Well, it's that time of year again. Time to get your sunblock ready and your best "hip-meets-comfortable" outfit out of your closet for the dent in your wallet known as Lollapalooza. Why exactly should the prospect of sunstroke and going poor be something to look forward to? Well, normally, it shouldn't. But this year sees the once past it's prime festival giving everyone a whole boatload of acts to look forward to. Yeah, the phrase "something to look forward to" is pretty much the most cliche thing you can say in regards to a music festival but I'm going to be completely honest with you: This year, it's true. And you should believe me because I hate festivals with a passion.
You see, after the stressful shit storm of Lollapalooza 2009 (A.K.A. the worst weekend of my life), I swore to not only never cover another festival again but never even go to another festival again, especially a Lollapalooza. Of course, this a tricky feat when you're a music journalist as covering festivals is more or less a necessity. But, I said, necessity be damned. I will not be setting foot in Grant Park ever again, at least not so long as Perry Ferrel and company are camped out there. Yet, this year, the strength of the three day festival's bill has me going back on that word and eagerly awaiting at least five bands every day. Who are the three acts I'm most looking forward to seeing, you may wonder? Why, predictably, it's Dawes, Miniature Tigers, and The National!
Dawes - Saturday from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
I know I wax poetic about my love for this band of scamps all the time but the fact of the matter is that Dawes are just that good. Sure, nothing can top seeing the quartet, lead by Taylor "Why Isn't This Man a Teen Heartthrob" Goldsmith, in a barn on the 4th of July for Daytrotter's Barn on the 4th of July show, but I would not miss these boys coming to the Midwest for even my dad's wedding shower (Which I may actually be missing for Lollapalooza this year). Dawes makes music that is just as earnest and affecting as it is filled to the brim with searing talent. What you need to know about Dawes is as follows: Young fellas playing with more talent than their years should allow. Get to know them before Rolling Stone writes about them... Again.
Miniature Tigers - Sunday from 11:30 - 12:15
Miniature Tigers, in the span of just over a year, have gone from relative unknowns to the very definition of a buzz band. After doing time opening for everyone from Ben Folds to The Morning Benders, Mini T's are taking a break from their headlining tour with Spinto Band to promote their spankin' new disc, Fortress, in Grant Park. What you need to know about Miniature Tigers is as follows: Pop hooks with sunny indie sensibilities, a knack for pervertedly charming lyrics, and a Neon Indian approved sound that's soon to become the darling of every fixy riding hipster in Williamsburg. Stereogum already loves them. Do you?
Miniature Tigers - Bullfighter Jacket
The National - Sunday from 7:15 - 8:30
Lollaplaooza act The Walkmen owned a huge chunk of my youth. If my life were a movie, a montage of my 18 year old self looking awkward and out of place amongst the "cool kids" at parties throughout metro Detroit would undoubtedly be accompanied by "We've Been Had". The way The Walkmen orchestrated my life nearly ten years ago is the way Sunday almost-headliners The National orchestrate my life now. The recurring themes in the songs of Matt Berninger and company are the same ones I struggle with almost daily in my life: Feeling defeated and weary, with a love life that is the very definition of "dysfunctional". Couple the familiarity of these subjects with Berninger's heart wrenching honesty and the all around cohesive tightness of the rest of the band (anchored by the stellar drumming of Bryan Devendorf) and well, you've got yourself a band that is well on their way to becoming Amber's Favorite Band Of The Past Ten Years. What you need to know about The National is as follows: No one does lackadaisical-meets-energetic like The National. Sure, despite the frequent references to alcohol, their lyrics are depressing and sober but the pointedly sharp music is nothing if not divine.
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