Festival season is in full swing. Next up: Lollapalooza! And with a killer lineup and headliners such as Arcade Fire, Green Day, Soundgarden, The Strokes, and Lady Gaga, this one might be the best and most anticipated festival yet.
As anyone who follows us on Twitter knows, I am a major music fiend and thus, there are no words to convey how excited I am to be attending Lollapalooza for the first time. As a pre-show warm up, I put together a list of some of the bands I’m most excited to see and the songs I’m most looking forward to hearing.
Whether you’re going to Lolla and want to get more familiar with the music you’ll be hearing, wish you were going to and need some amazing tunes to ease the pain of not being there, or just want some new music for your ipod, you need to check out this list!
1. “Rebellion (Lies)- Arcade Fire
You know how there are some songs that are really good the first few times you hear them, but then never really reach that level during subsequent listenings? Well that will never ever happen with this song (or any Arcade Fire song for that matter), which was featured in their massively praised 2004 album Funeral. This song will suck you in right at the start and hold you in its grips until the very end at which point you will be overcome with the desire to hear it again. And again and again and again….
2. “Love Me Girl”- Yeasayer
I am a HUGE Yeasayer fan and every time I see them live I fall more and more in love. Of all the amazing tracks on their second album, Odd Blood, “Love Me Girl” is definitely the one I can’t get enough of. It’s very innovative and experimental but still has a pop-influenced rhythm making it ever so addicting.
3. “Was It You”- Spoon
Spoon is one of those super-human bands that deliver one phenomenal album after the next, it really is astounding. While their latest album, Transference, absolutely blew my mind, the one song I’m really, REALLY hoping to hear is “Was it You” from their 2005 album Gimme Fiction. The combination of yearning lyrics and an utterly mesmerizing beat gets me every single time.
4. “Saturdays” – Cut Copy
This electropop band has a super innovative sound that will get you hooked. This song is both hypnotizing and exhilarating and is impossible not to shimmy and shake to.
5. “Heart”- Stars
This song goes back a way and was the title track of their 2003 album and even though several albums have come after, it’s still a shining standout in my mind. The gentle, yet evocative, lyrics and instrumentals will swim right into the depths of your soul and leave you with a delicious warm and fuzzy feeling all over.
6. “Magnetic Baby”- Semi Precious Weapons
This garage glam band is refreshingly unapologetic, provocative and utterly awesome making their live shows must-sees. They have a string of tracks so amazing that can get the greatest of wallflowers moving and grooving but this one is my long-standing favorite. It’s forceful, fun, and impossible not to sing along with- they lyrics even invite you to do just that!
7. “40 Day Dream”- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
These relative newcomers are taking over thanks to their dynamic, eclectic sound that has something for everyone. This song is an undeniable standout from their debut album “Up from Below,” and combines old-school simplicity with modern innovation and intricacy and will leave you entranced, intrigued, and addicted!
8. “Howlin’ For You” –The Black Keys
This song, off their latest album Brothers, effectively captures the blues-rock essence that defines The Black Keys. It’s inviting, coated with vintage-rock feel, and dripping with soul. There really are no words for their retro-modern sound you just gotta hear it to feel it.
9. “We Could Be Friends”- Freelance Whales
The Freelance Whales’ debut album, Weathervane, can’t help but bring you to a calm and happy place. This song is the one that makes me melt every time and contains all the elements I love about this group- beautiful vocals, enrapturing instrumentals and a sweet and subdued spirit that just stays with you.
10. “Rest”- The Temper Trap
The Temper Trap’s first studio album, Conditions, is filled with gorgeous tracks that force you to stop what you’re doing and just take it all in. Like many of their other tracks, this one combines gentle vocals with pulsating instrumentals and will leave you awe-struck.
BONUS MDs (Must Downloads)
“Mr. November”- The National
“Police and the Private”- Metric
“Eyes”- Rogue Wave
“Empire”- Jukebox the Ghost
“Friendly Fire”- Neon Trees
– SABRINA ALEXIS
Splash image by Meagan Aguayo
Written by Sabrina Alexis
