CULTURE CREATURE

The three best bands NOT playing Coachella 2012

1. YACHT
The high-energy, Los Angeles/Portland/Texas-based, part-electro, part-genreless project of genius will sadly not be showing us their grooviest dance moves this April. Apparently these "Holy Roller[s]" (hint: track from new album!) are deep in the throes, already, of their North American Shangri-La tour. The tour ends late March, at least on this continent, so who knows where their globetrotting ways will take them come end of April. No doubt that, wherever they are, they will be boogeying to their hearts content onstage- if you've ever seen them live, you'll know what I mean.

As a side note, I have to say that when I first saw YACHT, when it was just Jona Bechtolt, I was mesmerized by his jerking, bouncing and somewhat Napoleon Dynamite-esque dance moves that he executed so unapologetically onstage. So, when Claire Evans joined him to officially make YACHT a duo (they have other band members, too, but these two run the show), I was slightly disappointed. Who was this girl? This imposter to the tripped-out, fantastical, electronic world of Jona? I was protective. But, this femme-fatale-to-the-core won me over, especially during their DeKalb Market show in Brooklyn this past summer. This girl is a badass with a sexy and fun onstage persona, which she is absolutely not afraid to break between songs with her brief, witty quips. YACHT blends performance art with humility, and is the one band whose members I honestly wish were my friends.

2. My Morning Jacket
Deep down- actually, not deep down, but right up on the surface- I want to cry knowing that I won't see MMJ play at Coachella this year. Seeing these Kentucky rockers do their thing four years ago at Coachella, when they were just about to hit their peak of popularity, was a transformative experience for me. At the time, I just couldn't make sense of their utterly genre-bending ways (I guess I have a thing for bands who blur the lines). Picture this: Jim James, the band's front man, can completely kill any classic country tune with accuracy and panache, and a killer- and might I add, shocking- falsetto, to boot. But, he did this while wearing giant, fuzzy moon boots...which made him seem even cooler. Too weak of an example? How about the band's newest album, Circuital: The track "Holdin On To Black Metal" layers a gospel-like chorus of children singing on top of a funky sixties groove that finishes with a wanky, distorted, yet totally enjoyable guitar solo, that somehow all blends together seamlessly. Mostly, though, I will miss seeing them do what they do best: taking country and blues roots music, disemboweling and skinning it, and chopping up the leftovers to make a sonic stew that's incredibly delicious, but has me asking: "What am I tasting, exactly?"- just the way I like it.

3. Wilco
Dammit Wilco, you elusive, melancholy tease! You come out with this new album, The Whole Love, and suddenly your recent art-rock tendencies have pushed you to try out your new sound on a slightly less Wilco-possessive crowd in Europe, eh? Well, I won't stand for it! I want to hear this album live in the Southern California desert like God intended. I want everyone to hear you reveal your penchant for electronic tracks and see how they don't take away from your beautifully depressing acoustic sounds. My only concern is that perhaps you were overlooked since Radiohead is already playing at the festival? I do have to say that some of these new tunes seem a little Brit-inspired. Hey, it's totally okay though! There's room in the ether for you to expand your sound, and so what if it overlaps a bit with what they're doing across the pond? It still sounds amazing, and I'm sure it would sound even better live...if only you were playing at the festival!