friday's coachella picks, part one

The countdown to Coachella has begun, and although the lineup announcement was disappointing to some, I'm truly excited beyond words. Seriously, we are lucky just that Coachella is even on the schedule. Look what happened to the Langerado Festival, and they had a pretty kickin' lineup -- including Death Cab for Cutie, Public Enemy, Modest Mouse, Deerhunter, Broken Social Scene, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Girl Talk, Bad Brains, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Tokyo Police Club, the Faint, Tricky, Chromeo and Ra Ra Riot.

Allow me to share my excitement with you. First, let's look at the list of performers on Friday, in alphabetical order, not necessarily by thrill factor.

Beirut
Lead singer Zach Condon is just about 22, and he's from Brooklyn by way of Santa Fe. His music is often described as dark gypsy music with an Eastern European feel. He has been known to perform with an orchestra of violins, trumpets, flugelhorns, ukuleles, cellos, accordions and a tambourine.
Listen: A Sunday Smile
Listen: Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Do I really need to add anything here? In my opinion -- and the opinion of others who people listen to with much more vigor -- Conor Oberst is one of the best songwriters around. He never ceases to amaze me, and his first solo album in years was no disappointment. I saw them perform at Firestone a few months ago, and they sounded great. Let me get my boots on, let me get my boots on, let me get my boots back on!
Listen to the album in its entirety

Crystal Castles
I can just picture us dancing under the laser lights of the Sahara Tent. They're from Toronto, are huge in the U.K. and toured last year with Nine Inch Nails.

Franz Ferdinand
You know them, you love them, and they love Beta's jumpah.

Ghostland Observatory
I don't know much... OK, really anything ... about them except that they describe their own music as "a robot making love to a tree." I'm intrigued.

Leonard Cohen
He's the subject of my all-time favorite line from "The Young Ones" - Neil whines, "No one is listening to me. I feel like a Leonard Cohen album." Then along comes the beautiful Jeff Buckley, and new generations of listeners who may have only known his spooky "Everybody Knows" from the Pump Up the Volume soundtrack are introduced to his "Hallelujah." Strangely I was introduced to "Famous Blue Raincoat" during an interview with Damien Rice and "I'm Your Man" from "The L Word."

M. Ward
I met M after he opened for Bright Eyes at The Social. He was so kind. I bought his CD and told him I couldn't wait to listen to it. He seemed so genuine. Now, he's singing with Zooey Deschannel in She & Him. I wonder if she'll make an appearance.

Morrissey
My first memory of Morrissey was watching him perform on "120 Minutes" in front of a bunch of screaming girls who were seriously swooning like I had not seen before. It was like watching The Beatles perform on "The Ed Sullivan Show." I was thinking,"Who is this guy, and why don't I know him?"
Listen: All You Need is Me

Noah and the Whale
They're fun. You may recognize "5 Years Time;" it was featured in a Saturn SUV commercial.
Listen: 5 Years Time
Listen: 2 Atoms in the Molecule

Patton & Rahzel
Mike Patton from Faith No More teams up with former Roots beatboxer Rahzel M. Brown. Interesting.

Paul McCartney
Wha?? I get to see a Beatle? Oh yes!!

People Under the Stairs
Download free track: Funner Than Leather

Silversun Pickups
I love these guys -- I saw them on the main stage a couple of years ago, so I'm surprised they're back so soon. But I'm not complaining -- I'm thrilled!
LISTEN: Kissing Families

And I'm not even finished with FRIDAY! I'm tired. More tomorrow.