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January 30, 2008

There's No Accounting For Taste, Part 3: People Like What Other People Like

Lately, there's been an ongoing Riff debate about whether popular music totally sucks or just mostly sucks. Mother Jones staffers may be appalled to find the relative merits of "My Humps" being argued on the (virtual) pages of their esteemed publication, but I think it just shows the temerity of our journalistic commitments: we'll visit Iraq or Fergie-stan. The question of why people like what they like—or, more accurately, how in God's name they can freakin' stand that crap they're listening to—has popped up in a few other interesting places lately, and in both instances, it turns out musical taste has little to do with music.

First up, Wisconsin Public Radio's "To The Best of Our Knowledge" (an unassuming show that sticks to its themes a lot better than "This American Life") recently featured writer Carl Wilson, who braved a musical phenomenon even more fearsome than Fergie: Celine Dion. He actually wrote a book all about Dion and "the end of taste," and says that he was surprised by how little a predilection for the Canadian actually indicated about a person, citing a man who felt Dion's music helped him while growing up gay in an alcoholic household. Honestly, though, that one seems pretty obvious. Wilson also cites his discovery of Dion's musical "diversity," although one could also point to her "lunacy" if this recent video of her that made its way around the intertubes is any indication:

Next up, Gawker points out a recent Fast Company piece on trends and The Tipping Point and stuff, which included a fascinating study on how exactly music "catches on." Researches gave groups of people a list of songs and had them discuss and rate them, creating a mini-hit parade for their micro-culture, which was contrasted with a control group's isolated individual song ratings. What researchers discovered was that the groups came up with all different ratings, and they rarely matched established "merits":

In fact, Watts explains, only about half of a song's success seemed to be due to merit. "In general, the 'best' songs never do very badly, and the 'worst' songs never do extremely well, but almost any other result is possible," he says. Why? Because the first band to snag a few thumbs-ups in the social world tended overwhelmingly to get many more. Yet who received those crucial first votes seemed to be mostly a matter of luck.

Not only do people like what other people like just because other people like it, but also the only reason those things got liked in the first place was the random fact of their being brought up first. Win the early-mention game of chance, and you're set. Huh... it kind of explains Pitchfork, doesn't it.

January 29, 2008

Video: David Bowie vs. Presidential Candidates Discussing Change

Via Towleroad comes this bit of video tomfoolery; it's kind of an obvious idea, cutting together our suddenly-change-obsessed candidates over the appropriately-named Bowie classic, but right around the 55-second mark when the editing makes them "sing along," it gets pretty great:

This reminds me of producer RX, whose cut-up of George Bush doing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a masterpiece of audio collage art, although the video is kind of seizure-inducing:

While we're on the topic of Bush-editing, let's give props to the originators: Emergency Broadcast Network, whose 1991 version of "We Will Rock You" featuring Bush I ended up on a U2 tour:

CDs Out Today and a Word from Critics

It's Tuesday, and that's when people like to put out new CDs in the US of A, for whatever reason. Yeah, with the intertubes leaking music all over the place, release dates are less and less relevant, for sure; but say you accidentally stumbled into a record store (or ran inside to get out of the rain)? Here's what you might find, and what people are saying:

Vampire Weekend
S/T (XL)
Mega-hyped New Yorkers play Afro-pop
"Refreshing" – Pitchfork
"Sunny" – Billboard

Vampire Weekend – "Mansard Roof," official video:

The Mars Volta
The Bedlam in Goliath (Universal)
Long Beach prog/punk/Latin project gets spookier
"Terrifying" – NPR
"Eccentric" – LA Times

The Mars Volta – "Conjugal Burns," audio only:

Joe Jackson
Rain (Ryko)
Legendary pianist (and smoking enthusiast) returns
"Gorgeous" – BBC
"Solid" – My Old Kentucky Blog

Joe Jackson "Making of the record Rain":

Cheb i Sabbah
Devotion (Six Degrees)
San Francisco DJ explores central Asia
"Tripped-out" – LAist
"Compelling" – Allaboutjazz.com

Cheb i Sabbah promo video:

New Gnarls Barkley Track Leaked

Hey, a blogger seems to have snagged a new, "leaked" single off the forthcoming Gnarls Barkley album The Odd Couple. Update: oops, it's gone already, that was fast. But hey, I've just found it on YouTube, "sans" video:

Gnarls Barkley - "Run" (from The Odd Couple out April 8th)

The song is (as its title indicates) kinda speedy, tempo-wise; Vulture is saying "too fast," but don't they remember the almost drum-and-bassy tracks from St. Elsewhere, like "Go Go Gadget Gospel?" I kinda liked that one:

Gnarls Barkley - "Go Go Gadget Gospel" (from St. Elsewhere)

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Yeah, "Run" is jumpy and pretty retro, and seems to be aching for a mashup with "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone." Unfortunately the lyrics never quite coalesce into a hook, with the chorus consisting mostly of Cee-Lo hollering "run away!" over and over. Actually, now that I think of it, this is kind of a pale version of OutKast's "B. O. B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)," a song whose towering brilliance has only become more astounding in the eight (!!) years since its release:

OutKast - "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)" (from Stankonia)

Now that's a genre-bending freakout jam. Who knows where "Run" will fit in on the new album: St. Elsewhere itself had about five pleasant-but-forgettable tracks, and if I was Danger Mouse, I'd probably want to deflect some hype with a less-accessible single at first. Who knows. Either way, Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple will be out on April 8th.

Not Much to 'Prost' About: Germans Losing Their Taste For Beer

Germany's Federal Statistics Office reported yesterday that beer—"proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy," said Benjamin Franklin—is increasingly being replaced in German glasses by the likes of juice and bottled water. (Only six more signs until the Apocalypse, if you're counting.) Beer sales in the Fatherland have fallen to their lowest level since 1993. Between 2006 and 2007, beer consumption declined 2.7 percent, while non-alcoholic drinks rose 18.1 percent over the same period. The German government attributes the change to an aging population combined with an increasingly health-conscious public... in other words, beer drinkers are dying off faster than they can be replaced. (I have some German friends who are bucking the trend, but so far they've been unable to drink their generation out from trouble.) The overall decline in beer consumption comes at a time when beer prices worldwide, including in Germany, are on the rise. This seems not to have offended the Czechs too much, who recently surpassed the Germans as the world's most beer-loving culture. But with Germans abandoning their national drink, they still leave Americans in the dust: the average Deutschlander drinks 30.6 gallons of beer per year versus 21.6 gallons for the average American.

January 28, 2008

Qtrax Free Downloads Too Good to Be True?

The Drudge Report gave it a top-line link: Free, legal downloads of every song in the universe on some weird site called Qtrax! Come and get 'em! Qtrax claimed all the major record labels had signed on to their new service, an ad-supported, filtered P2P platform that would allow actual downloads of every song in the labels' catalogs, the files wrapped in DRM, but whatever, they're free, right?

The announced launch time of midnight came and went, and nothing. Then reports emerged that three of the four major labels, Warner, Universal and EMI, issued statements denying they had finalized deals with the service, and an "unconfirmed rumor" says that Sony's deal doesn't cover downloads. What does it cover, looking at pictures of their artists? The Qtrax website promises "over 25,000,000 songs," but that's the "theoretical" size of all the catalogs. You have to download a special application (annoying!) and it doesn't seem to be working yet, or else I'd get right on a test run here. And now I see reports that Qtrax is run by "refugees of Spiralfrog;" hmm, Spiralfrog, where have I heard that terrible name before? Oh yeah, they tried this same thing back in September, and it didn't work then either. Crazy!

Well, at least Qtrax is good for one thing: the level of desperation of internet startups is a good economic indicator. Are they auctioning off their little puppet dog mascot to an auto loan firm? That's a slowdown. Are they corralling James Blunt for an announcement in Cannes where they bluff about having deals with all major record labels even though they can barely make their front page work? That's a recession.

January 25, 2008

George W. Bush Misinterprets His Favorite Painting

Slate's Jacob Weisberg has uncovered the real meaning of George W. Bush's favorite painting, "A Charge to Keep," which hangs in the Oval Office and is the namesake of his 1999 ghostwritten autobiography. It's not—as Dubya likes to tell visitors—an image of a steadfast Methodist missionary. Rather, as Weisberg explains in his new book, The Bush Tragedy:

...that is not the title, message, or meaning of the painting. The artist, W.H.D. Koerner, executed it to illustrate a Western short story entitled "The Slipper Tongue," published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1916. The story is about a smooth-talking horse thief who is caught, and then escapes a lynch mob in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. The illustration depicts the thief fleeing his captors. In the magazine, the illustration bears the caption: "Had His Start Been Fifteen Minutes Longer He Would Not Have Been Caught."

Ah, the irony. So where the heck did Bush get the idea that the painting wasn't of a rustler but rather a man—who just happens to bear a passing resemblance to him—on a mission from God? I suppose everyone's entitled to their own interpretations of art, but that's really a stretch, even for a president used to making his own reality. Anyway, this may explain why Bush keeps referring to that Picasso he calls the "The Party So Fun They Invited a Horse."

Friday Implies It's Music News Day

• The Time are definitely in and Amy Winehouse may be out at the upcoming Grammys ceremony. The first official announcement of performers was made yesterday, and the Minneapolis jungle lovers are on the list, while currently-(finally?)-ensconced-in-actual-rehab Winehouse was not. But Winehouse's father says she's hoping to get a visa—and, one hopes, get clean—in time for the ceremony February 10th. Meanwhile, Idolator is spreading the rumor that Michael Jackson may appear at the Grammys as well, but they're crazy.

• Danger Mouse has been busy: he's working with Van Dyke Parks and John Cale on a new album by The Shortwave Set, producing Martina Topley-Bird's forthcoming album, and, yes, putting together the sophomore Gnarls Barkley album with Cee-Lo in Atlanta.

• Whoops: I took a quick nap, and Lil Wayne went in and out of jail again. The rapper was arrested for possession of pot, blow, and E in Yuma, Arizona on Tuesday (one wonders what else there is to do in Yuma), but later posted bail and signed autographs outside the bondsman's office.

• And yes, it turns out the teenage would-be hijacker of a Southwest Airlines Los Angeles-to-Nashville flight had a secret plan: to somehow crash the plane into a Hannah Montana concert in a blaze of Disney-exploding, neo-Ballardian glory. Is The Onion now in charge of reality?

Debra Dickerson Awesome on the Colbert Report (Again)

As promised, Mother Jones' own Debra Dickerson dropped by Stephen Colbert's show last night, and, as usual, held her own against the onslaught of satire. Two important things came out of her appearance, I think: a) the entrance into the lexicon of "sphincter-like" as probably the best description of Bill Clinton's recent purple-faced anti-Obama sputtering (let's hope it catches on) and b) the fact that she may be one of a handful of people in the universe who can actually beat Mr. Colbert at his own game, getting some actual content in there with the laugh lines and even having the last word. Plus Colbert's line about "I couldn't get away with that with my hair" seemed a little dumb, didn't it? Anyway, by the end he put his head down on his desk in an apparent acknowledgement of defeat.

To read all of Debra's writing for motherjones.com, click here.

You can't embed video from the Comedy Central website, but here's a direct link to the segment, although it opens a new window and you have to watch a Navy Seals ad to get to it.

January 24, 2008

Growing Up Online, and Still Bored

Teens and parents from a New Jersey suburb deconstruct the ups and downs of social networking sites in Frontline's latest report, Growing Up Online, which premiered on PBS this week.

The piece weaves together a handful of stories about how the Internet has tweaked family dynamics and how teens communicate with each other. With 90% or more of teens nationwide online, one mom calls cyberspace the "new wild west" for young people. One high school history teacher says that "walking into a classroom without any multimedia is like walking into a desert." Another teacher admits she's landed on the wrong side of the digital divide: "My time is over. This is not for me. It's not the educational arena that I entered into."

The report tells tales of students posting cellphone video clips of big school fights on YouTube, and of kids bragging about how many "friends" they have on MySpace. Teen girls strike silly poses in their homepage photos, and one teen boy brags about his ability to read a Shakespeare play in a few minutes, thanks to a Cliffs Notes-type site called SparkNotes.

But there are two surprising stories as well. One girl talks candidly about how she developed an alter ego by taking photos of herself in goth outfits and posting them on a MySpace page. When her parents forced her to delete all of the photos, her newfound confidence disappeared almost overnight. A father, after his son committed suicide, realized that the middle schooler had been the victim of bullying, and had solicited advice from an online pal about how to go about killing himself. The father learns more about his son by digging through his email chains than he ever had known before. His story is a painful reminder of another teen (not mentioned in the Frontline story) who committed suicide after falling victim to a MySpace friend hoax.

Problem is, even with all the added dilemmas that come along with new technology, a lot of these issues essentially feel like the same ones that have always plagued bored adolescents. Kids interviewed in the story talk about depression, bullying, feeling self-conscious about their weight, being mad at their parents, and being unsure about their identity. Parents talk about not really knowing their children, the difficulty in disciplining them, and not knowing what their kids are up to when they're in the bedroom with the door shut.

These don't sound like cyber-problems to me, they sound like kids being kids and parents not knowing how to deal. Once an antsy suburban kid myself, I can relate. The fancy computer machines may complicate things, but is the box to blame for age-old dilemmas of growing up?

Movie Music Madness

Best-picture Oscar nominations this year have gone to a compelling and diverse group of films that, for the most part, earned them: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. For me, the soundtracks or scores to three of these films in particular helped make them as great as they are. Here are a few examples:

1) Juno: Even if you haven't seen the movie yet, you've no doubt heard (or heard about) the acoustic songs in the soundtrack sung by Kimya Dawson, formerly of the Moldy Peaches. The movie is about a snarky, smarter-than-her-age high school girl named Juno who finds out she's pregnant. With lyrics like "Joey never met a bike that he didn’t wanna ride / and I never met a Toby that I didn’t like," and "you're so nice and you're so smart / you're such a good friend I hafta break your heart," Dawson's playful songs could just as well be coming straight from Juno herself. I admit that when I listened to the songs on iTunes a few days after seeing the movie they didn't have nearly the same effect, but I still say it's the perfect backdrop for one of the smartest, quirkiest little flicks this year. Apparently, though, the Oscar committee isn't into childlike simplicity: no Oscar nomination for these tunes.

2) There Will Be Blood: Based on an Upton Sinclair novel, this harrowing (and darkly comical) look at California's early oil days features compositions by Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood. The results are pretty bizarre. Jolting string bursts and odd, discordant progressions make for some wickedly tense moments in the film. Unfortunately, Greenwood's not eligible to win an Oscar because most of the music used in the film was initially intended for another project.

3) Last but not least, No Country For Old Men: Consists mostly of ethereal, atmospheric background noise— "minimalist," critics have said. The lack of sound in Carter Burwell's score builds tension in seemingly uneventful scenes (like one in which a serial killer flips a coin and places it on a convenience store check-out counter). The understated score only helps propel and dramatize those moments. Sometimes silence speaks volumes, although apparently it doesn't get you formal recognition—no Oscar nomination for Burwell, either.

MPAA Accidentally (On Purpose?) Exaggerated Impact of Piracy

Hey, remember the MPAA? The Motion Picture Association of America? Well, like their buddies in the RIAA, they've been using every tactic they can think of to fight illegal downloading of movies, especially on college campuses; that includes lobbying lawmakers to sanction educational institutions on whose intertubes the naughty downloading was done. But it turns out the numbers they used as the basis for their claims were a wee bit exaggerated. The MPAA just revealed (pdf link) that a 2005 study which claimed that "44% of the motion picture industry's domestic losses were attributable to piracy by college students" was, erm, a mistake:

While in the process of recently updating that study with current data, we discovered there had been an isolated error in the LEK process two years ago that resulted in an inflated number for piracy by college students. The 2005 study had incorrectly concluded that 44 percent of the motion picture industry’s domestic losses were attributable to piracy by college students. The 2007 study will report that number to be approximately 15 percent -- or nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in stolen content annually by college students in the U.S.

The MPAA is blaming research firm LEK for the "data entry" error, but still, according to the Hollywood Reporter, it "makes it more difficult to believe whatever numbers the MPAA or LEK generate." Chuh. Of course the MPAA claims that even the, er, "revised" numbers prove that on-campus downloading still causes "nearly $250 million in losses"—hey that's almost the worldwide gross of Alvin and the Chipmunks! Coincidence?

Franz Ferdinand Hoping for Comeback

So much can change in four years. Your approval ratings can drop 20 points, your hair can turn gray, or your band can go from worldwide domination to leftfield footnotes. In 2004, Franz Ferdinand could do no wrong: their nervous, aggressive dance-rock embodied the wary times, the neo-Soviet album art suddenly seemed fresh again, and they sure looked good in those tight-cut suits. While proclaiming they only got into music to "make girls dance," their lyrics contained unexpected depths. "Michael" turned into a gay anthem, and the inescapable stomper "Take Me Out" turned out to be about lovers as snipers, daring each other to pull the trigger: "I know I won't be leaving here / with you." The song's stunning musical twist, an exhilarating deceleration from new wave to hip-hop speed, seemed to hint at previously unexplored regions of rock innovation.

Their second album, You Could Have It So Much Better, was a quick follow-up, coming out in October, 2005, and the reaction, at least in the US, was like a dance party where you follow up the hit of the night with something totally wrong: the crowd makes a good effort, trying to adjust to the new tempo, but then decides maybe it's time to grab a drink. "Do You Want To" seemed to invert the lyrical formula of the first album: supposedly a collection of overheard statements, it actually meant less than it seemed to, dissolving under close scrutiny.

So here we are, Franzie Boys. It's 2008, and we're wondering what's up. We just read you're making "dirty pop," and all we can think about is that Christina Aguilera song. We saw in the NME that you're working with Girls Aloud producer Brian Higgins (Girls Aloud being the hippest of the manufactured girl-group combos) and that intrigues and frightens us. We're happy you say you're "taking your time" but we're a little worried about you. We see that you're using weird vintage Russian synths, and again, we feel both excited and scared: what about the guitars? And, lead singer Alex Kapranos, we hear you say "for me, the imperfections are what makes it perfect, like the cheapest, shittiest guitars through practice amps," and we think: "hooray?"

Franz Ferdinand's as-yet-untitled new album is expected sometime in late spring or summer. Here's some videos from the first two albums:

"Michael," "Take Me Out," from Franz Ferdinand, 2004

"Do You Want To," "The Fallen," from You Could Have It So Much Better, 2005

New Bond Movie Has Dumbest Title Ever

Quantum of Solace. What exactly does that mean? Let's consult the dictionary... and not just any dictionary, but the Oxford one 007 himself would use.

QUANTUM
noun (pl. quanta) 1 Physics an individual quantity of energy corresponding to that involved in the absorption or emission of energy or light by an atom or other particle. 2 a total amount, especially an amount of money legally payable in damages. 3 a share.

SOLACE
/sollss/
noun comfort or consolation in time of distress.

So... could it be referring to atomic peace? Or perhaps to the total amount of... er, comfort our favorite spy is sure to receive from his new Bond girls (see picture)? I'm so confused.

January 23, 2008

Warm-Weather Tunes: Music to Turn Your Heater On

Okay, call me a wimp, but lately temperatures in San Francisco have struggled to get above 45 degrees, and even for a guy who grew up suffering through Nebraska winters, it feels pretty damn cold. Maybe it's the poorly-insulated apartment heated with a space heater? Anyway, with wind chills currently freezing the tootsies off of most of America, it seems like we could use some music that reminds us of sunnier times. So put on your shades and join me in some creative visualization in pursuit of warmth.

Of course, music made in countries where wind chill isn't really an issue (and tracks that have the word "sun" in the title) might be a good first step. Jamaica's always pretty nice (when it isn't getting battered by hurricanes), and while anything by Bob Marley would qualify here, the slightly-less-well known "Sun is Shining" brightens up even the most gray day, both in its original and bouncy Funkstar Deluxe remix versions:

Then there are tunes that take you back to high school summer break memories, driving in your crappy car with the windows open and the stereo all the way up, a Big Gulp wedged between the seats (this was before cup holders!) and a worn-out cassette providing a soundtrack to the green vistas. Two summer hits with a sweaty energy that immediately get your blood pumping: Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and Veruca Salt's "Seether."

I guess Los Angeles sometimes qualifies as a hot-weather location too, and I don't think there's any warmer West Coast hip-hop tracks than "California Love" and "Gin and Juice." The former's funky Frampton vocal and the latter's laid-back beat immediately bring to mind humid, sultry nights.

A post on summery music wouldn't be complete without some cheesy dance pop, and for that, the first place to turn is the island of Ibiza, where the non-stop hedonistic summer club scene often spawns worldwide hits in the fall as worn-out ravers head back to their jobs. First, Energy 52's epic 1997 hit "Café del Mar" is actually named after an Ibiza hotspot, although its terrible video features people wearing heavy coats; Modjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" is a carefree neo-disco number whose video (featuring teenage summer hijinks) actually fits with our theme.

Okay, commenters, go crazy: music that reminds you of a time when you didn't need to bundle up just to go get your morning coffee? Tunes that once rocked your summer barbecues? Or tracks that just say "summer" in the title? Let's have 'em.

Last.fm Makes Deal With Labels to Stream "Every Track"

Last.fm, the music and "social networking" site acquired by CBS last year, has announced deals with all four major record labels in an apparent attempt to become the leader in free online music streaming. The site started as a "public diary" of members' listening habits; its software reads what you play in iTunes and uploads it to your page, then tallying it all up on artist pages and recommending similar music. Their lists of "most played" tracks are kind of interesting—and I'm not just saying that because I have one.

CBS bought the company last May for $280 million and since then has increased the number of tracks available as free streams to over 3 million. Now, Last.fm co-founder Martin Stitskel says "the mission is to have every track available." Golly, and good luck: it's always seemed a little ridiculous to me that if I want to point to an example of a song, YouTube makes referencing the video the easiest thing in the world, but if I just want the audio by itself, there's no one place to go. Unfortunately, Last.fm doesn't currently allow embedding of its player on other sites (like Imeem does, for instance) but if it succeeds in its mission to become a "free music discovery tool," it'll be a lot better than just listening to 30-second samples on iTunes.

A quick test of Last.fm was a bit disappointing: I looked up Cat Power, whose new album Jukebox is getting some good reviews, and found only four tracks available as streams, none from the new album, although there were a bunch of messages in the "Shoutbox" wishing Chan a happy birthday yesterday. Aww. So, for now it's back to YouTube and MySpace.

January 22, 2008

War Dance Nominated for Oscar

It's official: War Dance—a documentary about former child soldiers who journey from their IDP camp in Northern Uganda to a music competition in the nation's capital—has been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature. Its running mates: No End in Sight, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Sicko, and Taxi to the Dark Side.

Go here to read Mother Jones' interview with War Dance filmmakers Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine.

January 21, 2008

Barack Obama, Wire Fan

So Barack Obama says his favorite TV show is The Wire. And his favorite character, he tells the Las Vegas Sun, is Omar Little, the charismatic, sawed-off shotgun toting, Honey Nut Cheerios-eating, gay stickup artist. “That’s not an endorsement. He’s not my favorite person, but he’s a fascinating character,” says Obama, displaying both admirable honesty and pop-culture cred, yet risking alienating the demographic (i.e., women) that will never forgive Omar for helping set up Stringer Bell. And all the culture warriors who will take issue with Obama calling the gangster "sort of a Robin Hood." But picking your favorite Wire character is all about moral ambiguity—a real minefield for a politician who thinks the answers to these kinds of questions really matter. All the cops are corrupt or boozers or philanderers. The politicians are weasels. And the drug dealers and journalists? Enough said. The only mildly politically safe Wire character I can think of is Lester Freamon, whose biggest sin is a love of miniature furniture. If you want to get a little more daring, you could go for rookie middle-school teacher and ex-police Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski—but don't forget that he's an accidental cop killer.

No wonder most candidates' professed favorite TV shows are pretty unoffensive. Hillary tells TV Guide she likes Antiques Roadshow, American Idol, and "HGTV makeover shows." Mitt Romney claims he watches The Office. Dennis Kucinich says his all-time fave is The Lone Ranger. And John McCain says his favorite TV character of all time is Maverick—get it?

If you've got ideas for which Wire character each candidate should endorse—or even better, which character reminds you of which candidate—leave a comment.

Coachella Lineup Announced: No My Bloody Valentine, But Stoners Will Still Be Happy

Goldenvoice announced the lineup for this year's Coachella festival at a press conference in Mexico City today, and the big surprise turned out to be a bit of a throwback: Roger Waters of Pink Floyd will be appearing on the main stage, in a special performance re-creating the 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon. Oooh-kay. Other big names include the reunited Verve, the Raconteurs, and Love and Rockets; on the electronic side, festival veterans Kraftwerk will return along with Justice, M.I.A. and Sasha & Digweed.

Criticism of the lineup for being a bit underwhelming is starting right up; it happens every year, and it's par for the course, since the pool of "gee-whiz" bookings has almost been exhausted for the nine-year-old festival. However, this year does seem a little heavy on the "artists who seem kind of tired" front: hello, Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, and Fatboy Slim. But last year's lineup had its share of yawners (Crowded House, anyone?) and like always, the excitement is in the middle: from Animal Collective and Pendulum through Battles and Santogold down through Kid Sister and Modeselektor, the afternoon schedule will be chock full of great music. And hey, if a headliner sucks, that just means you can get back to the hot tub at your place earlier, right?

But yeah, think how awesome My Bloody Valentine would have been... oh well.

The Coachella festival takes place April 25-27 in Indio, California; tickets are on sale this Friday at Coachella.com. Full lineup (complete with new impressionistic poster) after the jump.

The Raconteurs
The Verve
Jack Johnson
Kraftwerk
Portishead*
Death Cab for Cutie
My Morning Jacket
Love and Rockets
Justice
M.I.A.
The Breeders
Rilo Kiley
Sasha & Digweed
Café Tacuba
Fatboy Slim
Spritualized
Tegan and Sara
Madness
The National
Animal Collective
Mum
Pendulum
Sharon Jones
Stars
Battles
Aesop Rock
Midnight Juggernauts
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Spank Rock
Minus the Bear
Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Diplo
Adam Freeland
Santogold
Vampire Weekend
Dan Deacon
Hot Chip
Cold War Kids
Stephen Malkmus
Gogol Bordello
Chromeo
Metric
Danny Tenaglia
Booka Shade
Murs
Cool Kids
Sia
Les Savy Fav
Holy Fuck
Black Kids
Black Mountain
Man Man
I'm from Barcelona
Kid Sister
The Horrors
Austin TV
Shout Out Louds
Luckyiam
Autolux
Modeselektor
The Bees
Professor Murder
Cut Copy
Busy P
VHS or Beta

The 300 Somehow Manages to Avoid "Worst Picture" Razzie Nomination

Now this is an awards ceremony I can appreciate. The Razzies have been honoring the worst films and performances for 27 years