Monday Bears: Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2010 (Pt. I)

Greetings. Now that the Northeast, particularly New Jersey, is covered up in a invariable snowstorm, keeping most of us housed up indoors, this seems more than the perfect time to unleash Bears and Bullets annual list of the Top 25 Songs of the Year. Last year Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks" ended up toping our list in a year that seemed sweltered by indie music's perennial power houses, like Phoenix and Animal Collective. So this year may be a bit more refreshing, considering 2010's somewhat unpredictable month by month catalog of new music.

As with last year, lets clear up the two rules that qualify music for the list: first, the song must have been released during the calendar year. Second, songs heard prior to 2010, such as Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp" are disqualified because it had been out for a much longer period of time, even though it was released on the band's album Odd Blood, released earlier this year.

So, lets begin.

#25: Stranded - The Walkmen
The first listen to Lisbon yielded "Stranded," an achingly sad and mature bar tome brimmed with some of the most harrowing and enchanting horns heard from the Walkmen in years. Lead-singer Hamilton Leithauser's now well-known voice, once detached and coarse from 2004's "The Rat," seems calmed and skimmed, but still powerful enough to make plaster wilt in "Stranded." The band's work, and specifically Leithauser, always seemed to overflow with stern honesty, but here, as the band continues to grow, it begins to sound too beautiful to capture. Almost.

The Walkmen - Stranded - MP3

#24: Round and Round - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
I may still be somewhat amazed at Pitchfork's decision to place "Round and Round" at number one on their songs of the year list, but that doesn't take much away from it. It's a deceivingly well-crafted five minutes staunchly brewed with a buzzing rhythm, sparse sound clashes splashing in the backdrop with Ariel's constantly changing approach. The chorus, where the ghostly tone goes by the wayside, is huge and clamoring, preceded at the end with a high-pitched "sentimental/everything is my fault,"  is where "Round and Round" stands tallest, before blending backward to its creative axis. Na Na Na Na.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round



#23: Post Acid - Wavves
At some point, Wavves must have gotten tired churning out buzzy, lo-fi, messy songs about Mickey Mouse and pot when they made "Post Acid," a quick, almost clean bursting pop-punk protocol with an eschewing chorus that deserves shrill yelling. It's painlessly fun, but not as drab and callously single-minded as most of Nathan Williams' work. In another word, you can enjoy it without trying.

Wavves - Post Acid - MP3

#22: Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) - The Vaccines
When we first heard the Vaccines back in October, "Wreckin' Bar" immediately jumped out (and was good enough to make the Our Newest Obsession series). It's a short, endlessly joyous minute and a half surf rock jangle that keeps spinning on constant repeat, much like "Post Acid," but with more of shiny punch. It always happens since I've begun making these year-end lists; that a song like "Wreckin' Bar," with only a little recognition to its name and even less word of mouth claws its way in, and deservedly so.

The Vaccines - Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) - MP3

#21: Vultures - The Pass
The list's first official dance track (or easily danceable track) came up a few months ago after the Pass entered their video for "Vultures" into a blogger contest. While the video, with all of its indie blogging references (again, we go unnoticed. Sigh), is pretty enjoyable, the song should truly stand out. It's an infectious dance rock track in a year where the subtle sub genre went largely unnoticed. Oddly enough, when you're listening, it ends up feeling "like the first time," no matter what it was for. The better songs, in the end, usually have that effect.

The Pass - Vultures



Stay tuned, we'll return tomorrow for songs #20 - 16.

Thursday Bears: Walkmen at Governor's Island

Ray Concepcion traveled to New York's Governor's Island to capture The Walkmen performing a loud, jointy version "Angela Surf City," and the more serene "Stranded and Juveniles" from their recently released album Lisbon. Bonus points if you can catch the first sign of mist.

The Walkmen - Angela Surf City (Live at Governor's Island)



The Walkmen - Stranded (Live at Governor's Island)



The Walkmen - Juveniles

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 ...

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 ...

Monday Bears: It seems ...

As though my plethora of distractions and computer problems that I've been dealing with for the past two weeks has began to subside. So, again, I'll try to bring the regular Bears and Bullets schedule back again to full-circle.

And with that, we get our first-listen to another track from The Walkmen's new album, Lisbon. The single, "Stranded," is that soul-trodden Louisiana sound that often preludes a good portion of the band's newer music, with blissful horns pacing lead-singer Hamilton Leithauser's light bar room crooning.

Give it a listen here, via NPR.

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):

Monday Bears: Monday's Lollapalooza updates

I should probably rename Bears and Bullets to Lolla and Lollapalooza this time of year, on the count of my rampant obsession with anything and everything about the annual Chicago festival.

One day before festival promoters release the official lineup, Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot (thanks in most part from Consequence of Sound) has given word of what should be the final lineup. Again, this is not the official lineup released by Lollapalooza promoters, but more than likely the final lineup.

First, a couple corrections from the last Lolla rumor post from Wednesday -- Speculated acts David Byrne and Dangerdoom will not be appearing this year. Disappointing, yes.

A few surprise acts climbed their way into the final rumored lineup, including Erykah Badu, MUTEMATH, Stars, Health, Wavves and the Walkmen slated to make a 2010 appearance. The final lineup, including the electronic acts at Perry's Place, should resemble something like this (according to Kot):

Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Phoenix, Social Distortion, MGMT, Jimmy Cliff, Hot Chip, the Black Keys, the National, Spoon, Devo, Cypress Hill, Cut Copy, The New Pornographers, Erykah Badu, Slightly Stoopid, Grizzly Bear, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, Wolfmother, Yeasayer, X Japan, MUTEMATH, Metric, Dirty Projectors, AFI, Mavis Staples, Matt & Kim, the xx, Drive-By Truckers, Blues Traveler

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Temper Trap, Jamie Lidell, Frightened, Rabbit, Fuck Buttons, Deer Tick, Blitzen Trapper, Stars, Raphael Saadiq, The Cribs, Minus the Bear, Switchfoot, The Walkmen, Mumford & Sons, Wild Beasts, Rogue Wave, Los Amigos Invisibles, the Big Pink, the Dodos, Hockey, Cymbals Eat Guitars, B.o.B, Dawes, Warpaint, The Antlers, The Soft Pack, Rebelution, Balkan Beat Box

Wavves, American Bang, The Ike Reilly Assassination, Company of Thieves, Nneka, Harlem, The Constellations, Miniature Tigers, Mimicking Birds, The Kissaway Trail, HEALTH, Javelin, The Morning Benders, Foxy Shazam, Violent Soho, Royal Bangs, NEON TREES, Freelance Whales, Semi Precious Weapons, Dan Black, The Band of Heathens, Dragonette, My Dear Disco, Shawn Fisher, Neon Hitch, Skybox, The Ettes, Jukebox the Ghost, These United States, MyNameIsJohnMichael

Perry’s DJ stage lineup:

2ManyDJs, Empire of the Sun, Digitalism, Perry Farrell, Tiga, Felix da Housecat, Rusko, Erol Alkan, Kaskade, Flosstradamus, Wolfgang Gartner, Joachim Garraud, Mexican Institute of Sound, Caspa, Peanut Butter Wolf, Dirty South, NERVO, Cut Copy (DJ Set), Beats Antique, Steve Porter, Didi Gutman of Brazilian Girls, Ancient Astronauts, Ana Sia, Team Bayside High, Dani Deahl, FreeSol, DJ Mel, BBU Vonnegutt, Only Children, Lance Herbstrong

Stay tuned until midnight tonight (or sometime tomorrow) for the Official Lineup.