Pitchfork

Hand-holders, flower-waterers, sticker-collectors: gather round. You too, barrette-donning barista girl and cokebottle glasses guy. And the forest critters and imaginary friends as well. It's time to get all twee up in this bitch. Twee like the fourth annual Athens Popfest, titivating the confines of that Georgian college town's 40 Watt Club and Little Kings Shuffle Club from August 8-11, 2007.

Actually twee frequently proves a misnomer with this initial lineup, which suggests Athens' fest-- presented by beloved local indie-pop imprint Happy Happy Birthday to Me-- seeks to paint Pop in gleefully broad strokes. We have the electrified power-pop of Ted Leo and his Pharmacists, the unabashed, heart-on-sleeve folk-pop ditties of Daniel Johnston, and the psych-pop digressions of the enigmatic and elusive Elephant 6-affiliated Circulatory System, who had better put out their damn second album soon, or I'll cry.

Add to that a rare performance from the American Revolution (featuring Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo and Craig Morris of HHBTM act Ideal Free Distribution, who also play) and sets from cuddlecore titans Bunnygrunt, sprawling Athens supergroup Dark Meat, eclectic glam-poppers Casper & the Cookies, Iowa's wacky Poison Control Center, and Apples offshoot the High Water Marks, and you've already got yet another Popfest worth getting giddy about.

This Popfest is not to be confused, of course, with the Memorial Day weekend bash of the same name going down in New York and featuring several of the same twee superstars.

Schedules and additional acts for Athens Popfest 2007 will be announced on the fest's website in the near future. The rest of the lineup to date: Elekibass, Red Pony Clock, Cars Can Be Blue, Baby Calendar, the Smittens, Venice Is Sinking, the New Sound of Numbers, Yellow Fever, M Coast, Darren Hanlon, We Versus the Shark, Cinemechanica, How I Became the Bomb, Velcro Stars, Kite Flying Society, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Fishboy, Ryan Anderson, Birds of Avalon, Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies, Titans of Filth, Patience Please, Hat Company, Christopher's Liver, Black Kids, and Jerk Alert.