Coachella Coverage

As always, Coachella was an incredible event, showcasing over 100 bands and DJ's. Beth Gibbons proved a bonafide rock star as she led Portishead in a stunning comeback performance. The Black Lips and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings were on fire (some literally), providing a stealth alternative to Jack Johnson on the main stage. M.I.A. had a diva moment when she brought the show to an uncomfortable halt, at which point the "diva moment" turned into a full-on meltdown. And of course, Prince was amazing, sharing the stage with Morris Day and The Time for a pair of songs, then with Sheila E for her classic "Glamorous Life".

THE BLACK LIPS, Mojave Tent



The Black Lips were one of the highlights of the weekend, tearing up the Mojave tent with their rowdy rock 'n' roll. The boys ended their set by lighting their guitars on fire before they all-out destroyed them and threw the mangled guitar limbs into the crowd.

HOT CHIP, Sahara Tent


Hot Chip proved they can command the gigantic Sahara tent as good as anyone (Daft Punk aside). Their live set was high energy and the packed tent didn't let the scorching heat diffuse their enthusiasm. Fueled by percussive outbursts, this was a hot and sweaty dance party that had everyone moving.

LOVE & ROCKETS, Outdoor Stage


Much to their fans' delight, Love & Rockets made a solid return to the stage, rocking through classics like "No New Tale to Tell", "Ball of Confusion", and "No Big Deal". The songs sounded remarkably tight and fresh and the light show was perfectly suited to the bands style and tone.

M.I.A., Sahara Tent


Meltdown aside, when MIA was on she was on, but the show overall was very rough. She played the rock star, wearing a platinum wig and strutting around the stage like a fierce diva. But I think her show at Terminal 5 last October was far, far superior.

***

I'm still in LA, but hope to post some more pictures soon.

-all photos ©2008 by Scot Bowman

Countdown to Coachella 1 Day...

Okay, so I'll admit this countdown kind of fizzled out at the end, but I've been slightly overwhelmed with getting ready to make my way out to the desert. My first stop is Los Angeles, where I will catch Caribou and Fuck Buttons tonight at the El Rey Theatre. Hey LA! Anything else going on tonight?

Then, Friday morning we head out to Indio for the festival, where I will definitely be catching Goldfrapp, MGMT, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Hot Chip, Cut Copy, Portishead, Black Lips, Santogold, Dan Deacon, Battles, M.I.A., Yo Majesty!, Bonde do Role, Simian Mobile Disco, Love & Rockets, and of course Prince! It's gonna be a great weekend and I will do my best to post as much as I can.

Happy Coachella! See you on the other side...

Countdown to Coachella 7 Days...

HOT CHIP, London, England



Everyone knows this is gonna be one of the hottest, sweatiest moments of the weekend. Hot Chip are a live act that deliver. And with their sexy breed of electro-dance, the crowd (and I mean crowd) will be jumping!

Hot Chip - Over and Over (music video)


CUT COPY, Melbourne, Australia



I just saw Cut Copy at Studio B and they put on a fantastic live show. As well, the Australian band's new sophomore LP In Ghost Colours is post-modern electro-pop at its finest. This should be a great show, with unexpectedly guitar driven rock'n'roll moments.

Cut Copy - Going Nowhere (music video)


MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS, Melbourne, Australia



Another synth-based band from Melbourne. I have never seen the Juggernauts live, but they recently opened for Justice and their debut album Dystopia is like listening to a futuristic Electric Light Orchestra. I really dig their tracks and hope this one translates well to the live setting. This could be a risky venture, but you never know.

Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows (music video)


MODESELEKTOR, Berlin, Germany



Modeselektor are a Berlin electro duo who are associated with both Ellen Allien and Apparat, and are deeply adored by Thom Yorke, who also appears on the new record Happy Birthday!, released last September. This is for hardcore electroheads only...

Modeselektor - Black Block (music video)

Countdown to Coachella - 9 Days...

SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS, Bushwick, Brooklyn


Honestly, I think this is the act that I'm most excited to see. Not only have Ms. Jones and her Dap King's recorded all three of their amazing records just around the corner from my humble apartment in Bushwick, but these records have grown on me in a way I can't use words to express. When I listen to these records I feel like I'm 14 years old again, rediscovering the passion that music can convey.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights (music video)


YO MAJESTY, Tampa, Florida


Yo Majesty first rocked my world when they opened for CSS last summer at the Fillmore East in New York. These chicks from Tampa, Florida know how to move a crowd. They have been known to strip off their tops on stage, prance around with Beth Ditto, and most importantly, make jams that recall the 2LiveCrew era of hip-hop. Do not play the following video at work or around right wing relatives...but be there for their performance at Coachella. No one will tell.

Yo Majesty - Club Action (music video) - NSFW!!!


SPANK ROCK, Philadelphia, PA


Spank Rock has been very busy the last year. When not remixing or opening for Bjork, getting nasty with Bangers & Cash, or helping a sister out, Spank Rock has a vital career of his own. Check out his 2006 debut LP YoYoYoYoYo. This should be off the hook.

Spank Rock - Rick Rubin (music video)'

BONDE DO ROLE, Sao Paulo, Brazil


This one should be really interesting. I may be biased (I do have a photo of Marina framed over my desk), but how can this group go on without its lead woman? Marina left the band recently and has been replaced by not one, but two new lead females. I saw these guys almost two years ago in San Francisco and they were fantastic. But I have no idea how the recent shake up of the band will effect its sound and overall show. I'll be there to find out.

Bonde do Role (w/ Marina) - Salta O Frango (music video)

Countdown to Coachella - 10 Days...

For me, Coachella is a very special experience. This year will mark the 5th time I've made the trek out into the middle of the California desert for the country's greatest music festival; my first being in 1999, the inaugural Coachella. Like last year, I'm counting down the days to the festival (like a geek) because I'm so damn excited I can't think about anything else. So, for the next 10 days I'll explore who I think are the most exciting acts playing this year. These acts are in no particular order of greatness or favoritism. But I'll start with four acts that I've already seen and can highly recommend.

SANTOGOLD, Brooklyn, NY


Santogold was awesome when she opened for Bjork last September. Now, her debut album is finally coming out and I think Coachella will be her official "coming out" party. Expect Spank Rock and Diplo to join her onstage (as they did at Madison Square Garden). This is gonna be a great, great show.

Santogold - LES Artistes (music video)


BATTLES, New York City


Battles blew my mind when they played South Street Seaport last summer. The energy these guys create with their bizarre sci-fi funk sound is at times transcendental. Most importantly, you cannot miss these guys rip through the live version of the phenomenally epic robot track "Atlas".

Battles - Atlas (music video)


BLACK LIPS, Atlanta, CA


Black Lips are known for creating a certain level of chaos at their shows, though the one show I went to was rather tame. Whether it be urinating onstage, kissing each other, vomiting, or launching fireworks, a Black Lips show is never simply boring. Check out a NSFW clip of the band playing in Tijuana. Raucous or not, these guys deliver tight, hook-heavy rock n roll that sounds almost better live than it does on record. In fact, the Black Lips' first few albums were all recorded live.

Black Lips - Katrina (music video)


DAN DEACON, Baltimore, MD


Dan Deacon is another artist who creates pandemonium, but rather than doing it onstage, he does it in the crowd. As far as I can tell, Deacon never actually plays onstage. He sets up his wacky table of electronic gadgets, mixers and funny props in the audience and the party ensues around him. Often he instructs the audience in a sort of excercise, pulling you into the mix and everyone somehow becomes a part of the show. So don't complain if you never actually see Dan, just close your eyes and enjoy the euphoric madness that he creates on that wacky table.

Dan Deacon - The Crystal Cat (music video)

Guess Who's Going to Coachella?!!

Albeit last minute, The Sky Report will be at Coachella!! Just when it looked impossible, some mountains were moved and I am officially going. If anyone has any incite to parties, great bands, or anything concerning Coachella, please share it! Also, I will be starting my Countdown to Coachella series (just like last year) on Monday.

-click to enlarge

PRINCE Joins Coachella

Wow! Now I'm really bummed that I'm not going.

THE DODOS - Visiter

Following a mountain of critical hype and an appearance at SXSW last week, San Francisco duo The Dodos jave just released their third album Visiters on Frenchkiss Records. These guys make psychedelic folk music that is simply best described as good music. Download the excellent "Fools", as well as the new single "Jodi" below.

The Dodos are currently on a mammoth tour of the US. They will also be joining Les Savy Fav and The Big Sleep on very select dates before joining Akron/Family for a performance at Coachella next month. Full tour itinerary and more info about The Dodos here.

The Dodos - Fools (mp3)
The Dodos - Jodi (mp3)

fools - dir. by Matt Amato

GOLDFRAPP, APHEX TWIN Added to Coachella

According to Billboard.com, electronic pioneer Aphex Twin and our beloved Goldfrapp are joining this year's Coachella line-up, which already includes Portishead, Kraftwerk, Love & Rockets, Spiritualized, M.I.A., Hot Chip and many, many more. Kate Nash, Redd Kross, Adele, and Serj Tankian have also been added to the roster.

The 2008 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will be held at Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA - April 25 - 27.

COACHELLA LINE-UP REVEALED

Though I'm shocked and disappointed in the headliners (Portishead/Kraftwerk excluded), the line-up as a whole is still fairly strong. What happened to Goldfrapp?! Rumor has it more big names will be announced in the coming weeks.

April 25:
Jack Johnson, the Verve, Raconteurs, the Breeders, Fatboy Slim, Tegan & Sara, Madness, the Swell Season, the National, Animal Collective, Slightly Stoopid, Mum, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Stars, Battles, Aesop Rock, Midnight Juggernauts, Does It Offend you, Yeah?, Minus the Bear, Spank Rock, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Diplo, Adam Freeland, Santo Gold, Jens Lekman, John Butler Trio, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Architecture In Helsinki, Sandra Collins, Busy P, Cut Copy, Black Lips, Datarock, Professor Murder, Reverend and the Makers, the Bees, Porter, Rogue Wave, Modeselektor, American Bang, Lucky I Am

April 26:
Portishead, Kraftwerk, Death Cab For Cutie, Cafe Tacuba, Sasha & Digweed, Rilo Kiley, Dwight Yoakam, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Cold War Kids, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, DeVotchKa, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Turbonegro, Scars On Broadway, Islands, Enter Shikari, Calvin Harris, Boyz Noize, Junkie XL, Cinematic Orchestra, Jamie T, The Teenagers, VHS or Beta, Carbon/Silicon, Erol Alkan, Yo Majesty!, Little Brother, Bonde Do Role, St. Vincent, Akron Family, MGMT, Institubes DJs (Surkin, Para One and Orgasmic), James Zabiela, Sebastian, Kavinsky, Dredg, The Bird and the Bee, Grand Ole Party, New Young Pony Club, 120 Days, Yoav, Electric Touch, Uffie

April 27:
Roger Waters, Love & Rockets, My Morning Jacket, Spiritualized, Justice, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, the Streets, Metric, Danny Tenaglia, Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Murs, Dmitri from Paris, Autolux, the Field, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Les Savy Fav, The Cool Kids, Sons & Daughters, Sia, Holy Fuck, Black Kids, Black Mountain, the Annuals, Kid Sister w/A-Trak, Man Man, Duffy, I'm from Barcelona, Manchester Orchestra, Deadmau5, the Horrors, Austin TV, Shout Out Louds, Plastiscines, Brett Dennen

Coachella Rumors...

The Coachella messageboards are abuzz with speculation of this year's line-up. Word has it the line-up will be announced this Monday (Jan. 21). Some major developments have surfaced recently:

-Acoording to the LA Times, My Bloody Valentine will NOT be playing Coachella.

-Portishead is looking more and more likely to finally play Coachella!! Yes!

-Spiritualized, Goldfrapp, The Verve and many more have been confirmed.

-Goldenvoice is launching a new music festival at Liberty State Park (right across the river from Lower Manhattan) in August 08.

Here is the confirmed (via Myspace or other media outlets) list so far:

The Breeders, Death Cab for Cutie, Deltron 3030, Cold War Kids, Kid Sister, Sia, VHS or Beta, The Cinematic Orchestra w/Heidi Vogel, Autolux, Electric Touch, Austin TV, Chromeo, Dredg, Sons & Daughters, Duffy, Goldfrapp, Akron/Family, The Dodo's, Spirtualized, Kavinsky, Animal Collective, Simian Mobile Disco, The Verve, Cafe Tacuba, YB, My Morning jacket, Islands, Rabbit in the Moon, Tegan and Sara, Marcus Schulz, The Bird and the Bee, Does it offend you yeah?, Booka Shade

Strongly Rumored:

Justice, Jens Lekman, Junkie XL, UNKLE, Portishead, Dan Deacon, Brett Dennen, Battles, Crystal Castles, Louis XIV

Likely, but not yet confirmed:

Gutter Twins, Les Savy Fav, Sun Kill Moon, Mark Kozelek, Hot Chip, Dwight Yoakam, Midnight Juggernauts

I also think R.E.M. and Feist will be on tap this year, but that's just me.

GOLDFRAPP Playing Coachella, 'A & E' Music Video

Goldfrapp have pulled a 180 with their upcoming fourth album "Seventh Tree", opting to ditch the electro-glam stylings of 2005's "Supernature". The new single 'A & E' walks a folksier road than anything the duo has done before. Check out the video below, which finds Alison Goldfrapp lying on a bed of leaves in a forest somewhere, frolicking around with dancing leaf-men and various animals of the wild. The track is a startling departure, but grows on you with each listen.

At the same time, MSNBC is reporting that Goldfrapp will finally play Coachella when it rolls around again the last weekend of April. "Seventh Tree" will be released February 26 via Mute Records.

Goldfrapp - A & E (music video)

THE BREEDERS Confirm Coachella; New Album in April

The Breeders, known by most for their 90's hit 'Cannonball', have announced that they will be releasing "Mountain Battles" on April 8, 2008. The album is their first since 2002 and the enormously successful Pixies reunion that followed shortly after. For those not in the know, The Breeders are Kelley Deal, Kim Deal, Jose Medeles and Mando Lopez.

In a recent press release it was stated that "The Breeders will be playing live all over the world in 2008. Their schedule includes performances at Canadian Music Week and SxSW and Coachella, plus full tours in the USA and in Europe."

STREAM - The Breeders - We're Gonna Rise

The Breeders - Cannonball (music video)


"Mountain Battles" tracklisting:

1. Overglazed
2. Bang On
3. Night Of Joy
4. We're Gonna Rise
5. German Studies
6. Spark
7. Istanbul
8. Walk It Off
9. Regalame Esta Noche
10. Here No More
11. No Way
12. It's The Love
13. Mountain Battles

Coachella Rumors...

As tipped by ProductShopNYC, you can now add Radiohead, The Verve and Spiritualized to the growing list of bands being heavily rumored to appear at Coachella 2008 April 25-27. Check out the post at PSNYC, which also includes their list of the 50 best albums of 1997.

Here are the strongest of the rumored acts so far:

Radiohead
My Bloody Valentine
The Verve
Portishead
Spiritualized

Tuesday Throwback - MY BLOODY VALENTINE

In light of the news that My Bloody Valentine are reforming and will soon be releasing the follow-up to their classic 1991 LP "Loveless", let's take a look back at why the band are regarded on an almost Godlike level.

After a series of EP's in the eighties, MBV released the 'You Made Me Realise' EP in 1988, considered to be the band's breakthrough release. The title track was released as a single, garnering a heapload of acclaim for the shoegazer band from Ireland.

You Made Me Realise (1988)


A new single quickly followed. 'Feed Me With Your Kiss' was taken from the official debut LP "Isn't Anything", an album that solidified MBV as a strong force in the post-modern rock world of the late 80's.

Feed Me With Your Kiss (1988)


In 1991 My Bloody Valentine released "Loveless", an album that is now considered one of the best albums of the 90's and the greatest shoegazer set ever recorded. Endless bands and artists note "Loveless" as a major inspiration.

Only Shallow (1991)


To Here Knows When (1991)


Soon (1991)


Following the staggering critical success of "Loveless", the band's record deal dissolved and they went into near obscurity. Kevin Shields went on to join Primal Scream for the albums "XTRMNTR" and "Evil Heat" and Colm O'Ciosoig eventually joined Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions.

In 2003, Shields contributed new solo songs to Sofia Coppola's beloved film 'Lost in Translation', a move that brought My Bloody Valentine's music back into the spotlight.

Kevin Shields - City Girl (from Lost in Translation) (2003)


A new MBV album is expected in the next few months. The recording will be a combination of new stuff and collected unreleased material from the "Loveless" era.

Coachella Rumors...

Taking it all with a grain of salt of course, rumors surrounding the 2008 Coachella Music & Arts Festival have officially begun, with seminal shoegazer band My Bloody Valentine and groundbreaking 90's trip-hop act Portishead already widely speculated as having confirmed. It was recently announced that the festival will be held April 25-27 in Indio, California.

According to a recent article in Entertainment Weekly, My Bloody Valentine are definitely going to reunite at Coachella. And another recent article on thedailyswarm.com states that Portishead have indeed already confirmed. There is still a long way to go and the official line-up won't even be revealed until January or February, but other bands also currently being mentioned as rumored to appear are R.E.M., Death Cab For Cutie, The Screaming Trees, The White Stripes and Radiohead.