Outside Lands 2010 - Saturday Preview

Back in January, I spoke of the negative aspects of the one or two day festival format. The key to getting the most out of such an event is to plan ahead and schedule out your two-day attack so that you can be in the right place at the right time, factor in your need to eat, time it will take to stand in bathroom lines and transition from one viewing area to another, and, perhaps most importantly, not get burnt out halfway through each day and end up missing the headliners. Here at QuickCrit, Awmercy and I have thoroughly reviewed the two-day schedule for San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival and suggested an ideal lineup with the above considerations in mind, naturally based on our own personal preferences. You may look at the schedule and say: “Screw that! I’m going to fill every second of my day with band viewing.” To that, I say: “Best of luck... sucka!”

Saturday (Time - Stage)

Electric Six (12:40 - Sutro) You gotta start out strong and while I like the sweet indie pop of the Freelance Whales they can't compete with kicking off the festival with the massive dance party Dick Valentine and his gang will surely whip up on the Polo Fields. It's guaranteed to be humorous, interactive, sleazy, and fun. Get ready to rock!

Langhorne Slim (2:10 - Twin Peaks) Langhorne Slim straight out of Langhorne, PA ranges from sentimental acoustic to raucous alt-country. In a live performance in an outdoor setting expect a set heavy on folky barn-burners that build until they are on the brink of coming unhinged.

Gogol Bordello (3:05 - Lands End) They played Hardly Strictly Bluegrass back in 2008 and had the whole Speedway valley bouncing to their infectious gypsy punk rock. You are guaranteed wild antics, heavy jamming and vocals similar to drunken pirate slurring that will induce spastic jumping and body slamming all around you. If you don’t like getting bumped during sets, this one may be best enjoyed from afar or the VIP section.

My Morning Jacket (5:00 - Lands End) Of all the bands at the festival, MMJ is probably the best known for their epic and amazing live performances. Note: MMJ has been allotted an hour and a half, rather than the typical 40 - 60 minute window given to other acts. As of late, frontman Jim James has been more active with side and solo projects so it should be interesting to see what the band has up their sleeves.

Wolfmother (6:30 - Sutro) A band that seems to blatantly channel the ghosts of Zeppelin, Sabbath and G n' R into heavy rocking anthem musical blasts. These Australians rampage through their sets with the goal of pleasing the familiar and converting the non-fan. Seeing them live in the park should be something to behold.

The Strokes (8:45 - Twin Peaks) They’re back! With no new material released, they have to play the hits. Despite the Strokes lack of production, Casablancas and gang have all been busy during the band's hiatus, so perhaps the set-list will be some sort of crazy hybrid. Regardless, the band established themselves as one of the best new rock bands of our generation and knows how to headline a festival, so there is no reason to doubt they will be anything less than great.

Born Ruffians - Red Yellow & Blue (2008)

Not to get all philosophical on your ass, but what came first... America's Vampire Weekend or Canada's Born Ruffians? Releasing eerily similar records within months of each other is stranger than post-Scientology Tom Cruise. It's kinda like when some mathematical genius from Tacoma wins medals inventing equations that some kid in a Cambodian village figured out 5 years ago, except no one knew... what are the odds?

Anyway... they've received QuickCrit praise before, but Red Yellow & Blue deserves its own nod. Overall, Born Ruffians sound like Vampire Weekend's cooler big brother with all the sonic quirkiness, minus the Afro-beats and Ivy League pretense. Vocally, it's an expert blend of My Morning Jacket meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, which will either intrigue or dissuade you (hopefully the former, not the latter). I've listened the hell out of this album and it's already cemented its place in my top ten list for 2008 releases.

My two favorite tracks, the absolutely adorable "Foxes Mate For Life" and romantic "Red Elephant" (nod to Sunny Day Real Estate?), are worth checking out, like, now. When he sings "Why am I here, when you're over there? Let's meet at the fountains at Dundas Square..." I actually want to drive to Toronto just to meet up. Oh, and they win the award for "Cutest Songs Titles in 2008." On stand-out "Hummingbird," you get hand-claps, a Futureheads-style sing-along chorus, and the recognizable guitar of Les Savy Fav. The bass punctuates in unexpected ways and the "oohs" and "ahhs" make you want to, well, hum along. The ever-jangly "I Need A Life" will inspire a social life, while "Little Garcon" will make you break out smores for a campfire sing-a-long with its playful drum taps, harmonica, and youthful vocals. "Badonkadonkey" boasts the same disjointed guitar-work of Vampire Weekend's "M79" with a bass-line straight out of Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come On Eileen," while "In A Mirror" shares the same off-kilter vocals of Pavement's "Shady Lane"... the notes are off the mark, yet still hit it somehow.

...and "Kurt Vonnegut," with its competing vocals, "Oh won't you come outside, love!" round-like chorus, and upbeat music evoke such unabashed happiness... instead of throwing pebbles, this is the song I'd want a lovelorn boy to play outside my window in the middle of the night... (yeah, "In Your Eyes" won't work on me)

The Final Verdict:
If you like any of the comparisons I name-dropped, this album is worth at least one listen. And if you love Vampire Weekend, I'm fairly certain you'll love these guys as much, if not more... I actually think they might be better... ::ducks::

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (2008)

Wow. I still don't really know what to make of this one. Suffice to say MMJ are branching out and trying out some genre experiments. Maybe they were just getting bored. You almost have to approach this album by asking yourself if another band came out with this would you like it? There are some great songs ("Remnants" and "Aluminum Park") and some flops. "Highly Suspicious" is just weird. In general, I like the songs where they rock out. Their take on 60's pop, 70's soft rock and 80's synth pop are fine, but rather uninteresting. And it makes for a lot of mediocre mid-tempo pop songs. As a fan of their last few albums, I was really looking forward to this one, but unfortunately I'm underwhelmed. Maybe it's a grower.

Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood & Sun Giant (2008)

This album and EP sound like summer music. The songs are generally upbeat and relaxed, like lying in the grass in the sun feeling lazy and maybe a little drunk. Each song is full of harmonies backed by strummed and plucked acoustic guitars. My favorites are "Your Protector", "Drops In The River", and "English House". For fans of Band of Horses, the Shins, and the sweeter side of My Morning Jacket.