5. Warpaint
Described as “If Bjork fronted a70s psychedelic rock band”, Warpaint’s debut LP, The Fool turned the world of expansive atmospheric rock on its head. The album’s hallucinatory vocals and kaleidoscopic arrangements of guitars helped The Fool get a re-release Deluxe Edition due September 26th. The deluxe edition will contain the critically acclaimed debut album The Fool plus Exquisite Corpse EP & two bonus tracks: Shadows (The Neon Lights Remix) and Billie Holiday (Steve Mackey Radio Edit). But once you see Warpaint live, they will knock you dead right where you stand.
Sunday, October 16th // Tunnel Stage // 2:05PM
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Warpaint – Billie Holiday from Exquisite Corpse EP (2011)
4. Weekend
Believe it or not, I have never heard so much mixed feelings about a local band in quite a long time. Half say, “It’s noise! It’s distortion on top of distortion!” but the other says, “This is the future of punk rock music. It’s like an avalanche of glorious sound.” Wherever you stand on Weekend, one must experience the band live to reach a genuine conclusion. The post-punk label gets stripped away and what emerges is a band that is loud, intimidating, and precise on its execution. Maybe Weekend isn’t for everybody, but one can’t deny its power to rock the fuck out.
Sunday, October 16th // Tunnel Stage // 12:40PM
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Weekend – Hazel from Red EP (2011)
3. Geographer
I have been just waiting patiently for these guys to make it big. Yes, Geographer is yet another dance-rock band to add to the oversaturated genre that is on its way out the door. However, Geographer has something few posses; soul. Mike Deni’s dreamlike vocals matched with Brian Ostreicher’s quick beats and Nathan Blaz’s electric cello are worth waking up early to catch. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up their fantastic and colorful EP, Animal Shapes.
Saturday, October 15th // Bridge Stage // 12:00PM
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Geographer – Kites from Animal Shapes (2010)
2. The Antlers
Brooklyn’s The Antlers have been on a good run for the past three years but it wasn’t until this year’s Burst Apart that he band evolved into something quite interesting. While the melodic and deeply emotional vocals and lyrics remain, the band grew into a chromatic rock band with impressive emphasis on songs that sound full of life. Witness the band play these songs live is impressive in its own right. Lead singer Peter Silberman’s ability to hit those high notes live is alone worth hearing at this year’s Treasure Island Festival.
Sunday, October 16th // Bridge Stage // 1:25PM
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The Antlers – Every Night My Teeth Are Falling from Burst Apart (2011)
1. Battles
Brace yourselves people, this shit is about to get real. Forget how influential the band has already been on the instrumental rock genre, the math rock genre, and on accessible experimental music in general. Forget how simply pulse-pounding their second album Glass Drop is with it’s unpredictability, joyfulness, and immense sense of pure creativity. Even forget about their head turning debut, Mirrored, that was a seismic shake to listeners everywhere and a flying side kick to conventional instrumental rock music. What you should remember is to catch these guys in all their live glory. The talent that exudes from these four gentlemen is more than enough to write home about, it’s enough to rent a Cessna Skyhawk with a banner attached that says, “BATTLES IS THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD.” Okay…that might be a bit extreme, but you get the point.
Saturday, October 15th // Tunnel Stage // 3:45PM
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Battles – Ice Cream (Featuring Matias Aguayo) from Glass Drop (2011)