The Annuals

This weekend was the most important musical event of the year in Chicago, and one of the biggest in the country. Yes Lollapalooza dropped upon the city for the past 3 days with tons of bands both big and small performing for the crowds. I did not make it out to Lolla, even though I had good intentions of going today, but decided to pass after drinking too much last night and not wanting to part with $100 for one day of music. Personally I don't like music festivals that much, I prefer smaller venues and shorter shows that you can really focus on. Also when I found out that the brilliant people running the thing decided to schedule Lupe Fiasco and Amy Winehouse at the same time it was the deciding factor. However in honor of the festival I am going to write about one of the groups that I could have seen today had I actually gotten off my lazy ass.

The group is the Annuals (much different from the previously mentioned Band of Annuals), an indie band out of North Carolina. Now I'm not that big of an indie person, especially with regards to posting about it because the two things the world does not need more of are lawyers and people who write about indie music. But my personal beefs aside, the Annuals have really gotten to me with their blend of indie-pop that maintains a nice balance between the quirky styles of indie and the more conventional melodies arrangements of mainstream music. The band's 2006 release Be He Me really showcases the bands great song writing abilities and the various styles they incorporate into their songs. They do a great job of mixing things up with slower more somber songs and upbeat higher-energy songs as well.

The first song Bleary Eyed shows the band's pop side a little more and is a catchy song that allows vocalist Adam Baker and percussionists Zach Oden and Nick Radford to shine.

Bleary Eyed

The next song is a personal favorite of mine, a great upbeat song with addictive rhythms with a little soul influence in them.

The Bull, And The Goat


Finally a song to showcase the range of their talents. The last one, Dry Clothes, shows their creativity in song arrangements and distinctive style.

Dry Clothes

So give the Annuals a listen, they've got a lot of good songs to offer, and maybe if I wasn't so lazy I could tell you that they put on a great live show too. But I can't.

-Alec