Coachella 2011 Is Almost Here All right! Next week will be my fourth Coachella, and like all the previous years I cannot hold my anticipation.  It’s all I’ve been talking about for the past couple months and I’m sure my friends have gotten sick of it.   I’ll be covering and reviewing the fest when I’m there, but for now, let’s take a look at the lineup: FRIDAY Headliner: Kings of Leon A decent headliner that will probably put on a better than average performance.  I’ve seen them multiple times, though, and since I didn’t care for their last album that much, I doubt I’ll see much of them. Sub-Headliners: The Black Keys, Interpol, The Chemical Brothers, Caifanes, Robyn Good, solid picks all around.  This will be my chance to finally see Interpol live.  Even though their last album was absolutely terrible (in my opinion), I have to see them at least once.  The Chemical Brothers should be a party late at night, as should Robyn.  Caifanes is an interesting pick, seeing as barely anyone stateside knows who they are.  They’re a Mexican rock group mostly famous for their 80’s and early 90’s output.  They bear a similar resemblance to the british rock that was going on at the time.  As for the Black Keys, I’ve seen them way too many times and have been disappointed way too many times.  So… probably won’t see them. Mid Tier: Sasha, Lauryn Hill, Brandon Flowers, Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man, Erick Morillo, Cee Lo Green, Cut Copy, Cold War Kids, Sleigh Bells, Boys Noize An interesting and diverse set of acts here.  Lauryn Hill is a nice surpise, and Cut Copy and Cee Lo should put on awesome dance heavy performances.  Other than that, though, not much else impresses me.  I didn’t care for Brandon Flowers’ (The Killers) solo work at all, and Crystal Castles and Sleigh Bells are terrible performers live.   Everyone Else: Warpaint, Tame Impala, Nosaj Thing, Ariel Pink, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Gayngs, The Morning Benders, Odd Future, Black Joe Lewis, etc. Friday should be a pretty relaxing day.  There are plenty of good acts, but not so much that I’m gonna be torn on who to see all day.  I’m really excited to see Tame Impala, the Australian psychedelic outfit that toured with MGMT last year.  Ariel Pink is another anticipated act for me, too, since they made my top ten albums last year.  I have heard that they aren’t too great live, though.  The act that’s being talked about most, though, is Odd Future.  Lead by Tyler the Creator, they’re the newest, hottest hip hop group to come out this year.  They’re insane, twisted, disturbing and demented song content is only outshined by their even crazier stage antics.  I expect to see a massive crowd for this show. SATURDAY Headliner: The Arcade Fire Words cannot express how excited I am to see this group.  I saw them from afar last year at Lollapalooza and was blown away.  Now I get to see them at a better fest, hopefully closer, and I’ll get to see a longer set (2+ hours as opposed to just 1 and a half for Lollapalooza).  With the combination of three incredible albums, a recent grammy award, and a massive summer world tour that awaits them, the Arcade Fire should put on one of the best sets of the whole weekend. Sub-Headliners: The Animal Collective, Mumford & Sons, Bright Eyes Honestly, a weak set of sub-headliners, but it’s not terrible.  I’m hesitant to see Animal Collective, only because I’ve heard very mixed opinions on their live set.  It could be great, but it could be a big waste of time.  It’s crazy that Mumford & Sons is so high up on the bill.  They’ve really been blowing up this year (and last year, too).  Bright Eyes’ latest album was very disappointing for me, but I have to see them.  I’ve been a fan for so long and have never seen them once.  Conor Oberst was good, but now it’s time to see the band. Mid Tier: Empire of the Sun, Big Audio Dynamite, Steve Angello, The Kills, Erykah Badu, Paul Van Dyk, Broken Social Scene, One Day As A Lion, The London Suede, Fedde Le Grand The band I’m most excited for on this list is definitely Broken Social Scene.  They always deliver live and I’ve been itching to see them again since I saw them three years ago.  Other than that, there’s Suede, the influential brit rock group from the 90’s coming back together, as well as the reunion of Mick Jones’ (The Clash) Big Audio Dynamite.  The Kills should be great, as should the laid back soul of Erykah Badu.   Everyone Else: The Scissor Sisters, The New Pornographers, Gogol Bordello, Elbow, Two Door Cinema Club, Jenny & Johnny, Foals, Wire, The Radio Dept., etc. What a great amount of bands we have here!  I’m really excited to finally catch the Scissor Sisters, as well as the Radio Dept. and Elbow.  I’ve seen the New Pornographers multiple times, but I’ll definitely see them again.  Wire is a crazy left field add, and I’m actually surprised to see this influential post punk group to be billed so low.  How could they be any less famous than Suede?  Other than those guys, there’s plenty more to see, from the power pop of Jenny & Johnny (the latest project from Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis) to the math rock of Foals to to the gypsy punk of Gogol Bordello.  All in all, I’d say Saturday looks to be the best day for me. SUNDAY Headliners: Kanye West, The Strokes Now here’s something I haven’t seen Coachella do before: book two headliners.  I wonder how they’ll do this.  I imagine the Strokes will play the main stage before Kanye, but since they’re on the same level, I’m hoping the Strokes will play longer than an hour.  I have absolutely no interest in seeing Kanye at all.  His critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy from last year was so blown out of proportion it bordered on absurdity.  It was a decent album, but was absolutely overrated and made me somehow dislike him more.  So… yeah, not gonna see Kanye, moving on… Sub-Headliners: Duran Duran, The National, PJ Harvey, Death From Above 1979 Duran Duran is kind of a random pick, but man!  The other bands have me very very excited.  The National, although I find them a painfully “okay” band, is one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen and are not to be missed under any circumstances.  PJ Harvey will be hard for me to miss too.  And man! Death From Above 1979?!  Back together and playing Coachella?!  I really really hope they play during Kanye, preferably in one of the tents.  This Canadian hardcore punk duo only has one album (You’re a Woman, I’m A Machine), but their influence remains and their performance shouldn’t be any less than a sweaty mosh of punk rock excellence. Mid Tier: Nas & Damian Marley, Ratatat, Wiz Khalifa, Jimmy Eat World, Axwell, Sven Vath, Bloody Beetroots, Chromeo, Duck Sauce, Chase And Status, Neon Trees, The Presets Wow… lots of hip hop and lots of techno… and Jimmy Eat World.  I’m still curious to see how this emo group performs, simply for the fact that I used to really love this band and I want some nostalgia.  Other than that, though, not a whole lot of bands on this tier impress me much.  Ratatat could be cool, and maybe Chromeo, but that’s about it for me. Everyone Else: Best Coast, She Wants Revenge, Jack’s Mannequin, HEALTH, CSS, Foster The People, Delorean, Trentemoller, Phantogram, Menomena, OFF!, etc. Ah, much better than the mid tier.  I’ve never seen pretty much any of these bands, so Sunday should be really fun.  Most everybody’s pretty new, too, so I’m not sure what to expect from guys like Foster the People, Phantogram, Best Coast and the like.  Hopefully there will be some good surprises. Well there you have it!  Coachella should once again be a blast like it always is, and prove yet again that it’s the best music festival in the states.  This is my first post in awhile, too, but I should start posting regularly pretty soon.  By the time I’m back from Coachella I’ll be posting reviews again, as well as other things music related.

Coachella 2011 Is Almost Here

All right! Next week will be my fourth Coachella, and like all the previous years I cannot hold my anticipation.  It’s all I’ve been talking about for the past couple months and I’m sure my friends have gotten sick of it.  

I’ll be covering and reviewing the fest when I’m there, but for now, let’s take a look at the lineup:

FRIDAY

Headliner: Kings of Leon

A decent headliner that will probably put on a better than average performance.  I’ve seen them multiple times, though, and since I didn’t care for their last album that much, I doubt I’ll see much of them.

Sub-Headliners: The Black Keys, Interpol, The Chemical Brothers, Caifanes, Robyn

Good, solid picks all around.  This will be my chance to finally see Interpol live.  Even though their last album was absolutely terrible (in my opinion), I have to see them at least once.  The Chemical Brothers should be a party late at night, as should Robyn.  Caifanes is an interesting pick, seeing as barely anyone stateside knows who they are.  They’re a Mexican rock group mostly famous for their 80’s and early 90’s output.  They bear a similar resemblance to the british rock that was going on at the time.  As for the Black Keys, I’ve seen them way too many times and have been disappointed way too many times.  So… probably won’t see them.

Mid Tier: Sasha, Lauryn Hill, Brandon Flowers, Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man, Erick Morillo, Cee Lo Green, Cut Copy, Cold War Kids, Sleigh Bells, Boys Noize

An interesting and diverse set of acts here.  Lauryn Hill is a nice surpise, and Cut Copy and Cee Lo should put on awesome dance heavy performances.  Other than that, though, not much else impresses me.  I didn’t care for Brandon Flowers’ (The Killers) solo work at all, and Crystal Castles and Sleigh Bells are terrible performers live.  

Everyone Else: Warpaint, Tame Impala, Nosaj Thing, Ariel Pink, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Gayngs, The Morning Benders, Odd Future, Black Joe Lewis, etc.

Friday should be a pretty relaxing day.  There are plenty of good acts, but not so much that I’m gonna be torn on who to see all day.  I’m really excited to see Tame Impala, the Australian psychedelic outfit that toured with MGMT last year.  Ariel Pink is another anticipated act for me, too, since they made my top ten albums last year.  I have heard that they aren’t too great live, though.  The act that’s being talked about most, though, is Odd Future.  Lead by Tyler the Creator, they’re the newest, hottest hip hop group to come out this year.  They’re insane, twisted, disturbing and demented song content is only outshined by their even crazier stage antics.  I expect to see a massive crowd for this show.

SATURDAY

Headliner: The Arcade Fire

Words cannot express how excited I am to see this group.  I saw them from afar last year at Lollapalooza and was blown away.  Now I get to see them at a better fest, hopefully closer, and I’ll get to see a longer set (2+ hours as opposed to just 1 and a half for Lollapalooza).  With the combination of three incredible albums, a recent grammy award, and a massive summer world tour that awaits them, the Arcade Fire should put on one of the best sets of the whole weekend.

Sub-Headliners: The Animal Collective, Mumford & Sons, Bright Eyes

Honestly, a weak set of sub-headliners, but it’s not terrible.  I’m hesitant to see Animal Collective, only because I’ve heard very mixed opinions on their live set.  It could be great, but it could be a big waste of time.  It’s crazy that Mumford & Sons is so high up on the bill.  They’ve really been blowing up this year (and last year, too).  Bright Eyes’ latest album was very disappointing for me, but I have to see them.  I’ve been a fan for so long and have never seen them once.  Conor Oberst was good, but now it’s time to see the band.

Mid Tier: Empire of the Sun, Big Audio Dynamite, Steve Angello, The Kills, Erykah Badu, Paul Van Dyk, Broken Social Scene, One Day As A Lion, The London Suede, Fedde Le Grand

The band I’m most excited for on this list is definitely Broken Social Scene.  They always deliver live and I’ve been itching to see them again since I saw them three years ago.  Other than that, there’s Suede, the influential brit rock group from the 90’s coming back together, as well as the reunion of Mick Jones’ (The Clash) Big Audio Dynamite.  The Kills should be great, as should the laid back soul of Erykah Badu.  

Everyone Else: The Scissor Sisters, The New Pornographers, Gogol Bordello, Elbow, Two Door Cinema Club, Jenny & Johnny, Foals, Wire, The Radio Dept., etc.

What a great amount of bands we have here!  I’m really excited to finally catch the Scissor Sisters, as well as the Radio Dept. and Elbow.  I’ve seen the New Pornographers multiple times, but I’ll definitely see them again.  Wire is a crazy left field add, and I’m actually surprised to see this influential post punk group to be billed so low.  How could they be any less famous than Suede?  Other than those guys, there’s plenty more to see, from the power pop of Jenny & Johnny (the latest project from Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis) to the math rock of Foals to to the gypsy punk of Gogol Bordello.  All in all, I’d say Saturday looks to be the best day for me.

SUNDAY

Headliners: Kanye West, The Strokes

Now here’s something I haven’t seen Coachella do before: book two headliners.  I wonder how they’ll do this.  I imagine the Strokes will play the main stage before Kanye, but since they’re on the same level, I’m hoping the Strokes will play longer than an hour.  I have absolutely no interest in seeing Kanye at all.  His critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy from last year was so blown out of proportion it bordered on absurdity.  It was a decent album, but was absolutely overrated and made me somehow dislike him more.  So… yeah, not gonna see Kanye, moving on…

Sub-Headliners: Duran Duran, The National, PJ Harvey, Death From Above 1979

Duran Duran is kind of a random pick, but man!  The other bands have me very very excited.  The National, although I find them a painfully “okay” band, is one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen and are not to be missed under any circumstances.  PJ Harvey will be hard for me to miss too.  And man! Death From Above 1979?!  Back together and playing Coachella?!  I really really hope they play during Kanye, preferably in one of the tents.  This Canadian hardcore punk duo only has one album (You’re a Woman, I’m A Machine), but their influence remains and their performance shouldn’t be any less than a sweaty mosh of punk rock excellence.

Mid Tier: Nas & Damian Marley, Ratatat, Wiz Khalifa, Jimmy Eat World, Axwell, Sven Vath, Bloody Beetroots, Chromeo, Duck Sauce, Chase And Status, Neon Trees, The Presets

Wow… lots of hip hop and lots of techno… and Jimmy Eat World.  I’m still curious to see how this emo group performs, simply for the fact that I used to really love this band and I want some nostalgia.  Other than that, though, not a whole lot of bands on this tier impress me much.  Ratatat could be cool, and maybe Chromeo, but that’s about it for me.

Everyone Else: Best Coast, She Wants Revenge, Jack’s Mannequin, HEALTH, CSS, Foster The People, Delorean, Trentemoller, Phantogram, Menomena, OFF!, etc.

Ah, much better than the mid tier.  I’ve never seen pretty much any of these bands, so Sunday should be really fun.  Most everybody’s pretty new, too, so I’m not sure what to expect from guys like Foster the People, Phantogram, Best Coast and the like.  Hopefully there will be some good surprises.

Well there you have it!  Coachella should once again be a blast like it always is, and prove yet again that it’s the best music festival in the states.  This is my first post in awhile, too, but I should start posting regularly pretty soon.  By the time I’m back from Coachella I’ll be posting reviews again, as well as other things music related.