Festivillian: Music, Art, Culture

Brace yourselves, music fans. It's festival season, when you get used to rustling up some suntan lotion, fighting off the sweaty hordes and muscling your way to the front of the crowd to see your favorite band. Of course, with all the amazing bands that are performing around the country this summer, it's easy to miss out on the acts that really deserve some attention.

Sasquatch, though somewhat smaller than festivals like Coachella or Bonnaroo, still has plenty of opportunities for you to see great music and comedy. Here are a few of our favorite picks that some people might overlook on their way to the main stage. Don't make that mistake.

MGMT: Take a breath and listen. That trippy, shiny, happy synth-pop band you love? They're gone. We don't know where they went to, but that's a fact. In their place is a band selling what a lot of indie-rock critics aren't buying. Don't follow the leaders on this one. Keep an open mind, and you can see that MGMT is one of the more interesting indie bands on tour this summer. Their music isn't a big loud party now'it's quieter and more stripped down but still psychedelic and amazing. Give them a chance and hear them with new ears.

The xx: We might not need to tell you about the xx, London's freshest sounding band. Their music is shady, sexy and laidback with breathy vocals and understated, lazy rock. Critics have been raving about them since last year, and their reputation has steadily climbed since then, with their fan base slowly gathering steam.  Some of their songs are a little sinister and others make you feel like you're all alone, isolated from the world outside by their amazing music. Keep the xx in mind when you're plotting your course through the weekend.

Caribou: Critics have tried to slap labels on Dan Snaith's music. Labels like "folktronica," which doesn't really describe his music that well and which also sounds stupid. But Snaith, known by his working name of Caribou, is an act you simply can't miss. He blends live instrumentation with electronica that's at times pensive but usually frantic and exciting. With a new album out called Swim, he's sure to have some exciting material to show off.

Girls: Girls is pretty inscrutable. The leader of the band isn't a girl; it's Christopher Owens, a talented songwriter with a fragile voice. His debut album is titled Album, making it extremely hard to Google. But don't miss out when he takes the stage. Girls' songs should be given away as feel-good tonics to people trying to escape their own dark clouds. Seek out "Hellhole Ratrace" and see if that doesn't put a smile on your lips.

Neon Indian: As fun as they are experimental, Neon Indian has been cultivating a pretty big following, with lots of comparisons to the Killers, who they have toured with. It's a strange equivalency to draw, because Neon Indian leans more on atmospherics and textures rather than writing straightforward pop songs. Still, the buzz is well deserved. Check them out at Sasquatch.

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About the Author:
This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Andrew Good.  StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.stubhub.com/sasquatch-music-festival-tickets/">Sasquatch Music Festival tickets</a>, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.