Osheaga 2011 Preview

The bands not to be missed in this 3-day marathon

By: Dave Jaffer
Jul 26, 2011 - 10:12
See all articles by Dave J. »

The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival will probably never overtake the Montreal International Jazz Festival as the most prestigious event on Montreal’s summer social calendar. That said, it has in a relatively short time become a great big thing, a music festival qua music festival.

(Hell, they’re even alienating longtime attendees with some of their 2011 programming. If that’s not a sign of growth, nothing is.)

Because of the number of acts on this year’s docket—the fest has gone from a two-day affair to a three-day marathon—it’s conceivable that many have no idea how they’re going to schedule their fests.

I know your understanding of what you like is much greater than my understanding of what you like, but nobody’s got it completely locked down and we all miss things. With that in mind, here are a few you probably shouldn’t miss:

The Rural Alberta Advantage: The thunderous Toronto trio’s early 2011 release, Departing, is exceptional. A compendium record to 2008’s Hometowns, it is quintessentially Canuck, reveling in winter and sentimentality. I’ve seen them play the new stuff a few times now; “Stamp” is the best song they’ve ever written, and seeing it live only confirms that.

Death From Above 1979: A no-brainer. Jesse and Sebastien are back in action after five years of cooling off, and if what I saw and heard at the now infamous riot show at this year’s SXSW is any indication, they’re just as ready to take your head off now as they were back in the day.

Janelle Monáe: Watch this. If you can do so without being convinced that this young lady is unmissable, I can’t help you. She’s a monumental talent.

Galaxie: The only Franco act currently on the Polaris Music Prize short list are hometown heroes. Among their ranks is Fred Fortin, no stranger himself to Polaris (he was long-listed in 2010 for Plastrer la lune). For the uninitiated, Galaxie are little bit of dance, a little bit of stoner rock and a lot of pop; Tigre et diesel is a killer record.

Braids: Creators of the first bona fide buzz record of 2011 (Native Speaker), Braids are making Montreal proud despite not being from here. Seeing them play was arguably one of the high points of my SXSW, and “Lammicken” is a staple of every mix I’ve made this year. They are amazing and are only getting better—‘nuff said.

Timber Timbre: Some think that Timber Timbre’s Creep On Creepin’ On could upset the prohibitive favourite—Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs—and win the Polaris Music Prize. Will that happen? I can’t say. What I can say is that people will be talking about Creep On Creepin’ On ten years from now. It’s stunningly good.

See also: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Ellie Goulding, Anna Calvi, The Barr Brothers, Suuns, and Citeeze faves PS I Love You.