Just to warn you.

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Photo du jour

Romance, or a brief rendezvous, at the Coachella fairgrounds.

That wonderful time of year is fast arriving. When the music on the radio gets noticeably mellower, more anthemic. Layers of clothing are shed for tight-fitting basics, if clothes are opted for at all. The yard becomes part of the house once again, and outdoor-time is the best part of the day. When plans involve seeing new things and new places instead of family and familiar spaces. When time off is expected! Hoorah for spring! 

Calling Album of the Year, Nine Months Early?

Beach House's Teen Dream

*You might not be able to actually see the album cover 

Apologies for my long absence, been dealing with some major life changes (really, I'm not just sayin'). The tone, content and frequency of updates might be changing here now, as I still intend to invest myself into this project and, frankly, have few other places to write that aren't prone to getting lost (the internet is everywhere, how can you lose it!). Just a heads up, all two of you, heh. 

I'm going to the Coachella Music & Arts Festival this year after fantasizing about it for the better part of six years, and in preparation for it most of my musical endeavors have been specifically oriented around bands and artists that are slated to perform during that weekend in April. But even despite this, I think a lot of really superb stuff has already found its way into music stores (the physical type and virtually, mine being mostly of the latter) and it's looking like 2010 has already filled its quota in terms of innovative, expressive and infectious stuff to span the year and possibly the decade ahead. It just so happens that a lot of them have been tapped by the Coachella people. Buy your tickets if you develop any interest based on what I'm saying. 

While last year brought us some great innovative stuff from bands old (Dirty Projectors; Animal Collective) and new (The xx; St. Vincent), this year's best albums so far have charted their courses along familiar sonic territories. That's okay, as long as they sound like Massive Attack's Heligoland or Beach House's Teen Dream, which move and pose like both respective bands' previous albums but far more effortlessly and, in this case, hauntingly. Solid, classy stuff from bands that by now have earned the title of reliable, with new releases that still push against the boundaries of the niches they've already successfully carved out; they remain as interesting as ever. 

I look forward to hearing the new sounds of familiar bands as well, with Goldfrapp, MGMT, She & Him and Erykah Badu all set to drop new albums onto the masses in the next few months of so. 

What are you looking forward to?