San Francisco – Outside Lands provides amazing food, countless libation options, and of course, a slew of new and exciting bands waiting to be discovered.  We’ll be there taking it all in and reporting back on the goings-on around Golden Gate Park during this annual celebration of music, food, and good times in the Bay Area. For those of you lucky enough to attend, here are some new bands we recommend.

The Bots

Panhandle Stage 12-12:40 PM - For fans of: TV on the Radio, Death From Above 1979, The Mars Volta

Brotherly LA duo The Bots came together with the release of their 2009 self-titled EP, boasting jagged, grimy guitar and percussion matched with powerful, abrasive vocal stylings.  They followed up with several other EPs, including last year’s powerhouse Sincerely Sorry.  With the recent release of their new single “No One Knows”—the lead single to their LP out this October—the band has taken a new, more structured direction, focusing more on an Americana-shaded sound, relying on softer vocals, melodic guitar, and stomping percussion.  It’ll be interesting to see how they transform their older material into the new context in which the brothers Lei have placed themselves in.

Lykke Li

Twin Peaks Stage, 5:05-5:55 PM - For fans of: Adele, Emeli Sandé, Stevie Nicks

Photo By Daniela Montelongo

Swedish songstress Lykke Li made it big quickly with her 2009 debut Youth Novels, and even bigger with her 2011 sophomore effort Wounded Rhymes, earning hit status with tracks like “Get Some” and “I Follow Rivers.”  This year, she released a fabulous LP entitled I Never Learn, a somber yet astoundingly beautiful collection of heavily orchestrated, dramatic torch songs that will undoubtedly feel right at home in Golden Gate Park’s misty woodland atmosphere.  Unfortunately she plays at pretty much the exact same time as longtime indie favorites Spoon, but I highly recommend catching at least half of Lykke Li’s show.  Her performances are absolutely spine tingling.

Gardens & Villa

Panhandle Stage, 5:55-6:35 PM - For fans of: Yeasayer, Bear in Heaven, Empire of the Sun

Santa Barbara’s synth-pop quintet followed-up their excellent self-titled 2011 debut this year with their sophomore album Dunes, which has garnered abundant praise from critics and listeners alike.  Though they are playing a short set—and on the smallest stage—their infectious, entangling sound will undoubtedly draw quite a crowd.

Gold Panda

Panhandle Stage, 7:40-8:25 PM - For fans of: Caribou, Flying Lotus, Jon Hopkins

Photo By Richard Manning

UK producer Gold Panda is probably best known for the sample of his song “You”—from his 2010 LP debut Lucky Shiner­—used in Charli XCX’s hit “You (Ha Ha Ha), though most of his catalog stands alone as entrancing, unique electronica.  Last summer he released his second formal LP last summer, entitled Half of Where You Live, which has a much more relaxed vibe to it, yet still provides an excellent soundtrack for an evening in San Francisco.

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Corey Bell

Corey Bell is no stranger to music.Having spent the better part of the past decade at concerts and music festivals around the globe, he finds he is most at home in the company of live music.Originally a native of New England, he has since taken residence in New York and New Orleans, and now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.He achieved his Bachelor of Arts from Goddard College in Vermont via an undergraduate study entitled “Sonic Highways: Musical Immersion on the Roads of America," in which he explores the interactions between music, natural environment, and emotion while travelling along the scenic byways and highways of the United States.His graduate thesis, “Eighty Thousand’s Company,” features essays regarding the historical and socio-economic facets of contemporary festival culture intertwined with personal narrative stories of his experiences thereof.He is the former editor of Art Nouveau Magazine and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from California College of the Arts.

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