Blog-achella 09: They've got a chance

To begin this latest, intensely enthralling, edition of Blog-achella we'll skip over The Gaslight Anthem, a Pop/Punk band from New Jersey that I wouldn't necessarily punch in the face on sight... that's a compliment, btw...

Friendly Fires



Who they are: A new British band that has been the recipient of heaps of blog praise, and in a shocking turn of events, might actually deserve it.

What they sound like: I imagine that upon a cursory inspection, these guys could be lumped in with the 5 million other IndieDanceRockPop bands out there, and well... they could. But with Pop hooks like these... Friendly Fires may outlast the lot of them. Or they could put out a shitty second album and disappear into obscurity with the rest. (Heard anything from the Klaxons lately?) Could go either way. As my March Madness bracket would show you, I know fuck-all about predicting anything. But yeah, I like these guys...

Friendly Fires - Paris (ysi)

What I think: I think any band with this level of appreciation for cowbell deserves your attention...



And that is all I have to say about that...

Blog-achella 09: N'Awlins Knuckleheads

It's Monday, and my March Madness bracket is toast. Not that most of you care, or in Europe even know what that means... you'd just rather I shut up about it and get on with the music, eh?

The Knux



Who they are: Up and coming Hip-Hoppers from N'Awlin's, y'all!

What they sound like: One of the more original Hip-Hop releases I've heard in a minute. Their beats are all over the place, in a good way, and the rapping is solid. The singing? Well, there's singing, too...

The Knux - Shine Again (ysi)

What I think: Quite intrigued by these guys. And despite what you'll see in this YouTubes, I believe they do the live band thing... which is always better than just a DJ playing the records...



Of course, now that I've said that, expect a DJ playing the records at Coachella, because sometimes the fates like to make me look like a dumbass... stupid fates... (shakes fist)

Blog-achella 09: Head of the Institute

So here we are, three weeks away from Coachella... guess I better get to that Sunday lineup now, eh?

And once more we start at the bottom, where lurks cheesy-ass lookin' DJ Marshall Barnes. Look at his Myspace, listen to the tracks and tell me he's not cheesy as gouda. You can't!

Then we have The Night Marchers from San Diego, who seem to be a new band of the singer of Rocket From The Crypt. I'm sure to some people this is a big deal. I, however, am not one of those people...

So that means our first blogged act of Sunday shall be...

Mexican Institute Of Sound



Who he is: The entire institute is composed of Mr. Camilo Lara, a man rumored to own a record collection 45,000 strong... which makes my library look piddling in comparison. This is a guy I can look up to!

What he sounds like: Electronic beats with Mexican-flavored samples. Yes, Mexican is a flavor. Look it up. You'll also get the occasional rap in Spanish. All-in-all a nicely original sound... imagine if you will a Hip-Hop Nortec Collective...

Mexican Institute Of Sound - Escribeme Pronto (ysi)

What I think: A fine mid-afternoon diversion before the heavy hitters step up, if not the most electrifying live show I've ever seen...



Doesn't look like much like a rapper, does he? Maybe he needs to spruce up his style... how do you say "grillz" in Spanish? Look it up, and when you're done, have a great weekend!

Blog-achella 09: Thieving the headliner spot

Okay, time to finish up the Saturday lineup, and how weak sauce is it that I feel quite obligated by the standards of this blog to skip the headliner? Well, here's your real headliner in my book...

Thievery Corporation



Who they are: The ubiquitous downtempo duo from D.C.

What they sound like: I recently posted on them when their latest album came out, so no use repeating myself. Here's a slightly older jam...

Thievery Corporation - The Supreme Illusion (ysi)

What I think: A few years back at Coachella, I remember having to tear my friends away from an AMAZING show being rocked by these guys in order to catch Underworld (yep, the lineups used to be that good), and while I didn't regret it for a second, did I mention Thievery were AMAZING? Heck, they're even good from the nosebleed section...



Miss this, and you're really, well... stupid. Especially if you miss it for The Killers. Weak headliner. I mean, I love their first album just like everyone else, but hated the second ten times more. Don't even care what the new one sounds like. I know... what a dick.

Two days down, one to go...

Blog-achella 09: I used my good line for M.I.A. last year...

Technically going out of order today, which of course makes my Virgo molars grind, but hey... I uploaded the wrong song before I left Tonegent H.Q. this morning... sue me...

M.I.A.



Who she is: Amy Winehouse's replacement... pretty nice save by Goldenvoice, there.

What she sounds like: At this point, anyone who doesn't know what M.I.A. sounds like... after Pineapple Express, Slumdog Millionaire and the Grammys... has probably been living under a rock... and not a fancy rock with digital cable... just a plain old rock. Hope they didn't get a sub-prime mortgage on that sucker. Anyhoo, since pretty much every M.I.A. song in existence has been blogged to death, I'm not even gonna worry about coming up with something obscure for ya. So here's my tribute to Slumdog, one of the best movies of the decade. I was stoked that this mix was in the movie...

M.I.A. - Paper Planes (DFA Remix) (ysi)

What I think: I loves me some M.I.A., but who knows how this show will shake out? Her first appearance at the 'Chella some years ago was amazing, electric, legendary. Her show last year was by all accounts a hot mess, trainwreck, clusterfuck. So, let's hope for something in between?



We'll see how it pans out. We finish Saturday tomorrow... huzzah!

Blog-achella 09: The Tom & Ed Show

You know what I just realized? Finally, I don't care about American Idol anymore, and it's about time. I feel like I've graduated from Dr. Drew's Sober House...

We'll start the day by skipping over, but recommending that you give a listen to, a couple of bands from Seattle that operate on the mellow side of things, Fleet Foxes and Band Of Horses. These two bands really do have a lot in common. They should date or something...

And then we won't feel at all bad about telling you to just go ahead and skip TV On The Radio, which I'm sure will have many people calling for my head on a pike. But you know what, I've seen 'em twice and despite the fact that I think they have some good songs... they kinda suck live. First time I saw 'em was at the URB Coachella afterparty a few years back when they followed Danger Mouse to the stage and proceeded to completely kill the vibe with their dirge-y ways. But I considered that more of a programming flaw. Then I saw them open up for Massive Attack at the Hollywood Bowl, and I was ready to like them... I really was. But that night they were no better than a boring Hard Rock band. Go ahead, hate me...

But you'll never, ever hear me say a bad word about...

The Chemical Brothers



Who they are: Tom & Ed.

What they sound like: You know what they sound like...

The Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 05 (ysi)

What I think: The problem is, it's just a DJ set. Bah. I mean, I'm sure it will be great, but when I think Chemical Brothers, I think face-melting live show...



But again, they are The Chemical Brothers and they have better records than you do... so don't miss it.

Blog-achella 09: Masters of the Craft

So, I guess I forgot to tell you ahead of time that I was going to be on vacation last week, huh? Sorry 'bout that. Won't happen again. Promise. But now it's time get back to it, because the big show is less than a month away! So without further ado...

MSTRKRFT



Who they are: A duo from Canada ("Take off, eh!") that I put up with people like Justice as founders and one of the few interesting acts in the ElectroBlogFidgetHouse genre.

What they sound like: They've done the interesting thing on their new album Fist Of God of teaming up with some pretty mainstream Hip-Hop/R&B artists. The results are a bit mixed, but this jam with John Legend, of all people, sounds like a hit to me...

MSTRKRFT - Heartbreaker (ft. John Legend) (ysi)

What I think: It would certainly be cool if some of those big name stars dropped by, and who knows... anything can happen. But if it's just them, it'll look a little like this...



... which seems like good times. Okay, no more vacations from me, I promise...

Blog-achella 09: Your starting power forward...

In the shocker of shockers, I don't have to skip any bands today. Yes, there are actually two good acts in a row on the Coachella poster, and even more amazingly, they both play the Hip-Hop...

Michael Franti & Spearhead



Who they are: The group headed by what must be one of the tallest dude in music. Franti is 6'6" and can dunk all over your shit, be-lee dat.

What they sound like: A tasty stew of all things funky. The latest record, All Rebel Rockers, has a bit more Reggae in it than some of the others, but it's still the Spearhead goodness you've come to know and love...

Michael Franti & Spearhead - Life In The City (ysi)

What I think: Spearhead did one of my all-time favorite sets at Coachella a few years ago, in the afternoon on the second stage. It was so good, in fact that the Coachella movie started off with a song from it... if you look really hard you can see me in there... I'm the one in the hat...



Miss it and you miss out, folks!

Blog-achella 09: Paint that shit gold

You know, I almost feel bad about this...

I almost feel bad about the fact that I'm going to skip over 11(!) acts here, but when it comes down to it... would I go and see any of these if it were not Coachella? If it were just them playing? Nope. Not a one of 'em. You can call me picky, I can call this lineup dodgy. 'Tis all a matter of perspective... anyhoo...

Drive By Truckers more or less got covered yesterday,... as much as I'm gonna cover 'em anyway...

Dr. Dog sounds like a really awful jam band... oh wait, this just in... they are, in fact, a really awful jam band. Look, I saw the Dead a couple times, and in such completed my lifetime need for the jam band experience...

Glasvegas are some Scottish blokes that do Jesus & Mary Chain insp-- zzzzzzz...

Oh hey! When'd you get here? Wow, I just bored myself to sleep just then... where was I? Oh, right...

Superchunk, I remember, were quite highly thought of 20 years ago when College Rock was the rage. But they never really did it for me...

Okay... Hercules and Love Affair. This is the one I get flamed for, right here. But you know what? I, as a pastime, listen to a lot of dance music. These guys are middling to decent Disco House totally ruined by Antony Hegarty's voice. That dude's voice makes my ears want to jump off my head and hide, quivering, in my ass. I hate his voice. And I hate his stupid face. What, do you think the Indie kids that are falling all over themselves for this will go out and start buying Escort records? Doubt it. Die. Twice.

Turbonegro are freaky Scandinavian leather boys, who play surprisingly straight-forward punk with a twisted sense of humor. Last year, I kinda dug it...

Ah, Jenny Lewis. Everyone's supposed to love Jenny Lewis, right? She was a child actor! Did you know that? I bet you didn't know that!

Speaking of acting, who can forget Henry Rollins' amazing movie career? Okay, actually, who can remember it? If he's doing his spoken word/comedy thing, absolutely. Dude's fuckin' interesting! If he's doing music, don't bother. I've seen it more than once, surprisingly. It's quite shouty and irritating... "CAUSE YOUR A LIAAAARARRRR! BLAAAARHGHAGHAGHAG!"

Crookers is an act I'd love to be anything more than yet another ElectroFidgetBlogHouse act... but they're not. D'oh!

I'm very happy that Travis & DJ AM survived that plane crash and all, but it still doesn't make them any good at music...

And then there's Mastodon, who I'm guessing are the single most Metal band to ever grace the Coachella stages, sure to bring mayhem and destruction down upon all. But I don't really like Metal. I'm somewhat fascinated to read about it once and a while - the descriptions & language used in Metal reviews is kinda cool. But then I listen to it... and it's still Metal. I'm just not angry enough for it any more, and this is coming from someone who used to mosh at Ministry shows...

And then finally Mr. Picky found one he liked enough to blog about...

Atmosphere



Who they are: A now veteran Rapper & DJ duo from the Hip-Hop hotbed of Minneapolis. These guys are something like six albums in now and their popularity is still growing. How rare is that in Rap? (Pssst! Quite rare!)

What they sound like: Well, one of the reasons their popularity is growing is because they keep getting better. How rare is that in Rap? (Pssst! Quite rare!) Their latest, the brilliantly named When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, is easily one of the best Rap albums of last year. It is an introspective affair though, with nary a party jam to be seen. But the lyrics are just outstanding... check it...

Atmosphere - Wild Wild Horses (ysi)

What I think: Go see 'em. Heck, even Dave is down...



... and if there's one thing Letterman knows, it's Hip-Hop. Okay, I think this post is long enough. 'Til tomorrow...

Blog-achella 09: Pass the Metamucil

Today's Blog-achella post may just be the moment that I realized I'm old...

... because the next three acts, Para One, Surkin and The Bloody Beetroots are three of the hottest things going, and quite frankly I couldn't care less. I don't like the ElectroFidgetBlogHouse sound, and you know what, if that's what the kids are into these days, get off my lawn! That sound is just too obnoxious, too ADD, too generic with 'em all using the same stupid synth sounds and the stupid breakdowns... blech. Over it. Besides, I already covered 'em last year.

Then you get the next act, which is a complete opposite. Amanda Palmer is the singer for The Dresden Dolls gone solo. And it's all piano cabaret stuff that I am not nearly gay enough to properly enjoy. So I'm not cool there, either. Hmm...

I know! You guys ever hear that tune "Green Onions"? That's a corker! I'll put in my LP album and play it for ya...

Booker T. & The DBTs



Who they are: The legendary keyboardist Booker T. Jones, no longer with the MGs ("Green Onions" is my jam, yo!), but now with the DBTs, who, in an odd twist, are actually Southern Rock outfit Drive By Truckers.

What they sound like: That's kinda hard to say, as the record isn't out for a couple of months and there's but one measly song out there as of now to stream ("Warped Sister" on Booker's Myspace). But it's pretty solid and sounds exactly like you think it would. Here's an oldie but goody for reference...

Booker T. & The MGs - Chicken Pox (ysi)

What I think: I think I'd rather see the "Green Onions" dude than the hot shit young dance producers. In related news, my sciatica is killing me, it's cold in here, and I'm late for the Early Bird special at Flo's. Fuck.

(No Youtubes of this group exist yet, so here's Booker and some different white people from a few years back)



MAJOR chance for serious guest star action here, as Neil Young plays guitar on most of the record. And hey! Get the hell off my lawn! I already told you kids once! I'm gonna sit up here and shake my fist at ya until ya do! Ah, screw it, "Matlock" is on...

Blog-achella 09: Tex-Mex Sabor!

A special announcement to start this Friday... Terrell Owens has been signed for the 2010 season by the Tonegents flag football team, The Pork Barrel Pirates, for $12 and a bag of Doritos. The Pirates feel he will greatly improve their league-worst passing game... In other Coachella news...

We're going to skip over The Bob Mould Band, although it's worth a listen. Dude was the singer of Husker Du after all, and has had some good solo moments as well. Honestly, the new stuff sounds like R.E.M., so I'm not sure what to make of that. Meh.

And then we have Liars, who are proof again (Deerhoof, I look in your direction) that Radiohead, no matter their brilliance, often make lousy choices in opening bands. I'll forgive 'em, though, but seriously... someone good next time, pretty please?

And we end the week with my choice for the Sundown set...

Calexico



Who they are: A band from Arizona that I was going to say reminded me of the rather obscure act Friends of Dean Martinez until I read their Wiki and found out that they were in fact Friends of Dean Martinez. Damn, I'm good!

What they sound like: Not so much Country as Western, if ya catch my drift. A Tex-Mex flavor, if you will. Very laid back... music that sounds like the desert...

Calexico - Victor Jara's Hands (ysi)

What I think: Like I said, how about this for Sundown? Especially if they go with the full Mariachi fandango like so...



Put that in yer guacamole and smoke it. Have a great weekend!

Blog-achella 09: Follow me!

Hey, all... so, because I cannot resist the latest in useless internet social gadget flim-flammery, I have put the Blogger "Followers" doo-dad on the blog over there to the right. So, if you're into that kinda thing, go for it. Then follow me through a half-dozen servings of "meh"...

For starters we have Glass Candy, a dime-a-dozen Electro-Pop outfit whose shelf life will probably expire sometime between the end of their set and when the Coachella parking lot clears out on Sunday...

Next up, Drop The Lime, an NYC producer who I remember being kind of interesting when he first came on the scene, but whose style has devolved into obnoxious Fidget House and we are over it, no?

James Morrison is closer to James Blunt than Jim Morrison... he's spent time opening for noted douchewaffle John Mayer, and that's all you need to know about that.

Blitzen Trapper are another band on the Alt. Country vibe, but I find them far lest interesting than Ryan Bingham. They don't have nearly the same edge...

More? Okay, there's Electric Touch, a straight-ahead Rock band that played last year. Why they're back again so soon, I couldn't tell you, although they're not bad...

Aaaaaand BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, who will probably be quite good (most Radio 1 DJs are... you Brits are lucky) but doesn't really have any music available to make for a full blog post. Go check out his show and see what you think.

Wow, that's a lot of "meh". Someone save us!

Junior Boys



Who they are: The greatest Canadian duo since Wayne & Shuster.

What they sound like: I've dubbed the sound White Boy Nerd Funk in the past, and I'm sticking to my guns. The new record, out in April (let's see how long this post lasts before I get my ass DMCA'd) is if anything a bit darker than their past stuff and the songs are drawn out longer and let breathe a little bit more. I like it quite a bit...

Junior Boys - Hazel (ysi)

What I think: I think Fabchannel is the shit, because here's a full Junior Boys show for ya. But really though, the singer looks more like he should be fixing my plumbing than fronting a Pop band, no?

<a href="http://www.fabchannel.com/junior_boys_5daysoff_concert/2007-02-25">Live Concert Video - Junior Boys</a>

It's called substance over style, people. That's a concept we get behind here at Tonegents. That and the concept of beer. That's a good one, too...

Blog-achella 09: The Whippersnapper

Another one for the pleasant surprise file today... keep this up, Coachella, and maybe we can still be friends...

Thenewno2



Who they are: Never heard of these guys, which is odd because the dude in front is George Harrison's son, Dhani. You'd think a Beatle-spawn's band would get a little more pub, no?

What they sound like: Obviously, Dhani has his dad genes for music (as well as looks... yikes!), because I'm shocked at how good this is... Brit-Rock done right... great melodies, a hint of dad's singing voice and really nice (i.e. non-cliche) electronic touches...

Thenewno2 - Give You Love (ysi)

What I think: I'd rather see the Beatle-spawn than the actual Beatle (that's right, suck it Macca). Whereas the Lennon boys kinda sucked at music, the Harrison kid has got it goin' on... who knew?



My only advice... lose the stupid band name. Other than that, keep up the good work, junior.

(pinches cheek, ruffles hair)

Blog-achella 09: Hey! They don't suck! Who knew?

So the Saturday lineup started out with a pleasant surprise, and we have another such act today... after plowing through a whole bunch of crap, that is...

Cloud Cult from Minneapolis are one of those bands that when you first hear 'em sound really interesting, what with their built-in string section and their song "Lucky Today" (super catchy little ditty which I know I've heard on some commercial somewhere... trust me, you've heard it)... but once you get a few songs in you realize they're not all that. Can anyone say "one-trick pony"?

Zizek Club from Argentina are also right on the brink of being interesting... kind of somewhere between Kuduro, Reggaeton & Baile Funk. They're the kind of act that the white Indie kids will jump all over because someone like Diplo may have told them they're cool, but you (the esteemed Tonegents reader and connoisseur of all things funky) have a listen to the songs on their Myspace player and tell me with a straight face that you ultimately give a rat's arse... you can't.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti are just kinda crap. I know, terribly incisive commentary, eh?

Ida Maria is this kinda punky Norwegian gal who doesn't really do anything for me either.

Billy Talent are a Pop/Punk band from Toronto, kind of a homeless man's Green Day, like a million and one other Pop/Punk bands. I'm sure they'll kill on the Warped Tour...

But now, pleasant surprise time, despite the horrid band name...

Gang Gang Dance



Who they are: They are an Indie Dance band from New York that are quite the blog darlings... which usually means they're gonna suck. Because let's face it, Indie kid bloggers know fuck-all about dance music.

What they sound like: See, more often than not, so-called Indie Dance acts have one thing in common... that they don't seem to have ever listened to any actual dance music and are in fact quite impossible to dance to. Usually the only thing that can save them is being from New York. LCD, !!!, The Rapture... all from New York. Most of the bad ones... not. So they got that going for 'em. I'd compare 'em to !!! on some heavy mushrooms. They're just as weird, just as refreshingly funky, but the tempos are generally slower...

Gang Gang Dance - Blue Nile (ysi)

What I think: You might be able to tell that I was mildly surprised that I liked these guys, perhaps because I've already mentioned it twice, but hey! I do! Who'da thunk it? Live show looks decent, too.



And since there's a kangaroo at my work today, that will be all...

Blog-achella 09: These Tuaregs are not made by VW

Happy Monday, folks. I'd love to have a crazy story for you such as my Cabo adventure from last weekend, but I pretty much stayed in and watched "Lord of the Rings" on TNT. You know you did, too, so don't even front. So back to the Blog-achella... Friday is done and I think I blogged 17 acts as being worthy. Not a high percentage. Let's see if Saturday improves on that... I'm not so sure that it will, but at least we're starting out strong...

Tinariwen



Who they are: Maybe the most unique act to ever grace the Coachella stage. I say this because these dudes are Tuareg folks from the Sahara desert in Mali. I don't recall there being too many of those in past lineups. Those aren't some hipster-ironic outfits up there folks. That's how these cats roll.

What they sound like: I'm seeing it called African Blues, and I can get behind that label if I must. I won't pretend that I can dissect different African music styles but let's just say... traditional African sounds and the always underlying funkiness they bring plus some good ol' fashioned Rock/Blues guitar. But don't take that as meaning this music is watered-down World fusion pap. This is soulful, authentic stuff and it's kinda amazing...

Tinariwen - Cler Achel (ysi)

What I think: Call Tinawiren the first undiscovered gem of the year. You know how I feel about African music, so I doubt you're surprised. And it looks like it gets better live...



Now that's music minus the bullshit, people. No blog hype here, no hipster posing, no bad hair (heck, you can't even see their hair under the turbans - how RAWK is that?)... just some folks who were at one point conscripted into Gaddafi's Army for fuck sake(!) having a good time playing real African music. I'll take that over Ivy League boys miming Paul Simon miming African music any day. That's right, Vampire Weekend, you are Tinariwen's little white bitches. And yes, I just called you out for no reason at all! Suck on that!