Ah Coachella Day 2. Welcome back kids to my Coachella 2009 series. The journey continues, as I explore the musical styling of some of my old favorite artists, and realize new ones. But I won’t give an arbitrary opening any further. Let’s get to the nitty.

Coachella Lesson #4: BRING A COOLER WITH YOUR OWN DRINKS IN IT! You might not be able to bring in your own drinks to the actual festival, but if you’re camping there, you will likely die of thirst by about 7am, no joke.

Renee, Dan and I hung out all day in the tent, saying hello to fellow campers as they passed by our shade, and charged our phones for the impending day’s madness. As you’ll learn next year when you go, there’s really not a whole lot to do on the festival grounds if your performers haven’t started yet, as you’ll want to save your energy (and lower back) for the rest of the evening. In the morning on the campgrounds, there are fun, childish activities like face painting and similar tomfoolery whilst having fun in the sun.

Around 6, the gang and I headed for the front gates of the grounds, where I met up with my upstate home girls, Alexis A. and Robyn D. We headed straight for the main stage, where we made camp in the cool grass, to await the sound check for TV on the Radio to be completed. While I don’t know what the exact set list for the band was, I had a few notable favorites. The band started off with a version of their first song, from their first album (The Wrong Way- Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes), complete with a horn section that was amazing.

Also on the set list was a faster version of one my personal favorites from Dear Science, Golden Age.

What I loved about this band is how much energy they gave the crowd, and the humor of front man Tunde Adebimpe. During the set he calmly told us whilst we fried in the sun:

“Alright guys, our mission during this set, is to bring the sun down”

And while I don’t have a great clip of it, they also performed Wolf Like Me, the hit single from their second album, Return to Cookie Mountain.  Katrina Ford of the Baltimore, MA band Celebration, came onstage to sing alone with Kyp and Tunde.

After the set, I moved along on my own, and stumble upon James Morrison‘s set in the Mojave Tent. I thought that maybe he wouldn’t be that great live, but the brotha can sing! I got a shoddy clip of If You Don’t Wanna Love Me for your pleasure.

There isn’t a lot to say about them really, but Thievery Corporation was a joy to listen to as well. Have a look at the band performing the end of El Pueblo Unido from their recent album Radio Retaliation.

Ok, but let’s talk about MIA just a bit. This is a girl who was onstage at the Grammys the due date of her pregnancy. This woman has guts. This had to be one of the most intense entrances to date that I’ve seen at a show. Her set can be described by a quote during her show:

“Im probably going to get kicked off the main stage for this one, but fuck it. I ain’t gonna change. “

She played a lot of her hits, including the ever so popular Paper Planes. Then she stressed the security out as much as possible by telling the crowd to come on stage. Disaster. I even saw a girl get tackled off the stage. Why no video you ask? Well I have tons for M.I.A., but Youtube won’t let me upload it. Ill try and have it up for my last piece of my series.

Before seeing The Killers, the nights headliner, I stopped in to get a picture of Jenny Lewis, and a short clip of Atmosphere performing Godlovesugly. I wish I got a clip of him literally saying

OK now all the hot people STFU” along to the beat while singing the chorus.

The best performance of the night went to The Killers. Honestly, at first, I didn’t think they deserved to be on the main stage. But these guys know how to put on a show. The crowd loved these guys, and the effects were great. Heres their setlist for the evening, and snippet of Somebody Told Me, Mr. Brightside, and my friends Bri O., Emily, and Helen N. dancing to Human (I would have recorded my favorite song of theirs, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, but I was too busy playing air bass):

1.       Human

2.       Somebody Told Me

3.       For Reasons Unknown

4.       This Is Your Life

5.       Joy Ride

6.       Bling (Confession of a King)

7.       Shadowplay (Joy Division Cover)

8.       Smile Like You Mean It

9.       Spaceman

10.   A Dustland FairyTale

11.   Sam’s Town

12.   Read My Mind

13.   Mr. Brightside

14.   All These Things That I’ve Done

Encore:

15.   Bones

16.   Jenny Was a Friend of Mine

17.   When You Were Young

This was definitely a more exploratory night, as I was not afflicted with the massive back aches of the other nights.  Which brings me to Coachella Lesson #4: SIT DOWN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE! It hurts like all hell at the end of the night if you don’t and it takes away from your experience, which I of course learned the hard way.

I played air bass from Jenny Was a Friend of Mine all the way back to my tent, and slept well; knowing that day 3 was going to bring me on last day of desert adventure. Stay tuned for the final part of my Coachella 2009 series.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

P.S.  Here are links to Day 1 if you missed it, and Day 3 to continue right along.

Music is the cornerstone of many a writer’s inspiration and the Behind the Hype staff is no exception.  A few of us music nerds decided that we would compile our pompous list of albums so that you might benefit from our nerd nuggets of musical wisdom.  It follows no standard format, as we all like to do things our own way.

DISCLAIMER:  None on the Behind the Hype staff has been paid any sum of ducketts in order to persuade you to like and/or buy any of these albums.  We happen to love them by choice…but if anyone wants to throw money at us after the fact…knock yourself out…and we like cash…or a giraffe…and we already have tons of porn soooo…a giraffe covered in cash would be best.

Dr. Jonathan C Goodvibes’ Picks

Cat Power: Jukebox
This is the best collection of covers you’ll hear for some time to come, even if you don’t know it. Chan Marshalls beautiful and haunting voice weaves and hovers through the record, interlacing every song with a whiff of smoky melancholy. The killer track (and I do mean killer) on this album has to be the icy Blue. Cat Power, with her Dirty Delta Blues Band manage to inject blooming warmth like a shot of bourbon set against Joanie Mitchell’s chilling lyrics. Her reinterpretation of Hank Williams anthemic and oft-quoted Ramblin’ Man (titled here as Rambilin’ (Wo)man) strips from the lyrics all masculine unapologetic bravado and swaddles it in feminine grace and sensuality. These two songs are typical of the rest of the album. Covers are either really fucking bad or really fucking great and their great because they manage to be more than ham-fisted pantomimes or interpretations that are way off the fucking mark. You can tell Chan really loves these songs and after you hear Jukebox, you’ll understand why.

Xu-Xu Fang: The Mourning Son
Xu-Xu-Fang is a band I have had the agony of following for over two years with the end result being Two EP’s which is not anywhere near enough to satiate my appetite. The sweet and rich morsel that is The Mourning Son , however, should be enough to indulge your rock sweet tooth. Sit back, relax, light a joint (don’t forget to put on the album), and drift off into the world Xu-Xu-Fang invite you into. The psychadelia-infused textures and rich soundscapes will pull you in like a dragnet. Though short in length, tracks such as These Days and Good Times have Gone Away will choke and drown you while Thunderhooves allots you the recovery time to breathe and pray the rock gods for more.

Mogwai: The Hawk Is Howling
Mogwai, pioneers in the instrumental rock movement prove once again their worth and show they are in no fucking way running out of steam with The Hawk Is Howling. Songs like I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead , Batcat, and Scotland’s Shame trudge and march ever forward with sludgy resolve across the instrumental rock landscape. Though the band personally sees their previous release Mr. Beast as their best work, I feel this is not only one of the best rock albums of the year, but their best work to date. Every song undulates with dramatic peaks and troughs making the entire album feel like an unavoidable massive wave that catches you in its momentum. Songs, let alone albums like this are hard to come by. Mogwai once again prove how infinitesimal we are by making giant fucking music that shadows us and sweeps us in.

Cold War Kids: Loyalty To Loyalty
In twenty years when you’re explainin’ to some piss-ant baby balls twenty-something why his favorite whatever-the-fuck kids are listening to in the future ain’t got the stayin’ power of a true rock band because it ain’t got the voice of a generation expressing frustration, alienation, boredom, a cryptic inherent joy in the sadder things in life and a graceful unapologetic undercurrent to an acceptance of want of vice and vice as a fucking virtue, you’re withered hand will point at some futuristic floating space-jukebox blasting Against Privacy, Something Is Not Right With Me, I’ve Seen Enough, and maybe even Every Man I Fall For if you’re feeling particularly nostalgic and negligent towards your beer. But nobody’s heard of ‘em in the future, you old coot! “Shit, if they were so fucking important, why haven’t they got a reality show yet?”, and that’s when you know you’re way too fucking old.

The Walkmen: You & Me
This is certainly the best piece of work from The Walkmen oeuvre. Those looking for the raw and precise power of Bows and Arrows might find themselves disappointed. Though no song on the album is as fast and adrenaline-inducing as The Rat, Tenley Town (which was on A Hundred Miles Off), the songs on You & Me draw their power and evocativeness from subtlety and grace. On The Water, Donde Esta La Playa, and Red Moon are personal favorites and are among the best examples of the creativeness and tight musicianship of one of the best bands. Truly a great American rock band.

Spazarella’s Picks

Murder By Death: Red Tooth and Claw
Having finally heard this band shortly before the release of this album, I was so blown away by the force of Red Tooth and Claw that I doubt I’ll ever stop getting goosebumps when I listen to it.  Passion drips deliberate from every instrument, hand and vocal cord and as the songs progress, the listener is propped on the edge of their seat from beginning to end.  The cello, the drums, the guitars, and the echo of Celtic sorrow, Tom Waits and Johnny Cash, this is not an album to relax by, but rather much closer to a mission statement or a call to arms, facing a bare landscape with nothing but love, loss, family and purpose.  You can’t help but be moved, in fact I dare you not to feel the ferocity to your very bones.  Get in your car, find a long stretch of empty road at sunset, and breath in this album.

Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
Why doesn’t everybody know about Elbow?  This band is awesome (as you can see I am struck dumb without decent adjectives as a result)!  Guy Garvey’s lyics and howl are heartbreaking and fill the part of your heart that you like to keep blue.  Don’t fight it, embrace it and throw on Elbow.  The second track The Bones Of You, sweeps you off your feet and for some may carry you into memories “five years ago and three thousand miles away”.  Grounds For Divorce, The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver, Some Riot and Friends of Ours are the highlights.  I expect An Audience With The Pope goes under appreciated but lyrically it reminds me of the charm of classic lyricists like Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer.  I find the album’s appeal universal. Anyone who’s heard it in my car wanted more.

Calexico: Carried To Dust (Bonus Track Version)
My first exposure to Calexico was unfortunately their most uncharacteristic album Garden Ruin, and not until hearing the collaborative album with Iron & Wine was I want to give them another chance.     Carried To Dust is a consistent and charming arrangement that releases my shoulders from their usual rack.  The individual tracks melt one into the other easily and though this Tucson, Arizona based band always seasons their sound with flavors of their region (and that hollow weeping guitar that seems to bounce right off of the canyons and into your ear) it by no means defines their sound.  Alt-Country comes close, but I hate labels…it’s fucking good.  Tracks that speak to me the most, Victor Jaras Hands, Two Silver Trees, Man Made Lake, Falling From Trees.

Girl Talk: Feed The Animals
The first time I heard DJ Girl Talk was the album Night Ripper and I was in absolute shock at how such a simple concept could light me up and make me so hot and ready to dance!  The follow-up album was a little…miss-guided and featured too much self glorification and I was prepared for the DJ to fall into the sad category of flash in the pan, but Feed The Animals broke down the door and may have actually trumped Night Ripper…though I still haven’t decided.  Mashing the craziest combos of hit after hit from so many different corners of the pop and hip-hop landscapes it’s continually stimulating to the brain, ear and feet.  Suffice to say if you need a damn good party album and/or goin’ out and getting pumped, you need look no further, only use with caution…you may struggle profusely to replace it in the future.

Shelby Lynn: Just A Little Lovin’
Though not a popular choice, having an affection for Shelby I am partial to her work and I thought this album was an appropriate choice for her.  A cover album of Dusty Springfield classics, she breathes heartbreaking life into painfully honest lyrics.  Shelby, much like Dusty, takes her musical strength from her misery and so I thought the album a very fitting tribute.  Few people could be more or equally qualified.  Anyone Who Had a Heart gains a depth that it never evoked before.  With the exception of the smiley I Only Want To Be With You and sultry Just A Little Lovin’, the album breaks your heart but makes you come back for more, just like the heroine of her tales.  Anyone who’s ever loved will see themselves reflected in the weaknesses.  If not, it provides excellent solace in sorrow.

Cat Power: Jukebox
Oh yeah, Dr. Goodvibes and I fought over this one!  I think it’s only fair then to give a variety of perspectives to reiterate what an awesome album it is.  Some might quack that a cover album does not deserve such fanfare, however C.P. makes each song very much her own.  Ramblin’ Woman is an anthem typically hear from the male perspective and finally and refreshingly approached by a woman that at least sounds like she knows what it means.  Silver Stallion is my favorite and the rest of the album just slides into the sultry corner of every persons mind.  For men, she’s the one, and for women, she’s the hero.

Adele: 19
Damned good and Damn fun!  I’m not going to spend too much time on her but to say, don’t fight it and just listen.  Don’t listen to who she’s compared to, just listen.  Vocal talent:Check, Lyrics: Check, Great Production: Check, Variety: Check.  My faves: My Same, Best For Last, Melt My Heart To Stone, Tired.

The Spazz’s 10 Hot Tracks That Get A Nod (from albums not already covered):

• Tricky: Coalition
• The Black Keys: Strange Times
• Kings of Leon: Closer
• Eagles of Death Metal: Wannabe in LA
• Coldplay: Lost!
• Portishead: Carry On
• Sia: Little Black Sandals
• Vampire Weekend: Oxford Comma
• Hooverphonic: Expedition Impossible
• Santogold: L.E.S. Artistes

Gunfart’s Picks

Old people love redemption.  Hell, we crave it.  So when our personal heroes stray like lost dogs and find their way back, I have nothing but respect and gratitude for their return to fortune.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds:  Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
The albums title has 3 explanations points behind the title.  Can you argue with such confidence? After angst filled side project with Grinderman, the Australian “Man in Black” returns to lesson the good folk with a new lineup and a return to a more familiar form.  Expect an angry walking bass line with a dialogue to match.

Favorite Tracks:

• Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
• We Call Upon the Author
• Midnight Man

The Pretenders: Break Up the Concrete
“Boots of Chinese Plastic” Herald the new beginning.  I have not heard material so fresh and alive since Pretenders II.  The riffs and attitude are new, unexpected and wholly welcomed.  At times it sounds like Dave Alvin joined the band and they jammed at the Knitting Factory.

Favorite Tracks:

• Boots of Chinese Plastic
• Don’t Cut Your Hair
• Break Up the Concrete

James: Hey Ma
Their first release in nearly 7 years, it’s a quiet, melodic cannonball aimed to disarm all of their previous deceased contemporaries and distant themselves from their successful but pandering experimental albums.  Many listens reward greatly in its sublime humor and buried melodic shenanigans. Although constantly compared to The Smiths, this album is more reminiscent of early Waterboys recordings. A powerful affirmation that their best work is yet to come.

Favorite Tracks:

• Hey Ma
• Waterfall
• Boom Boom

The Cure: 4:13 Dream
I was not a fan of Bloodflowers, but consider this latest undertaking “The Head On the Door” Part II.  Sweeping, breathless and a permanent reminder of Robert Smiths pop genius. It plays like your favorite movie projected unto a blowing bed sheet behind your Mother’s house.

Favorite Tracks:

• Underneath the Stars
• Switch
• The Perfect Boy

Elvis Costello & The Imposters:  Momfuku
I saw him open for The Police at the Hollywood Bowl – he blew them away!
A very spontaneous and unexpected record. (Yes, I own the vinyl).  It sounds like some of these songs could have been written during his Get Happy days.  Steve Nieve, his longtime keyboardist of choice, really shines through this bare-knuckled, stripped down arrangement.

Favorite Tracks:

• No Hiding Place
• Turpentine
• Stella Hurt

Flak’s Picks

The Sound Of Animals Fighting: The Ocean and the Sun
Why I love it: Because Chris Tsagakis is one of my favorite drummers, and it contains members of Circa Survive, RX Bandits, and many others.
Why you should get it: If you want to hear what it sounds like when animals fight, you won’t be disappointed.

Jason Mraz: We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Why I love it: Because it’s as if he is a genre of his own. I felt strangely compelled to sing the album out loud whilst driving.
Why you should get it: The fact that he can freestyle in French at his shows should earn him a listen.

Madonna: Hard Candy
Why I love it: Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, AND Pharrell Williams guest star as producers.
Why you should get it: Because Madonna can still make a killer dance album. Admit it.

The Mars Volta: The Bedlam in Goliath
Why I love it: Because they are the remains of my favorite band, At the Drive In, and they scored Thomas Pridgen, another one of my favorite drummers.
Why you should get it: If nothing else, tracks 3, 4, and 5. Drummers will love it even more.

Sia: Some People Have Real Problems
Why I love it: Because she talks about real shit, and is one of the few great things to come from Britain.
Why you should get it: Because she’s the one who sings that song in the last episode of Six Feet Under.

Radiohead: In Rainbows
Why I love it: The two disc set is one of the best things they have ever made. This is the first contract-free album they have released.
Why you should get it:Thom Yorke deserves it, due to the fact that he NEVER sleeps, to make sure the album is amazing. He loves us!

The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely
Why I love it: It made me a fan of Jack White from the White Stripes.
Why you should get it: Beautiful breakdowns and fans of Jack will be interested in his side work.

Lil Wayne: The Carter 3
Why I love it: Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive.
Why you should get it: Lollipop, A Milli, need I say more?

Ne-Yo: Year of the Gentleman
Why I love it: because I thought R&B died with D’Angelo.
Why you should get it: Closer is a bomb track. Plus, this guy is writing for all the hip hop and R&B greats.

Protest the Hero: Fortress
Why I love it: I rarely find a hardcore album that I love, but these dudes are talented.
Why you should get it: The singer can actually sing, not just scream.

The Roots: Rising Down
Why I love it: Black Thought is one of my favorite MC’s
Why you should get it: Because The Roots have that gorgeous organic hip hop feel.

The Cure: 4:13 Dream
Why I love it: I have been a fan of the cure for many years, and like Gunfart will say, it’s like this album is The Head On the Door part two.
Why you should get it: These guys didn’t skip a beat since the 80′s. If you loved them then, you’ll love them now.

TV on the Radio: Dear Science
Why I love it: 80% Soul, 10% Funk, 10% Rock, all talent.
Why you should get it: Because you should listen to actual musicians for a change. The Jonas Brothers can only take you so far.

I didn’t get it at first. I thought to myself “what is this amalgam of unintelligible sonic bantering?”. But that’s mostly because I didn’t get it. It took me a while to swallow down TV On The Radio’s EP Desperate Youths, Bloodthirsty Babies and actually remains, to this day my least favorite album of theirs. It wasn’t until Return to Cookie Mountain, their first LP, that I realized you cannot approach this band with the typical rubric of rock. To be quite honest, anything TV On The Radio isn’t lent to accessibility and anyone who says they liked any of their albums upon listening to its entirety is probably full of shit. But no indie rock nerd would ever admit that of course. Great bands are great from the beginning and instantly win over an audience with their greatness. This of course, is false. The truth of the matter is that any album worth it’s weight in awesomeness will never be an easy listen. You’ll shut it off half way through and wonder what you were thinking, buying into the hype. That is certainly how I felt. How could I buy into this indie-noise bullshit? I thought I was smarter than that. Well I’m not, but that is completely beyond the point, which is that Dear Science is the best piece of rock this band has come out with yet. That’s right kids, believe the hype…

TV On The Radio posing for behindthehype.com

Dear Science is the much awaited sophomore LP from the David Bowie School of Rock rockers, TV On The Radio. This band has gotten better and better and more articulate and focused with each album release. In conjunction with the album release, of course, they are on tour and played recently at the Wiltern in Hollywood. This isn’t the best venue they could have chosen-as some of you concert-goers may be well aware of-although it was a pretty good show nevertheless. The opening band, Dirtbombs, put on an excellent show and to be quite honest almost upstaged our headliners. TV On the Radio, however came out with full force and established momentum immediately.Dear Science frames that momentum, and the opening song Halfway Home charges forward with a pulsing hook and subdued vocal harmonics. One thing you notice immediately about Dear Science is the stronger melodies. The rhythms are less abstract, the vocals a little more competent and daring. There is a freshness, a crispness about this new album which gives it a liveliness that previous albums lacked. This album is overall much more musical than anything they’ve done before.

That being said, TV On The Radio still do some strange things sonically that can be difficult to duplicate on stage. Given the scope of instrumentation and tools they implement in their songs, their live set was well chosen; they managed to play many of their more popular songs(and do them justice) and avoided songs that may have been difficult to play from a technical standpoint. For instance they avoided many of their songs from their EP, except for “Staring At The Sun”. The most disappointing part of the concert was their lackluster performance of “Wolf Like Me”. The tempo was off and the guitars washed out (partly due to the bad acoustics at The Wiltern). Since this tour followed the release of their new album, they played many songs from it, including “Dancing Choose”, “Halfway Home”, and “Crying”. Overall though, TV On The Radio are great to see live. Tunde, the lead singer jumps flails and thrashes about with reckless abandon. They closed their set with “Staring At The Sun”, a single from their Desperate Youths… EP.

Their new album also displays more subdued, softer, lilting numbers, such as “Love Dog” and “Family Tree” which are minimalist in structure compared to the rest of the album, but are some of the most beautiful songs the band has written thus far. If you are a fan of TVOTR, you will not be dissapointed. the lighter funk-infused elements make this a fun album to listen to and goes down much sweeter than previous albums.It shows a more confident, capable band beginning to apex as musicians. If you are new to TVOTR, I would start off with this album. It’s poppy tendencies and catchy hooks make it a much more accessible album than their previous releases. This album is a little more free from the confines of overly-serious hyper-self analytical waxing that their previous releases (and many bands for that matter) are hindered by.

That being said, this lighter, airy album does not carry the serious weight of Return To Cookie Mountain. No single  holds the gravity and conveys the passion and fervor of “Wolf Like Me”, or “Staring At the Sun”. Production value has taken a front seat on this album and there is a heavier emphasis on string sections that lilt and float along with Tunde’s vocals. Dear Science isn’t the genre-crushing debut that Return To Cookie Mountain was, not the center of gravity in the art-rock genre that their previous albums were, but it’s hard to rock and move with so much gravity weighing you down anyway.