Coachella Lineup Announced

Attention Dominion Shoppers - Chocolate Milk is $0.99 today and until supplies last.

In other news, probably the premiere music festival in North America, Indio, CA's annual Coachella Music & Arts Festival tossed forth its lineup today for all to admire and begin to dream of summer.

This year the now three-day festival falling on the last weekend of April has made some interesting choices that have resulted in some bad buzz already.

I must admit it is quite unnerving to read that every aunt's favourite surfer boy Jack Johnson is the headliner on the first night of the festival. And, certainly some of the other headlining names seem a bit disappointing, not necessarily because of what names are present but rather for those which are noticeably absent. Despite the speculation that they may kick off their much-anticipated summer touring at the festival, Radiohead is probably the biggest name absent. Also missing are others who I personally had my fingers crossed for such as Tokyo Police Club, Of Montreal, or the Decemberists, who had to cancel their fall tour due to band illness. Instead, reunions from bands like Portishead, Love and Rockets, the Verve and Kraftwerk have been substituted yet fail to fill the void.

But it is in the finer print of the lineup where Coachella 2008 shapes up to be promising. The festival brings together a diverse blend of 2007's most mentioned in MIA, Justice, the National, Diplo, and others while managing quite impressively to anticipate what's next. Santogold, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, the Teenagers, and New Young Pony Club bring the next generation along with a slew of other artists whose buzz is already in the boiling process. (For readers in the Toronto area, enter to win a pair of tickets to the February MGMT show here.)

From a home base perspective, my fellow Canadians have to be happy with a solid showing including A&C-ites Stars (but no Feist), as well as Tegan & Sara, Chromeo, Holy Fuck, Metric and certainly others.

Ultimately, the lineup is diverse and promising but seems to be lacking in too many clinchers with many people. But with that much young talent on the verge this festival is likely to be a grower rather than a shower.

Here's a summer-inspired 2008 Coachella preview grab bag to help you fend off the rest of the winter months. Download here.

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
The Teenagers - Homecoming
M.I.A. - Jimmy
MGMT - Kids
Battles - Ddiamondd
Black Lips - O Katrina!
Tegan & Sara - Nineteen

- bbbykmbrly.