Bears And Bullets Albums Of The Year (#25-#11)

With the Top 50 Songs and Best Albums Honorable Mentions complete, we enter into the final phase of 2013 - The 25 Best Albums of The Year.

New Wavves - Demon To Lean On + tour dates w/FIDLAR

Last night, Wavves frontman Nathan Williams released some more information on yet another release hyped for early 2013. Wavves new studio LP, Afraid Of Heights, is set for release through Mom + Pop Records March 26. The first official single from the album, "Demon To Lean On," is also available to stream below.

But the more exciting news to go along with it is FIDLAR joining the upcoming Wavves tour. Full dates are listed after the bump, but local fans should be excited for the April 9 show at Johnny Brenda's.

Bears And Bullets Songs Of The Year (#25-#1)

And here it is, the final piece in the all-too-lovable list week: Bears And Bullets Top 50 Songs Of The Year, numbers 25 through one.

FIDLAR video - Cheap Beer

Ahh, everyone's favorite (or should be) newer band FIDLAR just released another video, this time for their 2012 standout "Cheap Beer." At this point, I've lost track of how many videos the Los Angeles has actually put out, but expect more before the band's full-length debut this January.

FIDLAR - Shit We Recorded In Our Bedroom EP

FIDLAR's self-titled debut is still a few months away, unfortunately, but there's another (yes, another) new EP from the Los Angeles band, Shit We Recorded In Our Bedroom. The four tracks were previously released by the group over the past few years, but this is the first time its distributed as studio work. Stream the whole thing below, and don't forget to grab the self-titled debut January 22 via Mom + Pop.

New FIDLAR - White On White

Small band of the year, FIDLAR, have released another killer new track, "White On White."

It comes from the LA band's upcoming full-length debut, which features plenty of stellar tracks from FIDLAR's previous releases. Check out the full tracklist and "White On White" below.

And for local fans, you can see the band alongside Delta Spirit and Jeff The Brotherhood in for a huge show at Philadelphia's Theater of Living Arts November 23.

FIDLAR Tracklist:

01 “Cheap Beer”
02 “Stoked & Broke”
03 “White on White”
04 “No Waves”
05 “Whore”
06 “Max Can’t Surf”
07 “Black Out Stout”
08 “Wake Bake Skate”
09 “Gimme Something”
10 “Five to Nine”
11 “LDA”
12 “Paycheck”
13 “Wait For The Man”
14 “Cocaine”

New FIDLAR - Cheap Beer

Just knowing that FIDLAR have a full-length release coming out in the near future is good enough. But after hearing their new single "Cheap Beer," a live favorite, it's good enough to hold us over for a little while. Check the song out below and grab the album early next year via Mom+Pop.

Lollapalooza 2012: Day Two Review

If we're keeping a tally, and we aren't, Lollapalooza's Saturdays usually end up being the strongest of the weekend. In 2008, it was Rage Against The Machine. In 2009, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs filled in for The Beastie Boys when MCA was first diagnosed with cancer. In 2010, Phoenix played the biggest show of the band's career. And last year, it was front and center for My Morning Jacket.

Predictably, 2012's Saturday stacked up as the strongest day of the weekend with the top-billed headliner Red Hot Chili Peppers slated to perform on the park's south side. But why Saturday ended up being the most memorable of the weekend was for completely different reasons.

Day Two:

Glancing at Saturday's schedule, there was enough quality acts to not only fill out the day, but to skip entirely. Looking at it again, there were several very-notable acts I neglected to see, including the aforementioned Chili Peppers. The trip started early with FIDLAR.

FIDLAR

Every year there's one small band that every Lolla-goer that ventures outside of Perry's falls in love with. For me, seeing FIDLAR at the Double-Door the previous Thursday really helped solidify their reputation as one of the most fun punk acts around. So while I was plenty familiar with the setlist, including a scorching closer of "Wake Bake Skate" in which lead singer Zac Carper jumped into a frenzied crowd to spit off the final 30 seconds, the excitement never dwindled. As one of the very few punk shows of the weekend, it was a fun change of pace and worth the early Saturday heat.

Pushing quickly while trying to cool down as much as I could, the next move was to Jeff The Brotherhood and right to Delta Spirit. Both performances were spirited, especially considering how extraordinary the heat had become during the Midwest's lengthy drought. Delta Spirit lead-singer Matthew Vasquez, at the end of his performance, was dunking his head in buckets of water and pouring them on eager fans jumping in the front rows. Still drenched in his own sweat, he nearly passed out at the end from the pure exhaustion.



Thereafter, the day drifted in another direction. Dry, grey clouds set an overcast - something most of us wanted but kind of feared at the same time. Venturing off, you noticed merchandising tents closing and small flocks gathering towards the entrance. If you were in the park last Saturday, in Chicago, or just watching CNN, you know what followed - a full evacuation. The rain is never so much of an issue as wind and lightning are. Considering those factors, along with a recent string of stage collapses at music festivals, the evacuation was actually a very good thing. For those who made it out and didn't waste their time, taking a break and letting the park cool down made the night that much more pleasant.

The delay only lasted from 3:30-6 p.m., pushing other performances back just an hour. Almost immediately upon reentry, The Tallest Man On Earth resumed Lolla festivities with one of the weekend's best sets. Going on over his scheduled play time, Kristian Matsson never seemed to slow down. Rounding off hit after hit from his previous three albums, it was clear that he resonated deeply with his fans who never seemed to leave.

Tallest Man On Earth

From then on, electing to skip both Franz Ferdinand and The Weeknd, I made a station at the Google Play stage through Washed Out, Twin Shadow and that night's headliner Frank Ocean.

Washed Out

While Washed Out did what they could considering their circumstances, and Frank Ocean's set was electric, the curiosity of the night laid with Twin Shadow. Sound problems and a rushed set forced the band for an extremely quick set (about seven songs), but what was seen was absolutely electric. The benefit of playing later at night than originally scheduled added a special element, which also leaked into Ocean's set.

Frank Ocean

Personal sets - truly personal - are actually fairly rare during music festivals. But for those around for Ocean's set, you truly felt a personal vibe. His on stage props streamed constant cartoons that any of his fans can identify with, while he constantly addressed his screaming onlookers. Culminating with the full 10-minute version of "Pyramids," it was a stellar way to end things on a very eventful Saturday.

Best Performances: FIDLAR, Tallest Man On Earth, Twin Shadow, Frank Ocean
Worst Performances: Washed Out

Highlights: "Wake Bake Skate" by FIDLAR, "There's No Leaving Now" by The Tallest Man On Earth, "Five Seconds" by Twin Shadow, "Pyramids" by Frank Ocean.
Lowlights: Evacuation

Lollapalooza schedule, aftershow lineup released

With less than two months before Lollapalooza, the last stretch of the preliminary events has finally passed. Earlier today, the festival released their official three-day schedule, and their lineup of pre-Lolla and post-Lolla after shows. You can check out the listed shows here; FIDLAR & Delta Spirit is one I'm particularly excited for.

As for the schedule, we already knew which artists were playing on which days, but not at which particular times, so this is simply a clarification. As it is, the biggest obvious dilemma is Justice and Jack White closing Sunday night on opposite sides of Grant Park, which is a fairly big decision for a lot of us. However, because of the relative openness of the Sunday schedule, you have the opportunity to see either At The Drive-In and Florence+The Machine prior to the aforementioned acts with relative ease.

Outside of that, there have been more divisive schedules, but there are a few big decisions that will have to be made. Check out the schedule for yourself, here.

Lollapalooza 2012 lineup revealed

So, the day's really here. And after the previous months/weeks of speculation, the biggest story of Lollapalooza 2012 ended up being that the lineup leaked from Sunday WAS 100% ACCURATE. It's the first time in recent memory that a complete leak like this has happened with a major U.S. music festival, so everything we heard tonight wasn't a surprise.

As you know, Black Sabbath, with all original members, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, At The Drive-In, Avicii, and Justice are the big names headlining the August 3-5 Chicago festival. And if you've been following, you'd already known that M83, Sigur Ros, The Weeknd, The Shins, and many others will fit the billing as well.

So while the fest isn't as particularly top-heavy as in years past, there's a more-than solid mid-card to support it, with spectacular acts like The Tallest Man on Earth, Jeff the Brotherhood, Michael Kiwanuka, FIDLAR, and many others. Alongside them is an extremely solid electronica lineup, with Bassnectar, Star Slinger, Madeon, Kaskade, and plenty others worth your time this year.

There were a few left-field acts, like Franz Ferdinand and The Afghan Whigs making the billing, despite zero previous rumors of their inclusion.

But as it is every year, there are some notable disappointments. Namely, the absence of Odd Future, St. Vincent, Fucked Up, and Refused, among others, not making the final billing.

Regardless, there is a ton of depth to Lollapalooza 2012, and plenty of reason to get excited. Tickets for the festival are still available. And as always, stay tuned for more additions (and subtractions) from the billing, and the lineup schedule, which should be available in a few weeks. As well, check out the official Lolla video below.
 

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part III

We'll continue our countdown today with songs #15 through #11.

#15: Danny Brown - Monopoly
"Monopoly" sounds genuinely like Danny Brown, born poor and raised in Detroit, generally deals with dangerous shit. The beats are strong, sullen, and dirty, with Brown noting that he's been through a lot to get where he is. But in reality, "Monopoly" is nothing more than a take to shit on his opponents, and if there's any doubt of it, he goes to length to emphasize that he'll "literally" shit on their mixtapes. It's the perfect blend of what makes XXX so great; deceivingly intelligent rhymes split between Brown's desire to be understandably weird. 

Danny Brown - Monopoly by Bears and Bullets

#14: Smith Westerns - All Die Young
The centerpiece to Smith Westerns' sophomore release Dye It Blonde, "All Die Young" takes the lighter, lo-fuzz surf-rock aura of the group's first work and blows it up in front of multi-layered keyboards and Max Kakacek's slow-tuning guitar solos to the "everyone join together" climactic finale. But more so than what it is, "All Die Young" is the sound of a band actually getting their heads together and figuring out what's great instead of what is just good.

#13: Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts
"Queen of Hearts" is your true introduction to Fucked Up's long-winded tail of David, the protagonist in David Comes to Life. But rather than space out an all-too long story to fit every finite detail of David's exploits, the group had enough sense to try their hand at hardcore story telling, I.E., lead-singer Pink Eyes still gets to spit his throat-scathing wails behind messy, sonic guitars. But the story doesn't necessarily wrap up the listener, as it shouldn't. It's Fucked Up's perfected method that still comes through on top.



#12: Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Thuggin'
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib joining up is just a good idea. It had to be said. The eponymous track from the collaborative duo's Thuggin' EP, features Madlib's well-renown super-rich sampled beats and Gibbs' best work of the year (that includes a lot of cameos along the way). A lot of the songs on these lists have well-detailed reasoning behind their unreal quality, but when it comes to "Thuggin'," there isn't much more to say than just, goddamn, listen to how good this is. It might be a cop-out, but man if it isn't correct.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Thuggin' by Rappcats

#11: FIDLAR - Wake Bake Skate
Pot doesn't need an anthem. It's had enough artists striving to bow to the temple of getting high and hanging out since the 50s, but we have to admit that there's something stupidly endearing about it. FIDLAR's "Wake Bake Skate," an ode to being broke, lazy, and smoking, doesn't strive to collect the ever-growing range of metaphor's of contemporary American laziness, but knows how to make it seem a lot more fun, despite the depressing reality of what they're saying. 



We'll continue our countdown tomorrow with songs #10 - #6 ...