in the same manner (they never really do), the band is still is at the peak of their long career.

Spoon will be performing at 6:15 on the Budweiser stage, Saturday, August 7. Fans can also meet the band at 8:00 in the F.Y.E. Tent.

Spoon - The Mystery Zone (Live on KCRW)



#1: Arcade Fire
Six years and only three studio albums to their credit, the Arcade Fire are in a unique place - too big for the indie scene and still too small, obscure and profound for the big markets. While it remains to be seen that this will be the zenith of their careers, the band has certainly reached a point of critical profoundness.

I guess it's somewhat ironic that I ended up posting this today, the same day the group releases their third album The Suburbs. I've heard bits and pieces, but have to get my hands on a full copy of the release. But from what I've heard (and numerous others have) the band does not disappoint. Surely, during Lollapalooza, for those who aren't obsessed with Lady Gaga, the Arcade Fire may end up being the biggest thing all weekend.

The Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait - MP3

Well, that wraps up this year's top ten list. I'll be heading off pretty soon, so Bears and Bullets will be on its annual hiatus. Stay tuned next week for my in-depth review of the festival.

Stay cool kids ...

Tuesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 schedule revealed

Now I have nothing left to wait for but my annual Chicago vacation.

Lollapalooza announced earlier today their official schedule for their 2010 festival with their usual assortment of conflicting set times and empty hours. Let's break it all down:

Day One: Friday, August 6 marks the opening day of the festival, and is jam-packed, unlike last year's lackluster opening day. Noise-something duo Wavves will start my festival early at 12:15 p.m., with The Walkmen, playing a surprisingly early 1:00 p.m. set shortly following. Raphael Saadiq, The Big Pink and Cymbals Eat Guitars all follow until 4:00 p.m., when fans will have to decide between The New Pornographers and Devo.

Shortly following, we encounter another Day One conflict; Fuck Buttons, Matt & Kim and The Dirty Projectors will all begin their sets at 5:00 p.m. Only an hour later, The Black Keys and Hot Chip will begin their sets, with Jamie Lidell starting at 6:30.

Day One will be closed out by The Strokes and Lady Gaga.

Day Two: Compared to Day One, Day Two is a relative breeze. It starts with the Morning Benders at noon, for a measly half-hour set, then Harlem and Rogue Wave begin at 1:00 p.m. Then, I expect to cruise through Stars, Gogol Bordello, Grizzly Bear, Deer Tick, Spoon and Cut Copy, all the way until Phoenix headlines at 8:30.

It's worth noting that Green Day, who is the other Day Two headliner, will play a two hour and 15 minute set - the longest set I've seen scheduled for a long time.

Day Three: Day Three looks a bit more like Day One, with a handful of conflicts arising at the end of the day.

It starts with HEALTH and The Antlers at 11:30 a.m. through noon, then Dodos, The Cribs and Blitzen Trapper play at 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Then, another conflict; indie-upstarts Freelance Whales, Minus the Bear and Mumford & Sons all begin at 3:00 p.m. So, choose wisely.

Yeasayer begin their set at 4:00 p.m., in what turned out to be a pretty easy choice. However, at 5:00 p.m., another conflict a-la Day One arises. Frightened Rabbit, Erykah Badu and MUTEMATH all begin at the same time, so again, think carefully.

Then, another series of conflicts: at 6:00 p.m., MGMT and Wolfmother both perform. While this decision may be a little easier for some people, MGMT have a just reputation to suck live. That being said, The Temper Trap also begin their performance at 6:30 p.m. The National follow at 7:15 p.m., and then The Arcade Fire and Soundgarden will close out the festival.

So that's the jist of it, except for Perry's Place. You can check out the entire schedule below, or just head over the festival website.

Day One (Friday):

Day Two (Saturday):

Day Three (Sunday):

Tuesday Bears: Official Lollapalooza lineup revealed

One day after Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune leaked what was to be believed as the "official" Lollapalooza lineup, festival promoters have announced the legitimate lineup. And, in an ironic (or completely un-ironic twist), Kot was 100 percent on the money.

Indeed, the reunited Soundgarden, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Arcade Fire, Strokes and Phoenix are scheduled to headline the 2010 festival, with other notables, such as Spoon, The New Pornographers and The National, among others, making up a portion of the mid-tier acts.

The festival will host a couple retro and legendary acts, such as reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Devo and Cypress Hill, who appeared with Soundgarden at the first Lollapalooza in 1992. Perry's Place looks to replicate the fantastic success of 2009, landing 2manydjs, Empire of the Sun and Digitalism, among others, to lead the electro charge.

Despite the relatively improved headliners from last year and what appears to be another stellar stack of performers at Perry's Place, 2010's lineup (like 2009) appears to be a tad lacking, a la Bonnaroo. After various rumors had The Flaming Lips set to headline, the Oklahoma band is a no-show, which is likely the reason why Phoenix was thrown in as the sixth. Along with the disproved rumors possible appearances from David Byrne, Dangerdoom, Public Enemy and Against Me!, the mid-tier and lower groups look a bit light. Put that together with a superior Coachella lineup (it really is amazing), and fans may have some legitimate gripes this year.

However, with the seemingly last second inclusions of acts like Erykah Badu, The Walkmen, Harlem, Health and Wavves, this year may prove to be a little more full than meets the eye.

Three-day tickets for the Chicago festival, held from August 6-8, are available now. You can check out the whole lineup yourself here.

Stay tuned for more news regarding anything and everything Lolla ...

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza lineup all but leaked

Earlier today, Lollapalooza promoters started the initial leak of their 2010 lineup, Wheel of Fortune style. After Bonnaroo leaked their lineup in a new, viral fashion several weeks ago, the Chicago festival's promoters are putting their own spin on the idea; Hang Man.

At noon today, a day after the first batch of tickets officially went on sale ($190 right now), the model (see above) for the lineup was released on the festival's Web site, revealing the letter "O." And from that lone vowel, plus the combination of inside information and rumors, about 60-70 percent of the whole lineup has been basically figured out.

As I mentioned previously, Soundgarden, Green Day, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Lady Gaga and Phoenix look to be the main six headliners, with The National, New Pornographers, Hot Chip and Dirty Projectors, and others filling in the likely sub-headline spots.

Other artists that I haven't mentioned, but look to be included, are Spoon, Wolfmother, David Byrne, Dangerdoom, Grizzly Bear and the Black Keys, among others. Check out Consequence of Sound's somewhat completed map here for what has been figured out so far.

Check back later for more rumors.

Monday Bears: National on Fallon, Gaga confirms for Lollapalooza

With my spring vacation rolling in and the music blogo-sphere blowing up with everything SXSW, I decided to take a much anticipated week away from Bears and Bullets. I did so without informing anyone, yes, but I felt it was an unspoken agreement.

So, getting back into the groove of things (with a severe lack of anything good to report), I wanted to post The National's performance of "Terrible Love," from the group's upcoming May album High Violet on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a couple weeks ago. The performance sheds a little light on way High Violet has quickly become one of this Spring's most heavily anticipated albums.

The National - Terrible Love (Live on Fallon)

In other news, another headliner has officially joined the Lollapalooza 2010 lineup. With a little more than two weeks remaining before the festival's official lineup is revealed (Tuesday, April 6), sources revealed earlier today that Lady Gaga has officially been confirmed to be one of the six headliners alongside the already confirmed Green Day and Strokes.

Only three (likely) headline spots remain, with The Arcade Fire and Soundgarden more than likely taking two of those. The sixth and final spot, however, remains up in the air.

More rumors to come.

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Rumors Begin

As it is every year with Bears and Bullets, I like to keep you guys up to date as much as possible with all of the rumors for my favorite summer music festival, Lollapalooza.

With the festival's 2009 paltry headliners in the rear-view mirror, 2010 looks to up the ante and then some for ticket-holders. As of today, multiple sources indicate that the headline list could resemble something in the mold of: Arcade Fire, Lady Gaga, The Strokes, Green Day, the recently re-united Soundgarden and The Flaming Lips, with artists like Phoenix, MGMT, Dirty Projectors, Yeasayer and Hot Chip also making the possible billing.

I'll continually keep you up to date on anything and everything Lollapalooza until the August 6-8 Chicago, IL festival.