San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival takes over the city in a few days, coming to life in a multitude of venues from February 26 – March 3rd. Though this will be my personal maiden voyage, I’ve heard Noise Pop referred to as “the festival for those who hate festivals” and “San Francisco’s own SXSW”. While multi-venue, urban festivals are certainly not limited to SXSW (see: NYC’s CMJ, Portland’s MusicFestNW, Seattle’s City Arts & Boise’s Treefort), Noise Pop does offer a great alternative to its regional rivals of Treasure Island and Outside Lands. This year’s festival offers a healthy dose of variety sure to keep any attendees dancing and content. Check out the full roster, but here our are picks for bands to catch this year. Tickets are available here.
Toro y Moi: Noise Pop certainly showcases a fair amount of Bay Area talent. And perhaps no other regional artists has more to share this year than Toro y Moi, aka Chaz Bundick. The South Carolina native relocated to Berkeley, where January’s Anything in Return was written before moving the tunes to tape at Different Fur Studios in SF. The album is one of my favorites of the year this far. It marks a bit of a departure for Chaz into more explicitly pop territory and I, for one, dig it. Toro y Moi’s dual sets at the Independent will easily be one of the most danceable sets of Noise Pop.
Free Energy: Despite a dubious pan from Pitchfork, the Philadelphia rock outfit produced a great album with this year’s Love Sign. That review somehow thought it’s a crime to yield dance-conducive, catchy, fun, hook-filled jams that probably go really poorly with beer in a live setting. I’ve been enjoying the carefree and enjoyable tunes Free Energy crafts since I first heard “All I Know“. Recommending Free Energy if you enjoy good-time-vibes.
Damien Jurado: While Damien Jurado is a staple and recent legend in the Pacific Northwest, as a PNW native, I can’t really say how well known & received Jurado is in California. His 2012 LP Maraqopa, produced with Richard Swift (Gardens & Villa, Sharon van Etten, Pickwick), delivered Jurado’s whimsical, folktastic songs to a wider audience. But if you haven’t heard much of Damien’s music, Noise Pop offers a great opportunity to become acquainted with him.
Ramona Falls: Another Pacific Northwest resident, Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls is perhaps more regularly known as a former, founding member of Portland’s Menomena. Since moving on from Menomena, Brent has focused diligently on what was a side-project during his tenure with the band. Now, Ramona Falls is a full-fledged touring act featuring a number of capable musician friends to round out the live rendition. Check out their trippy video for “Fingerhold”.
Social Studies: Even as a Bay Area new comer, I’ve been exposed to a number of articles about San Francisco & Oakland’s somewhat rival art scenes. While the debate rages on, the recent tech boom has undoubtedly sky-rocketed San Francisco rent prices in the past 18 months, certainly affecting artists and creatives. SF band Social Studies holed up to write and record their latest album Developer, with Eli Crews (Thao, tUnE-yArDs, Deerhoof), through this tech phase. While the album name is apparently non-tech related, Developer itself displays Social Studies’ commitment to technical playing, precision and attention to detail. However, not dissimilar to the Walkmen or Vampire Weekend, the band balances their intricacies and complexity with some soul. Natalia Rogovin’s voice impassions the carefully crafted minimal mixes to deliver a sound that has been likened to Beach House. But Social Studies has their own vibe going on. Don’t miss the hometown act at Noise Pop.