Image courtesy of TOC festival research action group

Overwhelmed? When you stare at the just-released Lolla lineup, it’s a big wad of names. To help you wade through the bill, I’ve broken down the festival into it’s typical composite parts.

Nostalgia acts:
Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, Depeche Mode

Swedes:
Peter Björn and John, Lykke Li

Sweet beards:
Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses

Band for horses:
Robert Earl Keen

Folk for NPR folk, a.k.a. stuff for parents while the little one is fingerpainting:
Andrew Bird, Neko Case, the Decemberists, Other Lives, The Low Anthem, The Greencards

Fatty-do-batty jam bands, brah:
Ben Harper, STS9, Animal Collective

Around the world in two bands:
Federico Aubele, Zap Mama

Electro:
Thievery Corporation, Friendly Fires, Hey Champ, Miike Snow

Rock bands that will draw bigger crowds than far-more-hyped indie acts:
Coheed and Cambria, Portugal. The Man, Cage the Elephant, Rise Against, Silversun Pickups

Those far-more-hyped indie acts we were just talking about:
Deerhunter, Dan Deacon

Rappers:
The Knux, Atmosphere

White rappers:
Beastie Boys, Asher Roth, Ben Folds

Minor major label rock groups who have no place to play but toward the bottom of massive bills like this:
Living Things, White Lies, Manchester Orchestra, The Virgins, Carney, Airborne Toxic Event

This year’s blog hypes:
Passion Pit, Ida Maria, Amazing Baby, Hockey, The Builders and The Butchers

Last year’s blog hypes:
No Age, Los Campesinos!, Crystal Castles, Chairlift, Ra Ra Riot

I can’t even remember if they had blogs when these bands were hyped:
Gang Gang Dance, Vampire Weekend, The Raveonettes, TV on the Radio

I could have sworn they played last year:
Delta Spirit, Langhorne Slim, Jane’s Addiction

“We swear we’re much bigger back home”:
Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Glasvegas

“We swear we’re much bigger in Australia”:
Kings of Leon

Token locals:
Joe Pug, Ezra Furman

Bar bands gone big time:
Cold War Kids, Heartless Bastards, Gaslight Anthem, Gomez, Dan Auerbach, Constantines

Bar bands at lunchtime:
Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, The Henry Clay People, Blind Pilot, Sam Roberts Band, Eric Church, Alberta Cross

Costumes!
Of Montreal, Bat For Lashes, The Killers, Santigold, Tool

Beatles children:
Thenewno2

Kevin Devine:
Kevin Devine