Lollapalooza’s 2009 long-awaited lineup has been released. The once traveling music festival is in its fifth year as a Chicago-based weekend festival, which takes place at Grant Park. This year’s fest is August 7-9, and features such headliners as Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers and the newly-reunited Jane’s Addiction, featuring Lollapalooza founder, Perry Farrell. What is difficult to ignore, however, is the similarity of this year’s lineup with the lineups of past years. Many of the artists playing on the 2009 stages also played two years ago (Kings of Leon, TV on the Radio, Peter Bjorn and John, Ben Harper, Heartless Bastards, Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids and Sam Roberts, to name a few), and some of them played in 2006 (Andrew Bird, Thievery Corporation, Of Montreal). The 2009 lineup also bares resemblance to past years of Coachella. The questions raised by the similar lineups is whether these repeats are a matter of narrow booking or whether the music scene has become so limited that there are so few newer and worthy bands from which to choose when booking an event like Lollapalooza. If you are venturing out to Grant Park this August, be sure to check out new artists like Chicago’s own folk singer Joe Pug, new buzz outfit Passion Pit, or songwriting veteran Ben Folds, who will be featuring a cappella songs from his latest album. Since its origin, Lollapalooza has been a festival of big-name headliners, but the beauty of the festival has been its ability to serve as the introduction of new bands, many on smaller side-stages. By now, most music vets have seen Ben Harper, and they’ve probably seen Kings of Leon a handful of times in the past year alone. Taking time to discover new names and faces can often be more rewarding. Obviously, headliners like Lou Reed and Neko Case mustn’t be missed – but be sure to round out your Lollapalooza experience with up-and-comers like the ones below:

Chairlift

Originally formed in Boulder, CO, the now Brooklyn-based trio, Chairlift, formed with the original purpose of creating music for haunted houses. When members Caroline Polacheck, Aaron Pfenning and Patrick Wimberly thought they had more to offer than spooky tunes, the band began crafting its avante-pop sound and booking NYC gigs with the likes of then fellow up-and-comers MGMT.

Blind Pilot

Portland duo, Blind Pilot, offers well-crafted, folky Americana tunes with lulling melodies. Their debut album, 2008’s Rounds and a Sound, has gained them a world tour supporting the likes of such vets as the Counting Crows and Decemberists. Joining such similar musicians as the Fleet Foxes, Blind Pilot opts to craft beautiful, no-nonsense music and proves a band can do just that, with only two members.

Hey Champ

Chicago natives (Rockford, IL to be exact), Hey Champ, introduce their electronic-pop sound at this year’s festival. The trio, Saam Hagshenas, Jon Marks and Pete Dougherty, struck luck (or you might call it gold) last year when they were contacted by Lupe Fiasco to join him on a national tour. Catchy electro-rock songs like “Cold Dust Girl” are sure to get you moving.

Santigold

This Wesleyan-educated, Philadelphian singer-songwriter has compiled an impressive musical resume as of late. With collaborations with N.E.R.D., The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas and Kanye West, co-writing credits for Ashlee Simpson and Lilly Allen and serving as tour support for M.I.A., Bjork, Jay-Z and Coldplay, she has created a well-respected musical persona. Most often compared to M.I.A. or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santigold delivers energetic live performances, backed by catchy pop beats.

More Cheeky Picks:

Lou Reed

Vampire Weekend

Neko Case

The Decemberists

Ben Folds

Fleet Foxes

Silversun Pickups

Passion Pit

Joe Pug

Glasvegas

Gomez

Federico Aubele

For a full lineup and festival details, click here.