Via Coachella.com:
FRIDAY, APRIL 25: Jack Johnson, The Verve, Raconteurs, The Breeders, Fatboy Slim, Tegan and 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 Col
Fix Extended Play is a new online video music magazine hosted by Douglas Caballero for a company called Current. The premiere episode (view all 21 minutes of it here) includes feature-y segments on Portland punks the Thermals, M.I.A.-ish electro diva Santogold, UK electronic-pop chameleons Hot Chip (surprisingly hyping experimental-noise unit Gang Gang Dance) and shamrock punks Dropkick Murphys.
Next week's ish goes live Tuesday March 11 at 7 p.m. PT, and features Moby, Spoon, Diplo, Radical
Recovering from yesterday’s illness forced me to miss 120 Days, MGMT, Little Brother and Boys Noize. Bah.
But I arrived in time to see some Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. Their loose rock jams slash sea shanties were adorned with much proggy filigree. It was nice big-sky music for a big-sky setting. “It’s time to go fucking Jack Johnson on your ass,” Malkmus announced later, strapping on an acoustic. That was my cue to bolt.
I strode over to the Sahara tent to catch Erol Alkan spinning
The two-day lineup for this year's San Diego Street Scene was just announced today, and it doesn't look half bad, in this humble ex-music editor's opinion. Headliners include Beck, the Black Crowes, X, Tegan and Sara, Justice, plus Spoon, TV on the Radio, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9), Michael Franti & Spearhead, The National, Atmosphere, Cat Power, Hot Chip, The New Pornographers, Vampire Weekend, The Hives, Cold War Kids, Ghostland Observatory, Spiritualized, Antibalas, Man Man, The Mother Hips,
In this week's Weekly, I blab about some of my favorite things in music this year. Since my ego clearly cannot be contained to just a half page on a newspaper, I've got even more favorite things here (as referenced at the end of the article--that's what we call "convergence" in the biz).
It's time to rank the best of what went around and came around again.
BILLY JOEL
The Stranger
(Columbia/Legacy)
As punk and disco exploded, the Piano Man's deeply unhip 1978 breakthrough proved that top-shelf Broadway/Brill Building songwriting could still sell - and, occasionally, rock. "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" and "Anthony's Song (Movin' Out)" remain priceless snapshots of Annie Hall-era NYC, the title track bares real teeth, and the Kenny Chesney fave "Only the Good Die Young" -