Fuji Rock Festival 2009 (Sat)

Saturday 7/25 Fuji Rock Festival lineup is also very good. It’s tough to choose between the two final acts in Green Stage (Franz Ferdinand) and White Stage (Public Enemy). I’m also interested in checking out newcomers such as Ida Maria, Priscilla Ahn, Billy Boy On Poison. Other than the artists I reviewed below, I would also be interested in seeing Ben Harper and Relentless7.

	Ida Maria - Oh My God Album: Fortress 'round My Heart This Norwegian rockstar has been getting quite a bit of attention in the US thanks to the single, “I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked.” “Oh My God” was actually her first single, that didn’t get noticed too much except Time magazine voted this track as #3 song of 2008 (#2 was Pink’s “So What” and #1 went to Kanye’s “Love Lockdown”). I still prefer “I Like You So Much Better” but this track is also catchy.
	The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound Album: The '59 Sound This New Jersey band is often compared to another Jersey man, Bruce Springsteen. In fact, their popularity grew even more when Springsteen made guest appearance during their recent show in Glastonbury. The Gaslight Anthem has been getting a lot of positive reviews from critics around the world, including #1 album of 2008 from eMusic.com.
	Jet - Rollover D.J. Album: Get Born The Aussie rock band is preparing to release another album later in the summer. Their debut album in 2003, Get Born was an international best seller, but their follow up album, Shine On, couldn’t match the success. Still, it would be fun to see them live as they have a lot of hits (mostly from Get Born) including this track, Rollover DJ.
	Priscilla Ahn - Dream Album: A Good Day Priscilla Ahn decided to take her mother’s maiden name (who is Korean) and moved from Pennsylvania to LA to pursue her career in music. This talented musician can play multiple instruments, and her music has been featured on a lot of TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy. Her debut album, A Good Day was released by Blue Note in 2008. Festivals tend to cater to loud rock music, but once in a while, it’ll be great to take a break by listening to this kind of music (especially for your ears).
	Dinosaur Jr. - Pieces Album: Farm Known as noise rock stars, they have been around since the mid 80s. They found success in the early 90s when the grunge scene took over the chart (my favorite track is “Feel the Pain” in 94), but disbanded in 1997. Seven years later, they decided to reunite with all the original members and even released an album, Beyond in 2007, and performed at Summersonic that same year. This year they are back with another new album, containing this single.
	Public Enemy - Can't Truss It Album: Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black Too bad they are performing at the same time slot as Franz Ferdinand. I can’t choose between the two, so I will probably see an hour of them, and an hour of Franz. Although Chuck D and clock wearing Flavor Flav may not be in their prime anymore, their stage presence and energetic shows are still worth checking out. This track is from their 1991 album.
	Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams Album: Tonight This track is actually almost 8 minutes long, but the last four minutes is just bunch of techno beats. Performing at the main stage as the closer for the night, they should put on a rocking show. “No You Girls” is turning into quite a hit, thanks to Apple using it on their iPod touch commercial. “Lucid Dreams” was released as pre-album single last year, but when the album was released earlier this year, a different version was included.