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Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown continue!

Check out previous days here.

Day 35 = Banks
Performing = Saturday

Jillian Banks is a R&B singer-songwriter that is based in Los Angeles and has been at this music thing since the age of 15. She released two extended plays in 2013, Fall Over in March and London in September. She is simply known as Banks, and her music has been compared to The Weeknd, the Toronto R&B acts, not the shoegazers from San Francisco. I know after all these years there is still mass confusion…

Ms. Banks has shown up on a few Artists To Watch In 2014 lists, and her song “Waiting Game” was featured in a Victoria Secret commercial. She cites Lauryn Hill and Fiona Apple has influences, while Billboard Magazine compares her to Feist.
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Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown continue!

Check out previous days here.

Day 34 = Courtney Barnett
Performing = Sunday

Courtney Barnett is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist that got her start in 2011 in Melbourne. Ms. Barnett is known for her witty lyrics and emotionless singing style. By now you’re saying to yourself, Courtney Barnett is not playing Coachella, when in fact she is. The deadpan singer was a “Late Add” approximately two weeks ago, and will generate much needed help to the indie challenged Sunday lineup.

To be quite honest I didn’t stumble on Courtney until many reputable publications began posting their 2013 end-of-year lists. I saw her name begin to appear frequently, and knew that this might not be another one of those A$AP things.

Upon further review, the lady from down under previously released two extended plays, and in May 2013 combined both of them into a well-received full-length release titled The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas. Amazingly, she pulled all that off behind the watchful eye of yours truly, how embarrassing I missed that. Her single “Avant Gardener” has been in heavy rotation on North America’s Indie Rock Station, and is well-worth a listen if you haven’t given the tune the attention it deserves. That track “History Eraser” was nominated for Song Of The Year In Australia.
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Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown continue!

Check out previous days here.

Day 33 = The Afghan Whigs
Performing = Friday

This is an updated version of the Flashback Friday I posted last August.

The Afghan Whigs are an alternative rock band that formed on Halloween night (allegedly) 1986 in The Queen City, USA. The band is comprised of Greg Dulli (vocals/guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), John Curley (bass), as well as multiple drummers throughout the years, most notably Steve Earle and Michael Horrigan. Dulli, McCollum, and Earl met while attending the University of Cincinnati, at the same time Curley worked as a photographer for the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. The quartet would soon form the punk band Black Republicans, and then later change their name to The Afghan Whigs, a name borrowed from a Florida-based Muslim motorcycle gang.

In 1988 the Cincinnati, Ohio based project, independently recorded and released their debut album Big Top Halloween. The band developed a strong local following in the mid-west and positive word-of-mouth landed them a record deal with Sub-Pop. Soon after, the band was supporting grunge pioneers Mudhoney, and their careers were off and running. During the Sub-Pop period the band release two albums, Up In It and Congregation. The Congregation LP produced two singles that were well-received on college radio and MTV, “Turn On The Water” (my fave Whigs tune) and “Conjure Me.”

In 1993 in the band signed with Elektra, and released their critically acclaimed major label debut, Gentlemen. The album produced the modern rock hits “Debonair” and the title track “Gentlemen.” By the end of the decade Gentlemen found itself on many Best Albums Of The Nineties Lists.

Unfortunately, in 1996 the follow-up album Black Love was a commercial failure, in addition, it didn’t elevate the band any higher than its current indie status. Later in 1996 the band feuded with Elektra over what was described as neglect and dishonest business practices, and a legal dispute followed. Following their only album released with Sony in 1998, the guys disbanded in 2001, citing geographic disparity and family obligations.
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Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown continue!

That Present-Tense can sure create a giggle or two. If you enjoy his posts, fear not, he will return later in the countdown.

Check out previous days here.

Day 32 = Fatboy Slim
Performing = Saturday

Norman Cook is a British DJ, musician, and record producers that’s better known as Fatboy Slim. Cook adopted the Fatboy Slim moniker back in 1996, and is instrumental in making the “big beat” popular in the 90’s.

FBS has released a total of five LP’s in his praised career. Mr. Cook is best known for the 1998 single “Rockafeller Skank” off his sophomore album You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby. The tune, as catchy as it is, became a tired act after a while. I will admit, I had the thing on repeat back in 98. Another fine tune from that album was “Praise You,” which actually cracked the Top 40 here in the states. Mr. Cook has released a few more catchy singles including “Weapon Of Choice” in 2001, and “Wonderful Night” in 2004. The video for “Weapon Of Choice” (watch below), features actor Christopher Walken cutting a rug.
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Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown continue!

Check out previous days here.

Day 29 = Capital Cities
Performing = Saturday

Capital Cities are the electro-alt-pop duo of Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. The two are based out of Los Angeles and formed the project back in 2010. The former jingle writers met where jingle writers go to meet, Craigslist.

The pair recently released their debut LP, In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery. The June 2013 release combines 5 previously released songs from the 2011 self-titled EP, the 2012 single “Kangaroo Court,” and 6 new tracks. Whallah! there you have it, a debut full-length that reeks of Passion Pit on a quick first listen…IMO.

The act has enjoyed some commercial success with the single “Safe and Sound.” The track shot up the Ryan Seacrest charts and peaked at #8, while also being nominated for a Grammy for Best Music Video. Their album also includes the track “Farah Fawcett Hair” (fun title), that features Andre 3000 from Outkast.

Don’t forget to pack your Capital Cities eyewear this year.

Visit the Capital Cities website here:
http://capitalcitiesmusic.com/

Recommended listening:
“Safe and Sound”

“Kangaroo Court”

GoINDEEpMusic

Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown continue!

Check out previous days here.

Day 28 = Little Dragon
Performing = Sunday

Little Dragon are an indie electronic band from Gothenburg, Sweden that formed in 2006. The band is fronted by Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano who got her start by singing on a few Swell Session records in the early zero’s. Ms. Nagano’s temper tantrums that she’s known to throw at times in the recording studio, is said to be the origin of the Little Dragon name.

The quartet has released three studio albums, and just announced this week that their fourth album Nabuma Rubberband will drop on May 13. Two days ago the band released the lead single “Klapp Klapp,” and are scheduled to appear on David Letterman this coming Wednesday (Feb 19).

Studio albums:
Little Dragon (2007)
Machine Dreams (2009)
Ritual Union (2011)

If trip-hop electronic beats are your thing, similar to the ones Saint Etienne made popular, then this one is definitely for you.

Visit the Little Dragon website here:
http://www.nabumarubberband.com/

Recommended listening:
“Klapp Klapp”

“Sunshine”

“Twice”

GoINDEEpMusic

Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown begin!

Check out previous days here.

Day 27 = Cage The Elephant
Performing = Saturday

Cage The Elephant are an alternative rock band that formed back in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The band has released three unique albums over their eight year career. The first was a self-titled release in 2008 that fuses classic, funk, and blues rock. The album would have fit very nicely if it was released in say…1997. You remember, those god-awful bands on the radio back then like Sublime, Everlast, Smashmouth, and dare I say the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The tune “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” was somehow well-received, and wound up putting the band’s career in motion.

The quartet’s second release Thank You Happy Birthday dropped in 2011 and was geared with more brash punk influences. I actually find it offensive that the band cites the Pixies as influential in the making of this album. Below I included the track “Aberdeen,” you can decide for yourself.

The band has toned it down on their latest 2013 release Melophobia, claiming they been listening to a lot of MGMT. Maybe they can collaborate with them out in the desert, how fun would that be! Speaking of collaborating, the track “It’s Just Forever” features Alison Mosshart (The Kills, Dead Weather). The lead single from the album “Come A Little Closer” is their first attempt at being accepted on grown-up radio. The image I’ve provided is the band’s first step in looking all KOL…

The band has toured relentlessly over the last five plus years. I’ve actually crossed paths with them three times, amazingly, and have never been impressed. I saw them twice at festival appearances, including 2011’s Pottychella. The third was when they opened for one of my top guilty pleasures… Stone Temple Pilots.

Mark, sorry I made you wait almost a month for this one.

Visit the Cage The Elephant website here:
http://www.cagetheelephant.com/

Recommended listening:
“Come A Little Closer”

“Aberdeen”

“Back Against The Wall”

GoINDEEpMusic

Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown begin!

Special thanks to Present-Tense for his contributions to this huge project. PT has more bands ready to go for future days… stay tuned!

Check out previous days here.

Day 26 = Washed Out
Performing = Saturday

Washed Out is the moniker used by chillwave extraordinaire Ernest Greene. Mr. Greene started this project back in 2009 in the cozy-comfort of his own bedroom. He had recently moved back in with his parents after he couldn’t find a job as a Librarian, post-graduation from the University of Georgia with a degree in Library Science.

Greene is a founding father in what is known as the chillwave movement, or what others refer to as glo-fi. We can get into… What is chillwave? Is chillwave still relevant? Did chillwave die in 2011? and of course the most important, Did Carles from the blog Hipster Runoff invented the term chillwave? However, those are all great debates for another day.

Band’s that share in the chillwave spotlight with Washed Out include: Neon Indian, Small Black, Memory Tapes, Toro Y Moi, and to a certain extent Ariel Pink and Youth Lagoon. Acts that are cited as influential to chillwave are Animal Collective, more specifically Panda Bear, and Boards Of Canada.

Ernest has released two brilliant albums, 2011’s Within and Without, and 2013’s Paracosm. There are three EP’s to his credit, most notably 2010’s Life Of Leisure, good luck getting your paws on the other two. In 2009 he released High Times on cassette and only produced 200 of them, and the other untitled offering was only available during his 2010 tour. Google “cassette” if you’re unsure what I’m talking about.

Greene’s track “Feel It All Around” is used in the opening sequence of the hipster TV show Portlandia. The song “All I Know” was named the #2 track, that’s right #2, on my best of 2013 list. Check it out.

Washed Out has been on my perfect poster list the last five years (check the spreadsheet for proof), nice to see him on the official poster, finally! Where Ernest lands in my Top 40 remains to be seen.

Chillwave is still relevant in my world.

Visit the Washed Out website here:
http://washedout.net/

Recommended listening:
“Eyes Be Closed”

“Amor Fati”

“Feel It All Around”

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