The overall line up this year isn’t spectacular, especially since there are really amazing bands touring right now who aren’t play at ACL, like the Battles, and considering the musicians due to put out albums in 2012, destined for ACL in 2012. This assessment sounds critical, but it is just that most ACLs bring artists who are either with a niche audience, ones who are at their pique, or those on the cusp. About half who attend, though, are not locals, and this probably influences the line up which caters more and more to a wider, more mainstream audience.
Many bands and musicians will have an audience made up of some actual fans and others who are just curious to see why they have fans, am audience composition typical most years for almost all the featured performers. Typically, people cluster crawl. This means that even though thousands of people attend, a person will see the same people over and over throughout the day because they like similar music. Age is often the common link when it comes to music appreciation, but preference is also a factor. Therefore, each paragraph below groups musical performers not based on notoriety or genre but on the above determining factors. Also, since times can change, I am not taking into consideration if the performances conflict. The quality of the performance is what will determine who will impress the audience. Keep in mind, these aren’t reviews, but a prediction of what might be worth attending at ACL; however, just like the weather in Austin, you don’t know what will happen until you are exposed to the elements.
Bands like Arcade Fire and My Morning Jacket warrant the following they have because they are talented and thoughtful bands. It is impressive that they are able to bridge the gap between indie rock fans and mainstream audiences, which will most likely result in the feeling of communal experience at both performances.
Coldplay and James Blake as well as North Mississippi Allstars and Gary Clark Jr. have established fan bases and so, I would guess, share many of the same fans. (Again, I am not focusing on genre.) Similarly, there are several other bands who will have the majority of their audience be fans already and not find that ACL expands their fan base. Broken Social Scene will probably try to piggyback on Arcade Fire’s vibe, but they just don’t seem like they will be charismatic enough to keep a hot, grumpy crowd sated. Elbow might have some luck as they are skilled musicians, but they might not tap into Coldplay’s fan base. The reason is that the songs I know by them are fairly morose and typically these types of songs don’t pull people in at a live performance.
TV on the Radio, Gomez, Cold War Kids and The Walkmen perform live frequently and though they put on solid performances which might pull in those walking by, they aren’t standouts. These bands probably won’t gain many more fans from playing ACL but if anything will put on a show that their current fans will appreciate. However, someone might see how skilled Matt Barrick is on the drums (seriously, he and John Stanier need to have a drum-off), or pulled in by one of Cold War Kids’ more unique songs, like We Used to Vacation. Bands like Delta Spirit have a strong chance of building a fan base if they capture the attention of Walkmen fans and/or Cold War Kids fans, but they must put on a strong performance.
Cee Lo Green I have seen perform at 3:00, high heat of an 100 degree day, and when most would hold back, he performed with his heart and soul. Cut Copy will probably put on a similar performance. Both Green and Cut Copy will enthrall the crowd and get them dancing. Twin Shadow comes across as a 80s romantic revivalist, but his lyrics, voice, and arrangements are well-constructed, and I hope people stop and give him a chance because he deserves it. While he doesn’t do anything unique on stage to get your attention, his talent does make him a standout. Fitz and the Tantrums have a good chance of getting the crowd to forget how miserable the heat has made them if they play in the evening, a time when it is cooler and people are up for a little dancing, much like Ghostland Observatory did they played a night show at ACL.
AWOLNATION and Foster for the People I have listened to off and on for months and have had near missed with their live performances. Both AWOLNATION’s performance and Foster for the People’s performance are worth catching depending on whose debut single you prefer. My sense is that both have the potential for a tragic performance, not from their fault but because festival newbies tend to be jinxed. While AWOLNATION and Foster for the People are more indie than pop rock, Young the Giant and Airborn Toxic Event are going to try to let it wash all over you with some very feel-good, catchy songs: respectively “My Body” and “Changing.”
If I had to choose between Empire of the Sun and Santigold, I would choose Santigold. The reason is that I think she will put forth more effort to make the live performance memorable based on her talent whereas I think Empire of the Sun will exert effort on the spectacle. (Also, Santigold has the swagger of Lady Saw who hits you outright, like an A-bomb.) Pretty Lights is electronic-based and mixes similar to Moby in that it is mostly down-tempo and, on the other hand, Skillrex is an abrasive electronic band; both construct fairly basic electronica but maybe they will surprise people.
Fleet Foxes and Ray LaMontagne play music that is very mellow and lovely. The first time I heard LaMontagne was at an ACL festival a few years back and he amazed me and everyone else. It is difficult to reach a crowd at ACL when you are just using raw talent, but his talent is incomprehensible. I would say that fans of LaMontagne will appreciate Telekinesis and Phosphorescent‘s music to some extent. Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses and Iron & Wine will most likely not reach a new audience and it is quite possible that since they recently played in Austin, there won’t be too many people planning to see them if their times conflict with other musicians who are on the “to watch” lists. In fact, fans of the latter musicians will gravitate towards The Head and the Heart, who don’t really jump out at me but seem to have created a following, and the Cave Singers; though I am not sure if these fans will stay.
Note: The hyperlinks are primarily for the bands’ and musicians’ MySpace pages because those provide direct access to at least four songs to sample.
FoulPeony 