ACL Fest: Sunday

Today was mostly filled with acts that I have heard nothing or little about. So I was hoping to find some new cool bands Here's how my day went:

1:30-2:00: Octopus Project, I enjoyed this psychedelic instrumental quartet. Their style reminds me of The Flaming Lips minus the words, and their sound was full especially went they invited the Austin High School band on stage with them. B

2:00-2:30: The Kills, I left Octopus Project to checkout the Kills who left an impressionable mark at SXSW this spring. I definitely dig their sound, even though their band is just two guitarists and recorded drums, they have a full and inventive sound. B

2:30-3:30: Mike Farris feat. The Roseland Rhythm Revue, I had never heard of them until today and they put on a decent show. Farris has a really soulful voice and their style is a kind of funky gospel. B-

3:30-4:30: Stars, another band I have not heard of, they were just OK. Their sound was full but I thought their style was kind of generic. C+

4:30-4:45: Silversun Pickups, I have heard a couple of their tracks on the radio and I thought it was a 50/50 chance that I would enjoy their show. Well, maybe they were just having a bad day, but I didn't enjoy their set at all and left after only a couple songs. F

4:45-5:30: Neko Case, they had a nice and calming country vibe but I found their show to be a little boring after a while. The musicianship was good, just not my style. C+

6:30-7:45: The Raconteurs, the one band I was really looking forward to today. Unfortunately they were paired up against Gnarles Barkley, but since I have already seen Gnarls (they were amazing) The Raconteurs were a no brainer. They grabbed the crowd's attention right away with two high energy songs in "Consoler Of The Lonely" and "Level." They slowed it down slightly for the rest of the show but still kept a good energy level and full sound. Jack White and Brendan Benson are madmen on the guitar as Patrick Keller and Jack Lawrence hold everything together with their heart-pounding beats. The Raconteurs also changed up their song structure to where the song sounded fresh and new but still held onto the qualities that their fans love so much. With White's crazy guitar solos, Benson's calming voice, Lawrence's thundering bass, and Keller's pulsating drums, The Raconteurs were the kings of ACL 2008. A

Because I couldn't get close enough to hear Band of Horses clearly and myself not being particularly fond of The Foo Fighters, I decided to pack it in on a high note.