Blog-achella Goes To '11: Happy Cesar Chavez Day!

What is Cesar Chavez Day, you ask? It's the holiday where you drive a half hour through morning traffic to get somewhere and when you get there it's closed because apparently today is Cesar fucking Chavez Day. Yep, it's that one...

I will admit to knowing next to nothing about Fedde Le Grand outside of the fact that his House may be a bit fidgety. But he does have one stone cold classic to his name, and you can peep it at the the Facebook page, the home of fine bonus content since, oh, about a month ago. Added incentive: the video has sexy nurses in it...

Being the Brit Rock whore that I am, you'd think I'd be all excited about Suede, but for some reason they are one band in that area that flew right on by me. I know zero about them. So yeah, fuck 'em. Just kidding...

One Day As A Lion is the new band of Zach De La Rocha from Rage. I think of that guy as the Sean Penn of music. I pretty much agree with his politics but man, I just wanna punch him in his stupid face. Him and Sean Penn. Punch face, punch face. Punchy Facey Punch...

I thought I'd posted on Broken Social Scene before, but apparently not. They're another one of those Canadian Indie groups with a whole bunch of members and well worth a listen...

And I can't really improve on my Paul Van Dyk post from Blog-achella '07, so just go ahead and read that... which brings us to...

Erykah Badu



Who she is: She's The Badu. Shame on you if you don't know... and that's not just me being a lazy blogger. SHAME!

What she sounds like: Shame on you if you don't know what Erykah Badu sounds like. (Now THAT is me being a lazy blogger). Here's a neat jam that somehow encompasses Sylvia Striplin's "You Can't Turn Me Away", Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "Get Money" (which samples Striplin) and a bunch of orginial Baduizm all in one funky little package. Dig it...

(DMCA'd. These assholes are on fire this week.)

What I think: A normal Erykah Badu show is akin two a two-hour Earth Mama Freakout, that's the only way I can explain it. I don't know if I've ever seen a better Soul show in my life. Of course, the festival set will be shorter. But it'll still be damn good. But there aren't a lot of quality live videos out there for some reason, so here's one from the TV because it has good sound...



And once more, Happy Cesar Chavez Day to my many immigrant field worker readers. Those guys love the Dubstep...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: Gayin' The Place Up A Bit

Starting off the week with a lot of bands that have played this thing/appeared in this space before, but not the first two...

Number one of which is Laidback Luke, whose sound isn't really all that laid back as it is big room Fidget House bollocks for the most part...

Next we have the band that's fun to say... Shpongle. Seriously, just say "Shpongle" a few times. Fun, right? Their sound sometimes is a bit hippie/trance-y for me, but some of it is pretty good... and they, to this point, win the Daft Punk/Etienne De Crecy Annual Crazy-Ass Lighting Rig award. It's called the Shpongletron (also very, very fun to say) and you can see it in action at the Facebook page...

And then come the returnees...

The Swell Season are the first I've covered before and they're not bad if you're into that sort of thing...

Cage The Elephant I've dissed before, as their Southern Rock stylings are not my bag, man...

Gogol Bordello I've called fucking horrible before, and I stand by that assessment. Suck it, hipters...

The New Pornographers I've noted are from Canada and contain Indie hottie Neko Case before, and they're not so bad if there's nothing better going on...

Which lands us on...

Scissor Sisters



Who they are: One of the gayest bands I can think of... and I mean that in the best way possible.

What they sound like: A big, gay dance party that you know you wanna go to... even if dudes making out kinda gives you the willies. Don't worry about it, homophobes... you'll be dancing way to hard to get all freaked out.

(DMCA'd! And I thought the gays were into tolerance...)

What I think: Yeah, I probably don't need to blog about these guys, but their amazing, weekend-ending set on the 2nd Stage a few years ago is one of my favorite Coachella memories. They're fucking awesome live. And gay, in case you hadn't noticed...



That concert is actually on the YouTubes in it's entirety if you click on through. I highly recommend you do that...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: And I Didn't Even Use A Shitty "Elbow" Pun In The Post Title

What are they doin' putting two good acts in a row on the poster... don't they know I'm behind here? The fuck? But you know... if you scoff at the sometimes sporadic nature of posting around here, you should go check out 365 Days of Music where my friend The Marsupervisor has amazingly met the challenge of never missing a day for a whole freaking year. Kudos, girl! (But you know, you're makin' me look bad... :P )

Elbow



Who they are: One of the great Brit Rock bands of the last decade or so, even if they haven't gotten the love over here in 'Muricah. Because 'Muricahns would rather listen to Daughtry and Kid Rock! 'MURICAH! FUCK YEAH! God, people in this country listen to shit music...

What they sound like: The brand new record, Build A Rocket, Boys! is probably the quietest, most introspective thing Elbow's done yet, and this is a band that can get it's anthem on, as you'll see in the video. But less bombast often = more purdy...

(DMCA'd. Eat a bag of dicks, Polydor. No wonder Radiohead left your weak ass.)

What I think: I think Elbow should play a gig at The Funny Bone... GET IT? KNEE SLAPPER!

(furiously slaps knee)

Actually, I think Elbow blows the doors off pretty much any band in bigger print on Saturday's lineup, especially Arcade Fire. And you know what? I'm right...



Is there any kind of good article somewhere about the flags at Glastonbury? I mean, I sorta get it but I'm quite intrigued. Anyone help a brother out?

Blog-achella Goes To '11: For Me To Poop On

I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for this post ahead of time. Sorry. Here we go...

Cults is some group with all of 3 songs up on a Bandcamp page... and they're playing Coachella. Probably because Pitchfork gave 'em a good review. And if though it doesn't sound half bad, I'm still gonna shit on 'em because that just seems a little lame...

The Tallest Man On Earth I'm gonna shit on simply because he's not. This guy is. 8' 1". Damn. I bet he can dunk. Oh, wait, he needs walking sticks just to get around and gets quickly fatigued from even simply standing. So... maybe not.

Foals are a pretty interesting Brit Rock band, although I'm not quite feeling the singer. But, I'll shit on them because, well, because I'm in a hurry. Definitely peep 'em. Perhaps at the Facebook page, even...

Jenny and Johnny are that Jenny Lewis chick all the Indie kids have a boner for and the dude that is actually currently boning her. I'll shit on them because despite the fact that she's cute, I've never been a fan...

Two Door Cinema Club we already know about and would never think of shitting on, unless they were, you know... into it or something...

And Delta Spirit I'll shit on because they are, in fact, kinda shitty...

Wiping...

... and now...

Daedelus



Who he is: One of the elder statesmen (everything being relative) and possibly the most out-there dude in the L.A. beat scene. I mean, just look at that facial hair... I SMELL WACKY!

What he sounds like: Pretty fucking wacky, as I've cleverly alluded to just a minute ago. Really though, his sound is one of the most unclassifiable you're likely to come across, so just listen already...

(This one's not technically, what's the word I'm looking for... "out"... yet (4/11), so I can't give you a link to buy. We'll see how long it stays up for...)

(The answer: About a week. Well, Daedalus has sold approximately 300,000,000 albums worldwide, right? Little girls have his poster in their bedrooms next to Justin Bieber's, right? He doesn't need any free publicity, does he?)

What I think: I think he's worth seeing just to watch him rock his cool-ass Monome



... oh and the music's pretty good, too...

Should I wrap this up with another shit joke? Probably not, huh?

Blog-achella Goes To '11: Sensitive Songs For Girls In Sweaters

We're gonna pass right by Chuckie and his Fidget House bollocks and go with...

The Radio Dept.



Who they are: A band of Swedes. Now, usually I find the whole "obscure our faces in the promo shot" thing to be kinda douche-y and played out... but as you will soon see, these guys get a pass because it turns out they're not douche-y, just kinda ugly...

What they sound like: Every now and then, some little wimpy, jangly, sensitive girly-man Pop band randomly strikes my fancy for unknown reasons... ever since the days of The Trash Can Sinatras and The Ocean Blue. (Anyone? No? Well Google that shit then.) These guys are the latest such band...

The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire (ysi)

What I think: As I said... they're not much to look at, but they make some purdy noise...



All they're lacking to be true girly-men is a saxamaphone, AMIRIGHT?!?!

Blog-achella Goes To '11: I think he was the middle one...

I'm running a contest on the Facebook page right now where if you can guess this post is going to be about Raphael Saadiq, you win some shit. Of course, if you're reading this, it's too late to enter. But hey, if you'd already "liked" the page, you might be a winner right now! I'm mixing time frames like a Terminator aren't I? I've confused even myself. Anyhoo...

Only one act to skip today, the extremely odd rapper known as Lil B a.k.a. the Based God, whatever that means. In olden days, when Hip-Hop came on large black vinyl records, "base" was a crack reference... and I would not be surprised to learn this dude is a crackhead. He's kinda like Lil' Wayne meets Wesley Willis. I'm not sure if it's a good thing. Again, me confused...

Far less confusing is...

Raphael Saadiq



Who he is: Dude was in Tony!Toni!Toné! If you need to know any more than that... what's your problem, anyway?

What he sounds like: No New Jack Swing, unfortunately. My man is on a seriously retro '60s Soul tip these days. Notice I didn't say Funk... I said Soul. Important difference. But nope... not a high-top fade in sight, although I bet he throws some "Feels Good" into the set... right? RIGHT?!?!?

Raphael Saadiq - Big Easy (ysi)

What I think: I think Tony!Toni!Toné! is the single best name for a musical act ever, and if you disagree, I will fight you. And that is the kind of direct, hard-hitting musical criticism you've come to expect and deserve here at Tonegents...



And now I'm about to post this, and no one has won the contest. Oh well, I tried. ALL I DO IS TRY MY HEART OUT FOR YOU PEOPLE!!!! Unless, you know... I've got something else to do that day...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: Lightning Round!

Hey all, Blog-achella is about to go all Lightning Round on your ass. Strap in...

We start with EE, an extremely perplexing music/performance/art WTF on the level that only Asian people can truly reach. Seriously, WTF?

Next, Brazilian remix outfit/DJs The Twelves, whom you should know by now as the perpetrators of one of the best jams of last year. So rather than me doing another post about some dudes I know next to nothing about, just go get their "Twelfth Hour" mixtape right now at the Facebook page...

Mariachi El Bronx is a punk band that did a Mariachi album. Oooookaaayyy...

Freelance Whales have way too much banjo going on. Look, I'm not one of those hipsters who's going to ironically embrace the banjo. It's not going to happen. You say banjo, I say...


Dee-dee-dee-dee dee-dee dee-dee deeee...

And that is simply that...

Much like The Henry Clay People is simply a weak Indie Rock band and Joachim Garraud is simply a weak Fidget House producer. There's really nothing more to say...

Next come two good Drum & Bass DJ's, Brazil's DJ Marky and I'm gonna assume the UK's DJ Hype. What, you expect me to look that up or something? Anyhoo, both recommended, BUT I SAID LIGHTNING ROUND, DAMMIT!

Here We Go Magic. More like Here We Go "MEH"! Ha! That was a good one, right there. You should have to pay to read this shit. No, seriously...

The Love Language ain't great, Francis & The Lights ain't bad...

Phosphorescent are, I'd imagine, what you call Alt. Country, which is what they now call Country that sounds like Country. What they call Country sounds like, um... Sugarland I think. Yikes...

Indie Rock three strikes: The Joy Formidable, whose big, noisy guitars are kinda cool but songwriting kinda not... Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, who I want to like on name and concept alone, but the music is a let-down... and Electric Touch, playing this thing for the second time, which makes me think whoever's in charge is starting to run out of ideas...

And the lightning round ends with Yelle, the French Pop tart that I am maddeningly on the fence about. Simply put, some of her tunes are really good and some of them, well... aren't. But I guess if I can't make up my mind, then she doesn't get a full post. So who the does?

Wire



Who they are: Short version - one of the originators of the Dance/Punk sound that spawned everyone from LCD Soundsystem to all of those other bands that sound like LCD Soundsystem. But before they were dance-y, they were really Punk and inspired people like Henry Rollins, R.E.M. and The Cure. In other words, you may not have heard of them, but they're kind of a big deal...

What they sound like: I guess I kinda covered that up there. I'll admit I have no idea what their current material sounds like (and they are still very active with it), but maybe I'll make this the time to catch up. Here's an oldie, of course...

Wire - Madman's Honey (ysi)

What I think: Always take a chance to see some legends, right? Even if it's not completely your cup of tea... but seriously, what are you doing drinking tea at Coachella? It's like a million fucking degrees outside! Weird, man...



And there you go. That's a lot of "meh". Can Saturday recover? Because so far Friday is kicking it's ass...

One For Japan

I should probably be working on Blog-achella... I know, I know... but this happened, so deal with it...

Shibuya Station by Tonegent on Mixcloud

Enjoy...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: In Which The Terrorists Lose...

Ok, so I'm gonna try and stop listening to the new Ghostpoet record long enough to knock out a post. That record is all up in my shit right now, lemme tells ya. Peep a sample at the Facebook page and join up while you're there. Just for shits and giggles, ya dig...

Skipping past Andy C although he is a really top-notch Drum & Bass DJ. But dude hasn't put a record of his own shit out since the mid-90s, so no post for him! Go check him out for the jump-up, though...

Bomba Estereo



Who they are: A band from Colombia. (Insert cocaine joke here).

What they sound like: Cumbia mixed with Electronica mixed with Pop. You may be thinking that doesn't sound that great on paper... but it sounds pretty good on record...

Bomba Estereo - Feelin' (ysi)

What I think: Who doesn't love a little Latin music in the afternoon? The terrorists, that's who. Don't be a terrorist...



All right, we're really pickin' up the pace 'round here, aren't we? We'll see if that lasts...

Blgchll Goes To '11: Get It?

Starting out Saturday is DJ Alf Alpha who seems like he does some decent if not-exactly-groundbreaking Downtempo stuff. Call it "meh"...

Then comes another DJ, BBC Radio 1's Mary Anne Hobbs who is really quite stellar and will probably drop some of the sickest Dubstep ya ever heard. Go listen to her show for sure. But since she doesn't actually make tunes, there's nothing to post...

And both Trampled By Turtles and The Felice Brothers are both Country acts of different stripes, and I have no use for that, so Saturday's posts start with...

SBTRKT



Who he is: NOBODY KNOWS! IT'S A MYSTERY! HE'S GOT A WACKY MASK! MASKS ARE MYSTERIOUS AND SHIT!

What he sounds like: With SBTRKT you get either the really good 2-Step biznezz or the really good House biznezz... Here's some of the latter...

SBTRKT - Hide Or Seek (ysi)

What I think: I think the masked man is all right on the plan. Is that even a saying? "All right on the plan"? The fuck? Anyhoo, the fun part about getting back down to the bottom of each day where the DJs are is the often GRIPPING live video. To wit...



You think really fucked up people get creeped out by that mask? I would think so. I guess we'll find out. I hope they do. It's probably pretty funny...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: Sunday Post?

Oh shit, Sunday post! SUNDAY POST!

We'll start with Caifanes, who are apparently a Rock En Espanol band that is reuniting after 15 years away... which I'm sure is a big deal for someone...

The Chemical Brothers are, of course, awesome and amazing and easily the best act playing on all of Friday. It's no contest. But I just did a rather epic post on them not long ago. Go read that one...

And as always, Fuck Interpol. That's like Rule #1 around here...

Which brings us to my last recommended act for Friday...

The Black Keys



Who they are: Probably the best musical duo ever to come out of Akron, Ohio. Possibly the only musical duo to ever come out of Akron, Ohio...

What they sound like: These guys really do something that so few Rock bands do these days. They put the dirty sexy in it. Which is odd to say because, as you can see, these guys are not so sexy. But dig it...

The Black Keys - Sinister Kid (ysi)

What I think: These guys have gone from a band I was pretty "whatever" about to maybe tops on my list of current American Rock bands. Notice I said "American". I gots a Brit Rock bias. Hate me. Anyhoo, time for the live style...



Which leaves us with the headliner, Kings Of Leon. What a "meh" headliner. I'll be at The Chemical Brothers.

And there, finally, is your Friday. What are the chances I get all the way through Saturday and Sunday in time? Good question...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: Chicks With Superfluous Y's In Their Names Digest

This post has a pretty good chance of getting zapped by the major label man, but here goes nothin'...

Crystal Castles is a shitty band, but a great old-school video game. You can actually go play it at that link. Boom Winning! Go ahead, I'll wait for you...

...

...

How fun was that, eh? It was probably a hell of a lot more fun than sitting through Brandon Flowers' set. It's too bad, though. I mean, The Killers first album was really quite good but man did it go downhill fast... and speaking of going downhill after great first albums (which sounds like a pretty harsh way to introduce an act I'm recommending, but that's how I roll) howzabout...

Lauryn Hill



Who she is: Oh, I'm sorry, its MS. Lauryn Hill. Of course, it may be inaccurate to say she's gone downhill. More like she hasn't done ANYTHING since releasing The Miseducation Of... and no, that MTV Unplugged shit doesn't count...

What she sounds like: She sounds exactly like she did 12 years (you read that right, 12 FREAKIN' YEARS) ago when Miseducation... came out because she's done nothing since... fortunately, that was one of the best records of the entire decade of the '90s (and perhaps the best female Hip-Hop record, oh, ever), so it ain't like it's a bad thing...

(Ha! Did I call it or what? Took all of 3 days for the DMCAing.)

What I think: I think you gotta go see her. It's been such a long time since you have the chance. Besides, it looks like Ms. Hill is quite up to the task despite the rust...



And then OH SHIT DOUBLE POST! WHAMMO!

Which means we then get to skip DJ Sasha of Sasha & Digweed fame, because remember... once it hits about 10 pm in the Sahara Tent the air is more than 80% Man Sweat, a level that can cause several unpleasant side effects... besides, he's not a chick with a superfluous Y in his name, now is he? But ya know who is?

Robyn



Who she is: The Pop star that's not really all that different from the Britneys and Riahannas of the world (musically) when you really get down to it... except that she's from Sweden and that gives her +3 coolness...

What she sounds like: Chart Pop with +3 coolness. Duh. But of course I'll give you something way leftfield for her...

(Seriously, eat a bag of dicks, major labels...)

What I think: ... and then finish it up with her doing a Bjork cover, offering exactly zero proof that what I just said was anywhere near relevant. It's called WRITING, people...



And there you have it. Lots of superfluous Y's and good music. And some boobies. Just because...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: In Which I'll Probably Drop A Charlie Sheen Reference...

Today we're only going skip House DJ Erick Morillo although I think he's pretty good. But Blog-achella, she's a cruel mistress. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. But hey, here's something interesting...

Magnetic Man



Who they are: A dubstep supergroup of sorts, featuring Messrs. Skream, Benga and Artwork. Gotta admit I've never heard of the Artwork dude, though. So it's kind of like the 2 1/2 Men of Dubstep supergroups... and WINNING! Duh...

What they sound like: I guess you could call this the closest thing to a Dubstep/Pop crossover I've heard yet (not counting that new Britney track, and no... I'm not joking, folks. If you haven't heard "Hold It Against Me" yet, it has a no joke wobble-wobble Dubstep breakdown in the middle. Kudos, Brit.) And that's not a bad thing at all, because if there's one thing Dubstep tends to lack, it's actual songwriting. Dig it...

Magnetic Man - I Need Air (ysi)

What I think: I think when you see the light show you'll be sold. So here's a video that really makes you feel like you're there, right down to the annoying drunk chick singing along to all the lyrics off-key right in your fucking ear.



Man, I hate that drunk chick...

Blog-achella Goes To '11: The Round Mound of Funky Sound

I've actually got a long list of skippies today, some of which are good bands, but I gotta pick up the pace, so here we go...

Imagine, if you will, that The Stone Roses were boring instead of awesome, and you'd have Tame Impala. I know they got a lot of love from KCRW but I blame The Ghost of Nic Harcourt's Shitty Musical Taste for that...

Next we have Ozomatli, whom I'd certainly recommend although they're not what they used to be. Hate me for sayin' it, but I liked 'em better with Chali 2na and Cut Chemist in the group... which was like a million years ago, I know, but I am old and set in my ways and GET OFF MY GODDAMN LAWN ALREADY, YOU NO GOOD KIDS!

Warpaint is a pretty unique proposition... a chick band playing mellow stoner Rock. They're almost there... I think I'll check back with 'em in a couple albums...

My opinion on Flogging Molly hasn't really changed since the last time they played this thing, so just click the link for the trademark snark...

Afrojack does not have an Afro, nor is he named Jack. Boyz Noize, on the other hand, is in fact a boy and does in fact make noise. But be it truth or lies, they're both just Fidget House dudes I can do without. Afrojack's less obnoxious, if you're scoring at home...

Hmmm, I see Sleigh Bells just played last year and I thought they sucked then. I was probably right... Hold on, let me check their Myspace...

...

...

Yep, I was right. They still sound like The Kills run though a garbage disposal...

And Cold War Kids, well, a couple of my good friends are quite in love with them, so I won't say anything bad... to me they're kinda just Indie Rock Band™, if you catch my drift...

Finally, as far as today's list is concerned... and this comes as a pretty big shocker... I just listened to Cut Copy's new record and I'm not feelin' it. Not at all. It's the vocals that are killing me. WAY too OMD. Big disappointment. Sad face made...

But there is absolutely no denying the undeniable amazingness of...

Cee-Lo Green



Who he is: The Soul Machine, The Lady Killer, The, um, dude with the Perfect Imperfections...

What he sounds like: If you don't know what Cee-Lo sounds like by now, you're probably one of those douchebags who only listens to New York Indie bands and I'm guessing people don't like you very much... and although he had what I consider EASILY the jam of the year for 2010 with "Fuck You", I don't really think you need me to post that here. Instead I'm gonna go back a little to the days when he did more rappin' than sangin'... he's very good at that,

Cee-Lo Green - I'll Be Around (ft. Timbaland) (ysi)

What I think: I think if you miss Cee-Lo, you're probably one of those douchebags who only listens to New York Indie bands and I'm guessing people don't like you very much... and, fuck it, here's "Fuck You"...



All-girl band? ALL-GIRL BAND! Damn, I love Cee-Lo...