On Friday night, Boston Calling heads back to City Hall Plaza for its seventh installment. This year, we’re heading straight to the highlights: here are 2016’s top 10 main stage artists for a Pudding-approved good time.
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens had his soul laid bare on 2015’s Carrie & Lowell. With its sparse instrumentation and quiet vocals, the album earned critical acclaim. But while that description might make little sense to festival-goers expecting a bombastic lead-in to Sia’s highly anticipated headlining set, Sufjan’s sets at Coachella were whimsical and, at times, hilarious. His rendition of “All Of Me Wants All Of You” was remixed with an uptempo groove, and during instrumentals Stevens deadpanned new lyrics: “All of me wants all of you / to feel the groove of my love for you.”
Palehound
Palehound is Phish for the Boston punk’s soul, worth seeing repeatedly for new takeaways each time. Hear the live stylings and lyrical genius of Ellen Kempner once, and the best is still yet to come. The band’s garage-y groove grows catchier by the set, providing new listeners and fellow obsessively fans the same level of connection. To match, the group’s 2015 release Dry Food is full of music to move to in heart and in sneaker-soled heels. Growing ever-inward, Kempner’s songs can sound more pleasant than the feelings they describe. So, hear them in-person for full, authentic effect. Then, do it again.
Lizzo
Minneapolis-based alt hip hop artist Lizzo’s 2015 release Big GRRRL, Small World both addressed and accelerated her ascension from local star to international up-and-comer. Mixing elements of hip hop and soul, she’s talented in crafting ballads and bangers alike (see also her freshman release, Lizzobangers) and taking unexpected twists with collaborators from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to Doomtree’s Lazerbeak. With her Boston Calling set as her first in a summer-long string of festival performances, we’re predicting the unpredictable and couldn’t be more excited. Slated for early Saturday afternoon, she’ll bring an early dose of energy to one of the festival’s most pumped-up lineups yet.
Courtney Barnett
Australian singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett is still tearing it up behind her stellar debut L.P. Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Fresh off her praised performances at Coachella and Saturday Night Live, every stage she and her band, the CB3, play seems to be bigger than the last. Blending a mix of grunge rock and indie-pop, her witty lyricism and deadpan delivery keeps winning over new fans and rightfully so. The trio’s live performance can take on some grungy appeal and will undoubtedly be one of the highest energy sets of the weekend.
Robyn
Swedish electro-pop sensation Robyn has been on the scene since 1997, pushing gender norms and releasing smash hits like “Do You Know What It Takes,” and “Call Your Girlfriend.” Most recently, the 36 year-old pop genius has been experimenting with Röyksopp and spacey, synth sounds on mini-album Do It Again (2014) and 2015’s eccentric, danceable collaborative effort, Love Is Free. On stage, Robyn is as engaging as her femmebot/cyborg persona allows, and her performances are a sensory overload. It’s flippin’ wild. Robyn’s headlining set on Saturday is not one to skip out on, especially if you didn’t catch her in 2014 performing at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, or if you just want to go dancing on your own.
Michael Christmas
Boston might have technically lost rhyming genius Michael Christmas to Los Angeles, but this city still proudly calls him one of its own. Grasping concepts of loneliness, crushes, and the mundanity of routine, Christmas finds the opportunity to twist perception with sly comedy. Christmas’ 2015 release of What A Weird Day challenged hip hop in recognizing weakness to build up. Also, it didn’t hurt to feature big time hip hop favorites like Mac Miller and Logic. The bright-eyed, wide-smiled Christmas never fails in pulling you into your best self.
Christine and the Queens
Christine and the Queens is the project of Héloïse Letissie, a French singer-songwriter. Her latest self-titled album has led to wider reception, recording a French language version and one in English. On the record, she mixes heartfelt songwriting with infectious beats and instrumentation. “Titled,” a lead single from the album, is ear candy in the best sense of the word. Get to the set early and have the infectious middle eight “I’m doing my face / with magic marker / I’m in my right place / don’t be a downer” ready.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra has quietly become one of America’s most unique rock bands and the buzz around them continues to grow. The Jagjaguwar artist experiments with soulful lo-fi vocals, punchy guitars, and snappy snares to create a take on a what a modern psych-rock band should sound like. Fronted by Portland, Oregon native Ruben Neilson, UMO’s most recent output, 2015’s funky Multi-Love, earned him critical praise from indie garage rockers to psychedelic jammers alike. Unknown Mortal Orchestra also recently contributed to The National’s Day of the Dead project for their creative electronic take of the Grateful Dead’s disco classic “Shakedown Street.” UMO’s expansive sound and upbeat grooves will definitely get the party started in the early afternoon, making this one of the earliest sets of the day that is not to be missed.
Charles Bradley
One might easily label Charles Bradley as a retro soul revivalist, but that fact that this newly discovered (in a “Searching for Sugarman” kind of way) soul singer is a ripe sixty-seven years old, he technically can’t be branded as a revivalist so hastily. Bradley is soul music and all the raw emotion and energy that come along with it. His late-blooming career began when Daptone Records, the label behind the launch of Sharon Jones, and the band that once backed Amy Winehouse, discovered the long time chef upon hearing his James Brown impersonations. After releasing his debut album No Time For Dreaming in 2011, Bradley hasn’t skipped a beat, pouring out his heart into one cathartic song after the next. His latest effort Changes is a continued step in the right direction and undeniably his best to date. Let the emotion of his set wash over you, and if your lucky he’ll jump off stage and hug everyone in the audience. Try not to fall in love with this incredibly endearing human.
Janelle Monae
Fusing elements of funk, jazz, and rock, Janelle Monae’s mosaic approach to dancefloor-ready pop is as thoughtful as it is infectious. While casual listeners might know her best from her breakthrough contribution to Fun.’s 2012 hit “We Are Young”, her own songwriting runs much deeper, taking on identity and sexuality through playful hooks and futuristic metaphors. On her way up, she’s been championed by everyone from Prince to Outkast’s Big Boi, and Boston City Council even dubbed a day in October 2013 as “Janelle Monae Day” in praise of her social leadership and creative innovation. Take her set as your cue to get the Sunday night dance party started.
Boston Calling goes down this Friday through Sunday at City Hall Plaza (as if we had to tell you at this point). Single and multi-day passes are still available here. Stay tuned for our review of the festival next week!