The Mowgli’s: This eight-piece band based out of Los Angeles is quickly gaining a following, and for good reason. With a sound as upbeat and sunny as California itself, the Mowgli’s have all the qualities to make it onto anyone’s summer anthems playlist.
On Facebook, the band lists love, peace, open-mindedness and good times as their interests, perfectly embodying their carefree EP “Love’s Not Dead.” With eight voices singing together, it’s nearly impossible not to want to join in.
Opening with their most popular single “San Francisco,” trumpets, guitars and all eight voices proclaim the band’s love of love. The EP continues on with “The Great Divide,” another upbeat song, “Time” featuring just a guitar and one voice, and “Slowly, Slowly.”
Finally, the EP closes on a strong note with “Carry Your Will”, featuring a strong bass drum, acoustic guitars and powerful lyrics.
The band is releasing their first full-length album “Waiting for the Dawn” June 18. In addition to Lollapalooza, they will be playing Taste of Chicago July 14.
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Frightened Rabbit: Frightened Rabbit started in 2003 as a five-part band in Glasgow, Scotland. With four albums and two EPs behind their name, Frightened Rabbit has just recently gotten a taste of the spotlight. The band supported Death Cab for Cutie in a U.K. tour in 2008, and again in 2011 on a North American Tour.
Lyricist, lead guitarist and vocalist Scott Hutchinson started the band as a solo project, later adding the other four members.
With a sound similar to that of The Gaslight Anthem, and lyrics as well-worded as Death Cab themselves, Frightened Rabbit has a lot to offer.
Highlights include “Late March, Death March,” focusing on Grant Hutchinson’s drumming, “Swim Until You Can’t See Land,” with sweet jingling guitars and a tapping tambourine, and “Old Old Fashioned,” a folkier track with a quick pace and a bass driving the melody.
Whether you’re looking for a heavier indie rock, or a lighthearted folk sound, Frightened Rabbit is versatile enough to fit anyone’s taste.
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Ben Howard: Perhaps the most popular artist on our list, Ben Howard has a voice too unique to keep off our list of artists to see at Lolla. With five EPs, Howard finally released a full-length album titled “Every Kingdom” in 2011, which is just now gaining popularity.
Howard’s sound is cool and soothing, typically a bit slower featuring acoustic guitars, a ukulele, a cello and light drums. His voice is similar to that of Ray Lamontagne: a bit raspy, a bit whispery, strong when needed, and always full of emotion.
His well-known single “Only Love” is definitely a highlight and a little more upbeat than the rest of his tracks. Another track to try out is “Wolves.” Here Howard experiments with a bit of vibrato and a heavier snare drum. Lastly, “Promise” is a beautiful slow track reminiscent of a rainy day with a ukulele and an unidentified pitter-patter in the backdrop.
Howard’s slow, powerful sound, unique from the upbeat artists making up the majority of the Lolla lineup, will be a refreshing set to see.