It’s been a great year for Brooklyn’s, Parquet Courts. With the release of their third studio album, Sunbathing Animal, the band has finally begun to turn heads. The album reached #55 on the Billboard album chart. Pitchfork gave the album a 8.6, landing the band in the ‘best new music category’. Now, they are occupying a mid-day time slot at Lollapolloza.
Despite their gritty, garage rock sound, Parquet Courts is a refreshing listen. It’s not that their lyrics are simple or trivial. In the song, Black and White, Austin Savage sings // Quietly a-whisperin' my thoughts into my cupped hands // and thats how their music feels, like an earnest confession.
Time: 1:45-2:45 PM
Date: Saturday, 2nd
Stage: Palladia
Courtney Barnett is another emerging musician making her debut at Lollapalooza this year. As a singer-singerwriter and guitarist from Melbourne, Australia, Barnett makes an immediate and lasting impression with her utterly unique and rambling lyrics. The song, Avant Gardner, drags the listener through a drab, drab day. The guitars sound rusty as Barnett intones banal thoughts about gardening and pseudoephedrine. She describes the mood you tend to use music to escape from and it is wonderful.
Time: 2:15-3:00 PM
Date: Friday, 1st
Stage: The Grove
Blood Orange is the moniker of Devonte Hynes. You may not recognize the name, but it is quite likely that you have heard his work. Hynes has worked behind the scenes for years, writing songs for Florence and the Machine, Diana Vickers, and The Chemical Brothers. He has also scored films, self-published a small comic book, and, in general, avoided following any linear mold we are told a life should follow. In 2013, Blood Orange released their fourth studio album, Cupid Deluxe was released in 2013. It was easily on of my favorite albums of the year. Much like Devonte Hynes himself, the album seems to avoid classification.
Time: 4:45-5:30
Date: Friday, 1st
Stage: The Grove
This probably isn’t the first time you are hearing about Chance the Rapper, but I feel any Lollapalooza preview would be lacking without a shout-out to this hometown hero. Only 21 years old, Chancelor Bennett is starting to make some serious waves in the hip-hop scene. Bennett’s second mixtape, Acid Rap, received widespread critical acclaim. I think one of the most fascinating aspects of this young rapper is the quick, voracious way he has approached collaborations. His list of guest appearances is growing rapidly and spreads across a unique range of genres. His work with seemingly disparate artists, such James Blake, has given his music an air of limitless potential. I am always excited to see what he will come up with next.
*Warning: Explicit Language
Time: 8:30-9:45 PM
Date: Sunday, 3rd
Stage: Perry’s
Increasingly, electronic music is expanding beyond the ever prevalent EDM scene. Rudimental is a four-piece, electronic band out of London that has real depth. Known for collaborating with soul singers, such as Emeli Sande and John Newman, Rudimental uses electronic music to take the history of music past and make it accessible . Also, if you haven’t seen the music video for “Not Giving In” you really ought to!
Time: 6:00-6:45 PM
Date: Friday, 1st
Stage: The Grove
