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The Weekly Playlist: Coachella Cliffs Notes

Spencer Patterson

Unless you’ve been living in a jail cell, you’re no doubt familiar with Prince, Roger Waters and Death Cab for Cutie, but what about the other 130+ acts on this year’s festival bill? A few of our favorite ’chella tunes, to guide you through the weekend:

1. Professor Murder, “Dutch Hex” (Dutch Hex 12-inch, 2007) Is it crass to crib from Crass? Not when that anarcho-punk outfit’s war cry—“Do they owe us a living?/Of course they fucking do!”—gives teeth to this sprightly dance-punk anthem.

2. Swervedriver, “Blowin’ Cool” (Mezcal Head, 1993) From Adam Franklin’s mouth to the ears of whomever insists on turning on that giant overhead heat lamp every year.

3. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, “Be Easy” (100 Days, 100 Nights, 2007) So old-school, you’ll swear she helped found Motown; so fetching, you’ll give thanks she exists in the here and now.

4. Animal Collective, “Purple Bottle” (Feels, 2005) Psychedelic pop that initially scares the crap out of you, then scares the crap out of your workmates when you won’t take it off permanent repeat.

5. Kraftwerk, “Metal on Metal” (Trans-Europe Express, 1977) Long before indie kids latched on to Daft Punk’s robot rock, these Germans invented a little thing called techno-pop. And rocked their robotic assess off.

6. MGMT, “Electric Feel” (Oracular Spectacular, 2008) “Ooh girl, shock me like an electric eel/Baby girl, turn me on with your electric feel.” A rallying cry for a disco-funk revolution?

7. Les Savy Fav, “Raging in the Plague Age” (Let’s Stay Friends, 2007) Counting the days till we get to see bearded wildman Tim Harrington belting out this hard-driving rock number.

8. Modeselektor, “Godspeed” (Happy Birthday!, 2007) Even if Thom Yorke wasn’t a fan of this German electro duo’s celestial soundscapes, we’d be onboard (though we’re okay sharing an interest with Thom, too).

9. Metric, “Combat Baby” (Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, 2003) Don’t go thinking Feist is the only woman in Broken Social Scene who does her own thing. Emily Haines just doesn’t have her own iPod commercial yet.

10. Man Man, “Engrish Bwudd” (Six Demon Bag, 2006) Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart and the cast of Pirates of Penzance collide with outlandish results—potentially the most entertaining set of the weekend. 

Click here to browse the full Coachella 2008 schedule.

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