First Look: Coachella


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Coachella might be back with a cross-genre vengence this year, but the biggest bomb is festival founder Paul Tollett’s latest news for would-be festivalgoers: no single day passes for 2010.

Though $269 for three days is far from peanuts, this year’s undercard lineup comes stacked with interesting, diverse talent from cult legends to fledgling pioneers. Here are eight small-print acts that could constitute a trip to the desert come April.

Devo – Could there be a more appropriate time for the fathers of “de-evolution” to play than after decades of political nihilsm and corporate saturation? Mark Mothersbaugh and Co. will bring their plastic hats and a brand new live setup to the festival on Saturday. Be ready to rock out to classics like “Uncontrollable Urge” and “Whip It,” and subsequently lament our societal regression in the parking lot.

The XX – The sexiest music of 2009 comes from four dark-clothed London youngsters whose stripped-down, minimalist composition make Vampire Weekend sound like Aerosmith. An eerie world of nighttime sounds, icy guitars, and deep purrs, The XX’s debut writhes with memorables like “Crystalised”, “Shelter”, and many others. One can only pray their Saturday set will begin after sundown.

Grace Jones – For those who remember the Jamaican goddess’s turn as Mayday in “A View To A Kill”, Jones’ return to the eye of music and fashion is nothing short of thrilling. With a new album and a stage show that would put Lady Gaga to shame, Jones will open the weekend on Friday, and hopefully pull generously from her twin 80s masterworks “Nightclubbing” and “Island Life”.

Sly and the Family Stone – Every Coachella has its miracle act. 2008 got Prince, 2009 had Leonard Cohen, and 2010 promises to bring Sly and his posse to the polo fields on Sunday. That is, if the reclusive funk god decides to show up. Still, even if the announcement of a Sly Stone event comes rife with uncertainty, the mere possibility of hearing “If You Want Me To Stay” is worth staking out a decent stage spot.

Proxy – Even as “hard” house music begins to eat itself, Proxy, Russia’s answer to Justice and The Bloody Beetroots, wields the power to “Destroy” a venue in minutes. As a survivor of a Berlin basement show, I can only express the furious energy of a Proxy set by trying to remember the last time I sweat so hard, and coming up with nothing. Friday’s crowd will not be ready for this Eastern import.

Charlotte Gainsbourg – For those of us trying to shake the final images of Antichrist from our heads, a listen to Gainsbourg’s new LP, “IRM”, will help the processs. Collaborating with Beck this time (her last disc, “5:55” was produced by Air), and coming off a near fatal brain hemmorage, Gainsbourg has produced a haunting, darkly sensuous work of trauma and rejuvenation. The album marks her considerable ascendency from “Lemon Incest” and deserves to be heard live during Gainsbourg’s Sunday slot.

Miike Snow – Hailing from the cold of Stockholm, Andrew Wyatt’s new band sounds exactly like its place of origin: crystaline, foresty, and endearing. This is contemporary electropop at its finest, with unusually stellar songwriting on tracks like “Animal” and “Burial”. In other words, Miike Snow, who will perform on Sunday, are the kind of thrillingly unique, emerging talent that one expects Coachella to deliver time and again. Check out their online video series “Live in the Woods”, and keep your mittens closeby.

Aeroplane – The resurrection of disco has been groped by everyone from Cut Copy to LCD Soundsystem, but no act has embraced the throbbing, cosmic spirits of Giorgio Moroder and Cerrone with more passion than Aeroplane. Slated for Friday, the Belgian duo first gained acclaim for their masterful remix of Friendly Fires’ “Paris” in 2008, but their original compositions like “Pacific Air Race” and “Above The Clouds” are the stuff of heavenly sweet, acid dreams.