Our 2012 Lollapalooza Faves: Sunday

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 2, 2012 7:00PM

Don’t be afraid of the vacant look in the eyes of some festival-goers on Sunday; they’re not zombies, they’re just suffering festival fatigue. Of course you will have follow our survival guide so you won’t be suffering a similar fate. Instead you will be tackling Lollapalooza’s final day with a determination to squeeze every last piece of music and fun out of Grant Park as you possibly can. Here’s a few suggestions from our staff as to which groups you might want to search out as you strive to accomplish that goal. - Tankboy

Bowerbirds
12 p.m. on the Sony stage

As Jim noted above, come day three you're going to be a little tired. Well the Bowerbirds' quiet sound and pretty vocal harmonies is a great way to ease you into the big grand finale. They employ the whine of the violin to bring a little twee to their sound. If you like Andrew Bird, this is a great pick for you. - Samantha Abernethy

Oberhofer
1 p.m. at the Bud Light stage

We saw Oberhofer play a small club show a few months ago and were surprised at how their sound, which borders on driving orch-pop on disc, is transformed into a grittier blend of party rock on stage. While we admit we’re skeptical of their ability to fill the expanse that is the north field at such a relatively early hour we’re willing to hedge our bets in their favor since they’ve served up the unexpected to us in the past. The group is led by Brooklyn’s Brad Oberhofer, and the man has a charisma about him onstage and transform his insanely catchy little bedroom anthems into full-blown barn-burners when he plays live. We admit that at first we found this a bit off-putting since his albums and EPs had us set-up to see something a little more lo-fi and “indie” in nature but as we’ve had time to reflect we now realize Oberhofer is a contender that delivers beyond expectations. This Sunday set should be just the musical red eye you need to re-energize and power you through the rest of the fest. - Tankboy / Jim Kopeny

Hey Rosetta!
1 p.m. on the Google Play stage

O.K., yes, Hey Rosetta! kind of sounds a lot like Kings Of Leon. But they’re Canadian! And that immediately makes them way artsier! Actually, in our book, the comparison here begins and ends with singer Tim Baker’s voice, since it has that eerie capacity to sound both intimate and epic at the same time. The music underneath owes a larger debt to genre-defying combos like Arcade Fire though, as the band blends moments of wild abandon with quiet interludes soothed by strings that creep in from the corners of their sound. And then it all comes together to produce a symphonic wall of sound that make you want to throw your head back and raise your arms to the sky. This si one of the bands we’re gong into the festival with minimal familiarity hut their sound is intriguing enough for us to roll the dice on in the hopes that what is so beguiling on record becomes even more compelling in a live setting.- Tankboy / Jim Kopeny

Trampled By Turtles
2:15 p.m. on the Red Bull Soundstage

Trampled by Turtles is pure bluegrass, plain and simple. The Duluth, Minn., group has the vocal tinges of that other famous Duluthian Bob Dylan, but it's backed up by the southern sounds of Ralph Stanley and maybe a little Charlie Daniels. - Samantha Abernethy

White Rabbits
2:30 p.m. on the Bud Light stage

These Brooklynites got their start back in Columbia, Missouri where Stephen Patterson (vocals/piano/guitar) and Gregory Roberts (guitar/vocals) met while working at a local record store. A long stroke of luck got them their first record deal in a hurry, and then they stormed on the scene in 2009 with the drum thumping single “Percussion Gun” from their sophomore album, It’s Frightening. With pounding piano and catchy hooks, influences of the band Spoon were undeniable, but not surprising as they were under the wing of Britt Daniel who came on to produce the album. Now they’re back with a new album titled Milk Famous which is a deeper explorative continuation. The sextet’s got incredible energy on stage, with double percussion--two drummers--to boot. - Michelle Meywes

Dum Dum Girls
3:30 p.m. on the Google Play stage

If there’s any reason to put up with the summer heat on Sunday, it’s the Dum Dum Girls. Don’t let their name confuse you--these girls are not dumb, and they sure as hell know how to put on a great live show. Their mid-afternoon set plays into their upbeat, sometimes dreamy pop sensibilities perfectly. The Dum Dum Girls sound like Best Coast with a tougher edge, but that comparison really doesn’t do them justice. The Dum Dum Girls’ sweet yet rebellious attitude translates perfectly into their music, and we can’t imagine missing their set. Their upcoming EP, End of Daze, is set to be released on September 25. Catch these Girls to ease into the rest of Sunday’s schedule. - Soyoung Kwak

Sigur Ros
4 p.m. on the Red Bull stage

Sure, there are a lot of things at play at a fest like Lolla that determines when a band plays, but relegating Sigur Ros to a mid-afternoon, heat-of-the-day set is a surefire way to rob them of some of their majesty. Though the band feels like a no-brainer for a majestic set at dusk, they're still worth catching even at this early hour, and not just because they tour only once every four years or so. The band's latest opus, Valtari, is as strong as any of their previous efforts and finds the band with a renewed vigor after a four-year break since their last album. While some of their tunes can unfold at a glacial pace, Sigur Ros is no stranger to festivals, having played the European circuit several times through and even making appearances at other U.S. fests like Bonnaroo. And with a full complement of musicians on stage - as many as 11 people could be on stage at any one time - the band is likely to replicate their stunning mini-symphonies in a live setting with ease. Even if it doesn't make sense, just sit back and let the music wash over you and let go, enjoying the sun, the warmth, and, most importantly, the music. - Marcus Gilmer

Toro Y Moi
5:00 p.m. on the Sony stage

Toro Y Moi (also known as Chaz Bundick) is a festival and crowd favorite, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Last year, Toro Y Moi played a very cool and breezy set at Pitchfork that got the crowd dancing and swaying along to his songs mostly from Underneath the Pine. This year, Toro Y Moi comes back to the Chicago festival circuit with a new album under his belt. Toro Y Moi’s third full-length album, June 2009, was released a few months ago to mixed reviews, but it seems that most detractors were disappointed or unimpressed with Toro Y Moi’s departure from the very early, cool bedroom-pop sound featured on his first LP, Causers of This. But who wants to be stuck writing and performing the same kind of song over and over again? We think Toro Y Moi’s got something more to give, and we’re giving him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he will bring an upbeat vibe to Lollapalooza on Sunday. - Soyoung Kwak

Amadou & Mariam
5:15 p.m. on the Bud Light Stage

Here’s Lollapalooza’s token nod toward “world” music. As customary nods go, the festival’s organizers picked well with the blind Malian husband and wife duo of Mariam Doumbia and Amadou Bagayoko. Doumbia has a clear vocal form and powerful range that rises above the band’s pulsing rhythms and demands attention. Bagayoko no slouch as a singer, but it's his guitar work that commands attention. He often brandishes a gold-plated Fender Telecaster and fires off fluid, piercing solos worthy of any of the city’s better blues bars. Amadou & Mariam seem to perform at Lollapalooza as often as the Black Keys, but this is their first appearance at the festival since 2008. You may have to flip a coin between them and Toro Y Moi. We recommend seeing Amadou & Mariam regardless of how the coin falls. Chuck Sudo

Of Monsters And Men
6 p.m. on the Google Play stage

It's been a wild two years for the other band from Iceland looking to make waves on Sunday. Originally started as a duo in 2010, the band expanded and won that year's Músíktilraunir contest (something of a nationwide Battle of the Bands for Iceland). Performances at the annual Iceland Airwaves Festival in 2010 and 2011 and widespread States-side radio play for their single "Little Talks" helped widen the band's exposure and they managed to sell out a North American tour earlier this spring before their debut album, released in Iceland and Europe in September 2011, got it's American release via Universal. And the band is worth the fuss: their polished folk gems are reminiscent of The Arcade Fire at times and The Delgados at others. Their meteoric ascent is well-deserved and continues with a prime early evening slot. Expect a big crowd for the up-and-coming sextet. - Marcus Gilmer

Justice
8:30 p.m. on the Bud Light stage

We enjoyed Justice’s sophomore effort more than most critics, and we suspect that’s because we’ve seen them live enough time to realize that this electronic duo has always been a heavy prog rock band at heart. Yes, they can get asses shaking, and indeed they do deliver on that onstage, so even if their more metal tendencies of late would lead you to believe they’ve lost the plot we recommend you ignore that supposition and head north to catch their Sunday night set. We’ve seen them perform with a number of different stage set-ups so we honestly don’t know what to expect from this duo at this show, but we are confident it will be filed under “epic” afterward. While we’re sure the majority of the crowd will be down south taking in Jack White’s set—and we certainly won’t fault anyone who wants to do that—this has the potential to be more memorable if Justice plays it right. - Tankboy / Jim Kopeny

Childish Gambino
8:45 p.m. on the Google Play stage

Yes, Childish Gambino is Donald Glover, a.k.a. Community’s Troy Barnes and alumni of the 30 Rock writer’s room. The Georgia native released his first album, Camp, last year under the moniker because he didn’t want people to think it was a “joke record.” So dare we say we were surprised that it was good? Really good? It ended up hitting #2 on the Billboard Hip-Hop charts and received a ton of critical acclaim. The man is obviously talented, from scriptwriting to comedy to acting to now, music, which he says he was doing long before any of those other things. Sure, at times he’s channeling Kanye, but not a lot of rappers have the vocal attack that Glover does. Camp’s top single “Heartbeat” is a jam, and the video was just nominated for a VMA.

He’s also got a couple mixtapes under his belt, the most recent, Royalty, you can pick up for free on hisI Am Donald website. - Michelle Meywes

OTHER 2012 LOLLAPALOOZA PREVIEWS:
Friday
Saturday
Perry's Stage