Quite a bit toned down from the extreme energy pulsating on Saturday’s stages, Sunday features a lot more nostalgic favorites than up-and-comers. Nonetheless, there are still plenty of choices in terms of genre options and less time conflicts than the previous days. Just remember to savor your last day of tunes in SF’s gorgeous Golden Gate Park and choose wisely! Here are Sunday’s top picks in hierarchical order.
1. M.I.A., Lands End Stage, 6:05-7:05pm: A very clear must-see if not for her amazing ear for dramatic and unsuspecting beats and collaborations, then for her ridiculous costume choices and unpredictable live show. M.I.A. has single-handedly molded her own genre around hip-hop and formed it to her own style, greatly impacting how females are seen in the biz. And we give her props for bringing it just 6 or so months after giving birth to her first child, now that’s a working mom.
2. Band Of Horses, Sutro Stage, 6:40-7:40pm:Band Of Horses has a very distinguished and unusual style that is all their own. While relatively new-ish in band life, their sound is as polished and clean as veterans three times their age. Originally from Seattle, the quintet has since relocated to South Carolina and their Southern rock influences have shined through ever since. They’re often compared to fellow Southern-based, My Morning Jacket. This is absolutely a must-see performance.
3. John Vanderslice, Presidio Stage, 2:10-2:50pm: Local Missionite, John Vanderslice is not only a local favorite and a great songwriter, he’s produced for big names like Spoon and The Mountain Goats in his very own famed recording studio Tiny Telephone also housed in the Mission.He just dropped his latest album, Romanian Names, in May and he’s already back in the studio recording again. If you stop by to see Mr. Vanderslice, we’re sure you’ll fall in love with him instantly. You may even get to give him a hug or a high five after the show, he loves interacting with his fans.
4. AmpLive, The Experience Created By Heineken Stage, 4:30-6:00pm: Already DJing an entire set on Saturday with MC Zumbi (Zion I) and spinning at an Outside Lands Night Show on Friday (with Street Sweeper Social Club), there’s no excuse for not seeing AmpLive once, if not all three times this weekend. We’re not really sure what kind of stuff he’s going to spin on his solo set, but from his recent collaborations and remixes (Tapes ‘N Tapes, Santigold, Radiohead, MGMT, Of Montreal, we could go on for days), we know this is going to be the best DJ set at all of Outside Lands.
5. The Dead Weather, Twin Peaks Stage, 3:50-4:50pm: This Nashville gritty alt-rock group featuring White Stripes', Jack White and The Kills', Alison Moshart, has enjoyed the luxury of having one of summer’s biggest hits “Treat Me Like Your Mother,” off of their freshman album Horehound. The Dead Weather have only been a band not even a year and already their success is reaching the top of the charts. Just imagine what they’ll come up with next.
6. The Morning Benders, Panhandle Solar Stage, 1:30-2:10pm: These Bay Area sweethearts always have the keen ability to charm the pants off of anybody listening to them. Perhaps this is in part due to the incredibly adorable factor of lead singer, Chris Chu, but mostly because of their toe-tapping pop availability and the blatant vulnerability transparent in nearly every forlorn love song they write. These are gut-wrenchingly, yet sweet, tales of love won, lost and won again. They’ve toured with the likes of Ra Ra Riot, Yo La Tengo, Death Cab For Cutie, Two Gallants, MGMT, We Are Scientists, and The Kooks among others, so you know they’ve got to be good. Get here for some much needed indie-pop relief.
7. Calexico, Presidio Stage, 3:55-4:40pm:Calexico can cover Latin-jazz, electronica and lo-fi ambient noise with exact precision, but don’t let their lack of genre direction fool you, their high-energy shows will have you moving before the first song is half-way through.
8. Modest Mouse, Lands End Stage, 4:20-5:20pm: Yeah, ok, so they’re not the newest band on the block. That still doesn’t mean we aren’t stoked for this throwback of old indie alt-rock. Despite the many bands out there within the same genre, Modest Mouse has always kept their sound very uniquely their own and we applaud the ingenuity and skill it takes to bring that live.
