The National, Liars, Jens Lekman, CSS

CSS
With song titles such as “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex” and “Let’s Make Love While Listening to Death From Above”, you get a pretty good indication of the terrain in which CSS is treading. The moniker of this female-dominated sextet from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is short for “Cansei De Ser Sexy”, which in Portuguese means “Tired of Being Sexy.” Yet their music proves them to be anything but. With driving electro rock, razor-thin guitars and maniacal hooks, this band offers further explanation for Brazil’s status as expatriate capitol of the Southern Hemisphere. Through Internet word of mouth and trial-and-error (none of the art-oriented members reportedly knew how to play an instrument before forming the band as an experiment), their convulsive sweaty rhythms caught the ear of the not-known-for-its-dance-rock label Sub Pop, which is releasing their record in the U.S. on July 11. Live shows have been known to include plastic ball wars between the band and audience, stage diving, panties flashing and underwear being thrown on stage. (Sunday, 2:50-3:40, Biz3 Stage) –text: Jay Gentile–photo: Mariana Juliano

JENS LEKMAN
In a land called Sweden serenades a precocious talent by the name of Jens Lekman. Lekman has produced several EPs penetrating his listeners with a hypnotic baritone reminiscent of the Magnetic Field’s Stephen Merritt, and ultimately winning them over with raw self-deprecating wit a la the much beloved Morrissey. A cynical romantic, Lekman’s often melancholy lyrics ring with the irony of sleigh bells. Punctuated with infectious samples from established indie pop icons like Belle & Sebastian, his music boasts a delicate danceability and threatens a return to the status quo ante, where the only limit on artistic expression is the artist’s own talent. In young Jens Lekman’s case (he’s only 25), that limit is nowhere in sight. (Sunday, 2-2:35, Main Stage) –text: David Barrett–photo: Emma Svensson

LIARS
After prowling the Logan Square Auditorium stage last month with menacing strides, shots of guitar feedback and ear-piercing tantrums, Liars frontman and resident madman Angus Andrew bid farewell to the audience with an out-of-breath “danke schoen.” But the hypnotic, floor tom-heavy throb of the band’s live show and new album, Drum’s Not Dead (Mute), are proof that German pleasantries are certainly not the only thing this trio has learned since moving to Berlin in the wake of the divisive reception of 2004’s They Were Wrong So We Drowned. While that album marked the band’s departure into its current speculative, percussion-centric territory, it also generated up-in-arms reactions from critics and Liars fans alike, who were thirsting for more four-on-the-floor dance-punk like the band’s 2001 debut. On Drum’s, Liars employ the self-confidence/self-doubt dichotomy inherent in each of us as a conceptual skeleton, and strike an odd balance between anxious polyrhythmic beats, synthesized noise (see the badass didgeridoo thing on track two), and tribal chanting. Anyone who jumped ship two years ago should be kicking themselves. (Sunday, 3:30-4:20, Main Stage) –text: Jake Malooley–photo: Steve Gullick

THE NATIONAL
Comprised of brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf, Aaron and Bryce Dessner and vocalist Matt Berninger, The National released the critically acclaimed album Alligator last year that landed on several year-end “Best Of” lists. Singing about everyday life in a distinctive baritone, some of Berninger’s songs contain great plaintiveness as others permeate with effusive intensity. The National’s live shows are characterized by commanding moments as Berninger grips the microphone with unbridled passion — producing an unusually intimate performance. Since its initial release, Alligator (the third offering by this New York-by-way-of Cincinnati quintet) has remained an under-the-radar gem — yet has also received adequate play on indie radio. The record continues to linger over a year later because of mind-blowingly good tracks such as “Abel,” “Friend of Mine” and “All the Wine.” (Sunday, 2:35-3:30, Main Stage) –text: Garin Pirnia–photo: Sonya Kolowrat