I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that last night I was anxiously watching Twitter for teasers and refreshing Hopscotch’s homepage until midnight, when Hopscotch 2012′s lineup was released. I read out loud the 175 bands to my roommates with the occasional (and frequent) yelps of joy. Headliners this year include The Roots, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Built to Spill (one of my personal favorite bands), Yo La Tengo, Liars, Sunn O))), and Zola Jesus. Some others that I’m excited about are Thee Oh Sees, Wye Oak, Deerhoof, The Mountain Goats, Versus, Exitmusix, Ducktails, Samantha Crain, Hubble, Midtown Dickens, Gross Ghost, Heads on Sticks, Jane Jane Pollock, Shark Quest, Airstrip — the list goes on. For a full list (that even includes where the bands are from!) check out the lineup here.

They’ve added a few more venues in downtown Raleigh for the third year of the music festival, taking place Sept. 6-8. Festival goers will bounce around Raleigh City Plaza, Berkeley Cafe, Contemporary Art Museum (CAM), Deep South the Bar, Five Star, Fletcher Opera Theater, The Hive, Kings, Lincoln Theatre, The Long View Center, Memorial Auditorium, The Pour House, Slim’s, Tir na nOg, and White Collar Crime. I suggest knowing shortcuts to venues ahead of time, so here’s a map to help.

VIP, weekend, day and city plaza tickets are still available. See you at #hopscotch2012!

Photo recaps of last year’s festival: Day One, Day Two, Day Three

The National Courtesy of Akmal Naim

1. It has been discovered that there are two hidden tracks off of The Dead Weather’s latest album “Sea of Cowards.” The tracks are hidden on the limited edition split color vinyl and are located on the record’s center label. (via Pitchfork)

2. Bonnie “Prince” Billy is releasing a free single through Adult Swim as apart of the Adult Swim Single Series; where each week one artist releases a free single to the public. The series is set to run for a total of 8 weeks. (via Pitchfork)

3. The Roots have enlisted the help of the women of Dirty Projectors with The Roots’ upcoming album “How I Got Over.” The album is set to release June 22nd. (via Pitchfork)

4. For the first time since the tragic death of their drummer !!! has announced details on their upcoming album, and they have released a new tract that accompanies the new release as well. The album entitled “Strange Weather, Isn’t It?” is set to release August 24th. (via Pitchfork)

5. The National stormed the top of the Billboards charts with the release of their latest album “High Violet”. The album opened at number 3 selling 51,000 copies.(via Pitchfork)

Below is a list of what the WKNC Hip Hop DJs have come to an agreement to be the ten best hip hop albums of 2008. They are not ranked in anyway just listed. If you haven’t listened to one of these albums I strongly urge you to give them a listen.

Paper Trail by T.I.
Leave It All Behind by Foreign Exchange
The Carter 3 by Lil Wayne
Universal Mind Control by Common
Theater of Mind by Ludacris
The Renaissance by Q Tip
Emeritus by Scarface
Untitled by Nas
Rising Down by The Roots
Million Dollar Back Pack by Skillz