Sasquatch Festival 2008 (Mon)

I won't be attending the Monday's show since I need to drive back on this day. Plus I have seen most of the bands on this lineup. I was sad that I wouldn't be able to see Flight of the Conchords, but I later found out that they will be performing at Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival at Marymoore Park, along with other Sub Pop artists. I'm looking forward to that one! A lot of people have to told me Flaming Lips put on a really good show, but I will have to catch them some other time, too.

The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize

Album: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips as one of the 50 Bands to See Before You Die. Their live show supposedly includes lots of costumes, balloons, puppets and etc. I’ve seen their name pop up here and there, but I mostly recall them from their 1993 hit, “She Don’t Use Jelly.” They have since changed their artistic direction, and even received several Grammys.

The Hives - Well All Right!

Album: The Black and White album

I just saw these guys earlier this year in Seattle, and they put on a good show. This song is currently being used on Sears commercial. The Hives hail from Sweden. They’ve been gaining some popularity from this CD, but compared to their status in Europe, they are not that huge in the US yet (though their single, Tick Tick Boom got some airplay).

Flight Of The Conchords - Robots [Live]

Album: The Distant Future EP

Flight of the Conchords recently released their first full album (including the song, "Think About It", but several months before that, they released this EP album, which was meant to prepare us for the big release. This EP includes a couple of live recordings. I’ve seen some clips from their HBO shows, which are indeed funny, but I think they are most brilliant when they are performing live. Their awkward pause and audience interaction makes them even funnier.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Orion

Album: Rodrigo y Gabriela

I saw them for about 10 minutes at Bumbershoot last year, but I wished that I could’ve stayed longer and watched them. Instead, I was dragged to go see Panic at the Disco with my friends. Rodrigo y Gabriela is Mexican guitar duo. All of their songs are played by two acoustic guitars and they don’t just play; they play super fast. This is one of their longer songs (7:30), but I can’t get enough of it.

The Mars Volta - The Widow

Album: Frances the Mute

At first listen, I wasn’t quite sure if this song was sung by a male or female. Mars Volta consists of two guys with several backing musicians. I remember this song was popular in 2005. They have released a couple more albums since then, but this song is still my favorite of theirs.

Built To Spill - Liar

Album: You In Reverse

I’ve heard of this band many times before, but when I listened to the 30 second clips from iTunes and Amazon, I didn’t recognize any of their songs. Built To Spill is from Boise, Idaho, so they may have held a lot of live shows in Seattle, and I might’ve heard their names from that. Their latest album, You In Reverse, is a good solid indie rock album.

Matt Costa - Mr. Pitiful

Album: Unfamiliar Faces

I saw Matt Costa at Bumbershoot in 2006, and he put on a decent show. Back then, “Cold December” was a minor hit on the radio. He belongs on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. A little similar to Johnson, Costa used to be a fairly known skateboarder until he broke his leg, and started playing music instead. This song from his latest second album, Unfamiliar Faces sounds a lot like Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da”.

Jamie Lidell - Little Bit Of Feel Good

Album: Jim

When I first heard this song, I thought, “Man, this guy sounds a lot like Stevie Wonder.” After I looked him up, I was surprised to find out that he was white, and he was from England. His last album had more electronica feel to it, but on his latest album, Jim, he goes more soul.

Kinski - Punching Goodbye Out Front

Album: Down Below It's Chaos

I thought I had hear of this band before somewhere, and it turns out that they toured in Japan quite a bit in the early 2000s. Kinski is a rock band from Seattle, and they are signed to Sub Pop label (famous for signing Nirvana and Soundgarden as well as Flight of the Conchords). A lot of their songs on the album are instrument oriented and some vocals on the side.

Dyme Def - The Game Needs Me

Album: Space Music

I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of them before. I thought Blue Scholars are the only semi-well known hip-hop group in Seattle, but after listening to their album, I may have to vote for Dyme Def as the local champ. Dyme Def consists of three rappers, Fearce Villain, SEV, and Brainstorm. On this song they sample Jay-Z, but also worth checking out is “Let It Be” sampling Beatles.