Lollalalalapaloooooooooooooooza....please someone give me tickets

Please? The line up this year is kick ass. And to celebrate my lameness and the fact that I am not cool enough to go I have compiled a list of bands I would go see if I had the opportunity....

1. Kings of Leon - They are modern rock royalty, so of course I'd be fighting to get to the main stage to see these guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCZfJ5ai07U&feature=related

2. The Killers - Sure, the lead singer is an egotistical prick, who compares his band to U2 and REM...so of course I'd want to see them in concert! Oh and their music isn't that bad either....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnwLf88t_Wc

3. TV on the Radio - one of the best indie rock acts of the last five years.



4. Vampire Weekend - Gloriously over-hyped...but A-punk is such a crazy song, and the album might have been over-promoted but that doesn't mean it was bad.



5. The Decemberists - The soundtrack of my high school years, one of my favorite indie folk groups.



6. Neko Case - Its fitting that she would be listed right after The Decemberists, a great alternative indie country act.



7. Band of Horses - This band has an epic sound, its classic and timeless, like a good pair of jeans its something you can listen to for years and it will always be in style.



8. Of Montreal - Indie royalty, you must pay tribute and show respect.



9. Arctic Monkeys - I believe that I have both of their albums completed uploaded to my mp3...every song is good.



10. Ben Folds - "Still Fighting It" is one of the best songs about growing up I've ever heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRlgq59dsFQ

11. Fleet Foxes - Whenever I decide that I finally wanna pack up all my belongings and move to the Rockies this will be my soundtrack...



12. Silversun Pickups - orgasmic indie rock....



13. Kaiser Chiefs - Sure their last album was a disappointment, but it would be so cool to be in the crowd when they start singing "I Predict a Riot"....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS6T8FqJ0WM

14. Crystal Castles - Representing Toronto, pretty cool indietronica.



15. Santigold - One of the best albums from 2008 came from this woman, would be really cool to see her live.



16. Atmosphere - Great indie rapper, watch him do his thing



17. Cold War Kids - Another cool indie band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvTKhM6F85U&feature=fvst

18. Lykke Li - her music is sweet and innocent at first but has the power to cut through you like a knife.



19. Peter Bjorn and John - I just want to hear them play "Young Folks"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1FHIP4mLxQ

20. The Raveonettes - I fell in love with them the first time I heard "Love in a Trashcan"



21. Ra Ra Riot - Someday this band will be as big as TV on the Radio and other indie royalty.



22. Los Campesinos! - How cool would it be to hear "You! Me! Dancing!" live?



23. Bat For Lashes - I already talked about my love affair with her last record, and I would definitely sell an organ or two to see her live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDfjVT1-mwY

24. Chairlift - I have always fantasized about becoming a hippie, I therefore would love to live vicariously through chairlift...by seeing them in concert. I have mentioned these guys in a previous blog post...check out my April posts.



25. The Knux - Already mentioned them a few days ago...but they seem like they would be pretty good live.



26. Ida Maria - Her album "Fortress Around My Heart" is pretty good, pick it up if you haven't already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRI68tbkhNY&feature=related

27. Manchester Orchestra - I have fantasized about blasting them in car while driving across the United States (no to mention that I have also mentioned them in one of my "Playlist" posts).



28. Constantines - Just a cool band with a cool sound.



29. Cage The Elephant - Yeah this is another good road trip band, I've also mentioned them before in the blog.



30. Sam Roberts Band - One of the hardest working bands out there, do them a favor and enjoy their performance, they travel to almost every major festival in North America as well as all the non-major ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2HihW_jdUQ

31. Kid Cudi - I must admit radio ruined the appeal of the song Day n' Nite for me, but I also think I'm bitter because I found this guy first and I hate sharing...but there is plenty of him to go around and his other songs ain't too shabby either.



32. Rye Rye - M.I.A.'s protege and she bangs out some good tunes.

Best MCs You've Probably Never Heard Of

So Eminem has a new album out. And the media is doing a stellar job of pushing this Asher Roth kid as the next big thing. I say screw them all. Here's my list of the best unknown and under rated rappers.

K-OS - Forget Kanye West you want a guy who produces his own music has a addictive hooks and intelligent rap dialog? K-OS--not Kanye is the king.

Sage Francis - Representative of the disenfranchised and angry. Leave Eminem in the discount bin pick up this guy instead.

Atmosphere - One of the smartest lyricists in the game. Raps mostly about social unrest and teen angst, and experiments with different instruments for the hooks. Its nice to find a rapper who is brave enough to use his voice as the main instrument and not the synthesizer.

Illa J - Mentioned this man in a previous blog, his beats are fresh and car radio friendly.

K'naan - This is the third time I've mentioned this guy, so hopefully someone (if anyone actually reads this) has gone out and listened to some of his tracks now. I'm starting to feel like a K'naan groupie so this will probably be the last time I mention him in my blog for awhile.

Charles Hamilton - He has had a lot of hype surrounding him lately but that's because his rhymes and style are so original. With his raspy voice and mixture of old school charm and futuristic spin on music Hamilton really is the wave of the future.

B.o.B. - Hip Hop's new southern son.

Kid Cudi - Ok fine you probably have heard of this guy. I started listening to "Day n' Nite" around January of 2008. There was no video for the song yet and no huge promotion of the single, but it was generating a lot of buzz online. About a year later it finally got its due and is now enjoying top 40 radio play. However Cudi has more cutting edge material that has been eclipsed by the dance anthem-y single, listen to "Embrace the Martian."

Lupe Fiasco - I put Lupe on the list because he is well known but still under appreciated. In a world dominated by Lil Wayne and T.I. Lupe is the nerdy kid brother.

The Cool Kids - Before Kid Cudi was known as Kid Cudi he was (and still is) one half of The Cool Kids, two eighties old school obsessed rappers from Cleveland.

N.E.R.D. - One of the most innovative hip hop groups that never gets enough attention from the mainstream press.

Lazee - Swedish rapper that does his own thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2NTQQPMIf0&feature=related

Adam Tensta -Another Swedish rapper most of his stuff (as well as Lazee's) are dance floor anthems, but that also means the hooks are addictive!

The Roots - Critically acclaimed with limited radio play. That's usually the way great music is these days, limited distribution on radio and loved by music critics, it shouldn't be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdWOoL31IJc