BEST OF 2012 - #2 - JACK WHITE "BLUNDERBUSS"

It is probably no surprise that Jack White's debut solo album, Blunderbuss, placed so high on my Best of 2012 list.

Why did he finally do a solo record?  I think that this is his "divorce" album. I don't generally look too deeply into lives of artists, but this one was hard to miss:  Jack and Karen Elson sent out invitations to their 6 anniversary/divorce party.  So while it seems amicable, I'd imagine that every divorce has it's pain and that pain comes out in this album (which Elson provides backing vocals on, by the way).

Although he's the spotlight of every project he works on, I think he sees his bandmates as peers and friends.  I think that this time around, he'd rather just hire musicians, and not explain the songs.

Jack White being Jack White, his story is that he'd set up a session at Third Man Studios with The RZA; RZA didn't show up, and Jack started bashing out songs with the musicians that he hired.  But these songs don't sound like they were just cranked out on the spot.

The tour was really interesting:  he had an all-male band, and an all-female band, and each morning he'd announce who would get to play.  It's amazing that he still can manage to have some weird mystique to what he's doing, all these years after he started.  And that he'd go to such far lengths to bother to do so.  It was fun to hear him play White Stripes songs again (although a full band didn't seem to make up for Meg White missing), and cool to hear different takes on his Raconteurs and Dead Weather songs.

Anyway, the album is a classic: pretty much every song works.  A lot of them sound like they could maybe fit into his other bands.  "Hypocritical Kiss" and "Sixteen Saltines" remind me of The White Stripes for sure. I would love to hear Alison Mosshart singing "Freedom At 21."   "Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy" reminds me of The Raconteurs.  But they still have a fresh, different sound.  In the 2010's, I don't know any other artists who are this consistent, and this interesting.

JACK WHITE AT ROSELAND 5/21/12

photo credit: Maria Ives 

It’s no secret to No Expiration readers that I’m a huge Jack White fan:  a couple of years ago, I named him No Expiration’s Best Artist Of The 00’s. I’m a fan of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, I dug last year’s Rome project, and I enjoy a lot of the 45s he puts out on Third Man Records. 

So this week’s show at Roseland was pretty cool: for the first time, he performed songs spanning all three of his bands.  It’s a solo tour, but on this tour, he has two bands: an all-guy group called Los Buzzardos, and an all-female group called The Peacocks.  Each day, he uses one band.  Our night was Los Buzzardos. 

A colleague who was also at the show said that Jack White is becoming the kind of artist who makes his fans “work for it.” And my friend and radio host Larry Flick says that Jack is probably surrounded by people who are probably afraid to tell the guy “no.” Both of them are probably right.  He’s very self-indulgent and also very ambitious.

And when an artist is ambitious, you can either go with him (or her) for the ride or not.  I’m all aboard.  I dug Monday night’s concert at Roseland.  He opened with one of his best songs, The White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground.”  It turns out that it takes like five guys to replace the power of Meg White, but I felt that the song (and all of the renditions of White Stripes songs) really worked.  Later in the show they played “Ball & Biscuit” and I dug that also.

A lot of the show centered around Jack’s great solo debut, Blunderbuss. “Missing Pieces,” the opening track on the album followed “Dead Leaves.”  I think it’s one of the best songs on the album, and it was definitely rockin’ live.  “Sixteen Saltines,” “Hypocritical Kiss,” “Blunderbuss” and especially “Dead At 21” really worked for me as well. 

I loved that he played some of his one-offs, like Rome’s “Two Against One.” Also the song he did from last year’s The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams collection, “You Know That I Know.”

The songs by The Raconteurs and Dead Weather didn’t work as much for me, and I love both bands.  On “Steady As She Goes” I missed Brendan Benson’s vocals countering Jack’s (that said, I loved “Top Yourself”).  Ditto for “I Cut Like A Buffalo,” because as much as I like Jack, it’s hard not to miss Allison Mosshart’s vocals on that one.  So, even though The White Stripes are history, I hope Jack continues to work with his other bands. I think that they both have real chemistry and and identities.

The opening group was one of the most buzzed about – if not the most buzzed about  -- new band of the year, Alabama Shakes.  I’ve known about them for a while:  Pattersoon Hood name dropped them a lot last year, since they opened for The Drive-By Truckers.  They seem so far from what a “buzz band” usually is, they are very soulful and southern rock, and not very twee or fey or indie. Their singer, Brittany Howard has an incredible voice, and the group really rocks.  I don’t think they have the most distinct songs – but then again, maybe I just need to spend  more time with their album.  I think they have potential to be great, and I’m glad they’re getting the attention that they’re getting.

THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF NO EXPIRATION'S LIFETIME

This is my 2,000th post! It feels like a big deal to me.  I've really enjoyed doing this blog, reading your comments (both here and on the No Expiration Facebook page) and occasionally meeting people who read the blog in person.  Thanks for your support, I'm going to continue doing No Expiration, and maybe add a video element to it at some point. I am in my early 40s, and love music as much as I ever did.

It was difficult to decide what to write about for my 2000th post.  I decided to do a list of the best albums that have come out since I launched this blog in the fall of 2007.  Some of my friends have a laugh over the fact that so many of the artists I listen to are "old" (which is silly and ageist), but in fact there are some newer artists, some who are celebrated by the hipster elite.  In fact, one of these albums topped the Village Voice "Pazz & Jop" album list!

1. The Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do was my favorite album of 2010, and also my favorite album of the past few years.  The DBTs is a band I was hardly aware of until a few years ago.  It was basically listening to SiriusXM's Outlaw Country that turned me on to them, and for that, I'm grateful. Once I started hearing a couple of songs, I started buying albums, and then attending concerts.  I'm in: I'm a fan for life. The Big To-Do is one of their best albums.  If my peers ask me about "new" bands to get into, I'll mention the Truckers.  They're not new, but they're new to a lot of people.

2. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life was my favorite album of 2009. It's amazing to me that Dylan still is adding to his unbelievable body of work. He was 68 (I think) when this came out.  How many 68 year olds are still putting out classic LPs? Well, I guess you can't compare anyone to Dylan anyway. The songs on this album were incredible - instead of writing them all on his own (as he usually does), he collaborated with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.  But the secret sauce here is in the musicians he assembled for this record: Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Los Lobos multi-instrumentalist David Hildago.

3. Bruce Springsteen - Magic He's as relevant as he ever was, and he drove that point home with this album. By this point, he'd driven away lots of his politically conservative fans, and goes hard at the bu$h administration.  And he did it with some of his best songs ever.  I love "Long Walk Home." The line "The flag flying over the courthouse, certain things are set in stone: who we are, what we'll do and what we won't."  The song has one of Clarence Clemons' last great sax performances.  Actually, the live version is even better than the one on Magic, it has great vocal performances by Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren. On the same album is "Girls In The Summer Clothes" which is pretty self-explanatory. This was around the time that lots of younger acts, from Arcade Fire to Gaslight Anthem, were citing Bruce as a major audience.  For a long time you didn't have young artists referencing Bruce that much, around Magic that started to change.

4. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Lifeline My favorite album of 2007.  It was an album that they recorded in Paris over a (I think) two week period while touring for 2006's Both Sides Of The Gun, but it it totally a different album. The Innocent Criminals were really gelling as a band at this point... so it's weird that this is the last that we've heard of them (Ben has recorded either with Relentless7 or Fistful Of Mercy since then). I really hope we hear more from Ben and The Innocent Criminals in the future (I love R7 and Fistful though).  The album has a laid back but really soulful sound.  It's one of my favorites by Ben (who is one of my favorite artists ever).

5. Cocktail Slippers - Saint Valentine's Day Massacre There are two bands that I won't shut up about when people ask me about good relatively recent bands: The Drive-By Truckers and The Cocktail Slippers. Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is just a classic rock record, it actually blows my mind that more people haven't heard of them.  Little Steven, who produced the album, said it is one of the best albums he has ever worked on.  Think about that for a second.  By the way, I agree with him.  This album would be considered a classic and they would be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame if this came out in the '60s, '70s or '80s.

"RACONTWOERS" PLAY THIRD MAN RECORDS FOR RECORD STORE DAY

Record Store Day is coming up this weekend. The coolest place to spend it will be, unsurprisingly, Third Man Records in Nashville. The "Racontwoers" will be playing the store. It's the two guys from The Raconteurs who aren't in The Dead Weather. Guitarist/singer Brendan Benson and drummer Patrick Keeler will be playing some Raconteurs songs. That's pretty cool. I know that when Brendan does his solo tours he stays away from Raconteurs material (I think Jack White doesn't want anyone crossing projects: he only plays White Stripes songs with the Stripes, Raconteurs songs with the Raconteurs, etc). And supposedly Brendan didn't work with Patrick on his solo album so that it wouldn't be similar to the band. which seems a bit unfair: White works with bassist Jack Lawrence in Dead Weather!

Meanwhile, I just got a cool new package from Third Man.  It's a double LP including all the singles that they're released this year, including songs by The Dead Weather, Mildred and The Mice, Rachelle Garniez, The Dex Romweber Duo, Wanda Jackson, The Black Belles, Jack White solo and more. I thought that that would be the latest V.I.P. package, which would have bugged me as (a) it's supposed to be an LP, a 7" and a shirt and (b) most V.I.P. members probably bought all of these on 7" and (c) that means it isn't "exclusive." But Third Man says the next package will be an LP of songs recorded on The White Stripes 2007 tour of Canada, but they will mostly be songs not included in the Under Great White Northern Lights documentary/soundtrack. The 7" will be two unreleased Raconteurs demos, and the t-shirt will be a Dead Weather shirt that will "blow minds."

BEST OF THE 00s: JACK WHITE -- MY PICK FOR ARTIST OF THE DECADE

Jack White is my "Artist of the Decade." Obviously, I've been writing about a lot of other "Best of the 00s" artists - and Jack just edged out my second choice, Aimee Mann.

In a decade where popular culture was dominated by famous people who were famous for being famous (or a willingness to do anything to be famous) and most credible rock bands had the "indie" thing (allergic to popularity -  among many other things - way too much sarcasm, no charisma), songs seemed secondary and new artists seemed to lack much sense of history... Jack White was a remedy for all of these things. It was almost like, where was this creature spawned from? All of this stuff looks good on paper: the real deal is that Jack White is a great songwriter, and one of the most prolific ones in recent decades.

The former Goober & The Peas drummer of course formed his own band, The White Stripes, in the late '90s, and they released their classic self titled debut in 1999. Not many indie bands (or any bands) would have the audacity (or soul) to cover Bob Dylan ("One More Cup Of Coffee") and Robert Johnson ("Stop Breaking Down") on the same album (which was dedicated to Son House).   In 2000 came De Stijl, their final indie effort (it was on Sympathy For The Record Industry, but was later reissued on V2). More covers: Son House's "Death Letter" and Blind Willie McTell's "Your Southern Can Is Mine." But also lots of Jack originals like "You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)."

2001's White Blood Cells catapulted them to the pop charts with "Fell In Love With A Girl" (clocking in at a lean one minute fifty) and also "Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground." 2003's Elephant is probably their greatest moment ever, and had one of the best songs of all time, "Seven Nation Army," which has been covered by Kelly Clarkson, Audioslave and The Oak Ridge Boys. The entire album was great. I remember seeing them on that tour, and Loretta Lynn opened up.  She was amazing: Jack joined her on stage, and she returned the favor. I remember calling someone at her record label saying that they should get Jack to produce her next album, a la Rick Rubin and Johnny Cash. And guess what?

2004 saw the release of Van Lear Rose, a triumphant comeback album for Ms. Lynn, produced by Jack White. It also offered a glimpse of what he'd do more of in the future: work with musical icons and be comfortable rubbing shoulders with them.  It also offered a glimpse of The Raconteurs: bassist Patrick Keeler and drummer Jack Lawrence (both of The Greenhornes) were in the band. (Oh yeah, between Elephant and Van Lear Rose, Jack also appeared in the film Cold Mountain, and did a few solo tunes for the soundtrack).

After that, Jack may have lost his way a bit: 2005's Get Behind Me Satan was a really good album, but probably The White Stripes' weakest. So, he formed The Racontuers with Keeler, Lawrence and singer-songwriter Brendan Benson. Their debut, 2006's Broken Boy Soldiers is a classic, and "Steady, As She Goes" is up there with "Seven Nation Army." Around this time, Jack also jammed with The Rolling Stones on "Loving Cup" on their documentary and live album Shine A Light. (The Raconteurs, meanwhile, got to jam with Pete Townshend on Rachel Fuller's In The Attic web series.)

By 2007, The White Stripes were back in effect, and Icky Thump is another White Stripes classic. "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)"... another classic. The tour of Canada was captured for the upcoming documentary Under Great White Northern Lights which comes out in a few months.

2008 saw another Raconteurs album, Consolers Of The Lonely, which proved that they weren't a one-off side project type deal. It didn't have a monster like "Steady, As She Goes" but still, it was an amazing album. They've since re-recorded some "Old Enough" as a bluegrass number with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe, and an R&B version of "Many Shades Of Black" with Adele. And after that, Jack and Alicia Keys teamed up for "Another Way To Die" for the James Bond franchise. It featured Jack on guitar and drums, with Patrick Keeler on bass.

Earlier this year, of course, Jack appeared with Jimmy Page and The Edge in the guitar documentary It Might Get Loud. He's one of the few guitarists of his generation who could pull that off.  And then, after appearing in a film about his love for the guitar, he returned to the drums for his latest band, The Dead Weather, whose Horehound is one of my favorite albums of 2009.

I haven't even mentioned the fact that Jack (I believe) owns his masters, giving him a freedom that is pretty unheard of for artists of his stature, and he is leveraging that to be a force for good, via his Third Man Records. They record, on analog tape, single (that's a 7" 45rpm vinyl record with an A-side and a B-side). The Third Man VIP club also offers cool exclusive stuff for members, and so far it has been worth it.

Artistically, and as a guy forging his own path in the music industry, Jack is my dude of the decade.  I know I say this a lot, but I really can't wait to see what the guy does next.

THE LATEST FROM THE THIRD MAN V.I.P. CLUB

I've written about the Third Man Records V.I.P. club before: you pay $20 a month and get exclusive stuff and access to cool content on their website. I just got the latest package: it comes with a double live Raconteurs album on vinyl (2 LPs of course)The Raconteurs Live In London. Lots of great songs from both the band's albums and also a cover of the blues classic "Little Red Rooster."

Also included in the package is a White Stripes 7" with alternate takes of "Let's Shake Hands" and "Look Me Over Closely." And some kind of print that is a variation on The Dead Weather's Horehound album cover.

Being a member of this V.I.P. is definitely a luxury, but so far, they have made it pretty worth the money by sending lots of cool stuff out that you can't get anywhere else. 

THE RACONTEURS COLLABORATE WITH ADELE

Remember back in January, I mentioned that Jack White would be collaborating with Adele? Well, it turns out that it's not just Jack, it was a session with The Raconteurs, much like their collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe. They re-recorded their own song "Old Enough," bluegrass style and Skaggs and Monroe. This time, they did a more R&B version of their song "Many Shades Of Black" with Adele. Oddly, it will be coming out on a soundtrack CD for the television show 90120. Please! Release it as a CD single, or at least a la carte on iTunes. Don't make me buy a 90210 album, I won't do it. I'll borrow someone else's. But I am definitely looking forward to hearing it. It's probably the last we'll hear from the band for a while: Jack White and Jack Lawrence are both still working with The Dead Weather, and after that, I'm sure Jack will do another White Stripes project - especially since a documentary film about the band is coming out soon. There's also rumors that Jack White may be working with The Rolling Stones as well. And, of course, Brendan Benson has just released a solo album. But I'm sure The Raconteurs will get together again at some point, and I hope they do, they're a great band.

THE RACONTEURS GET A CMA NOMINATION. HUH?

The Raconteurs got a nomination at the CMA (Country Music Association) Awards, in the "Musical Event Of The Year" category for their collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe on a bluegrass version of "Old Enough."

I doubt they'll win, but I wonder if they'll perform.

JACK WHITE TO GO SOLO?

Jack White has just launched his third band, The Dead Weather; with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs still ongoing concerns, that makes three bands. So, I was surprised when Brit magazine Music Connection reported that he is entertaining the idea of doing something solo (I found it via TwentyFour Bit). I think Jack is a great collaborator, but ends up getting all the attention, although he doesn't come off as a "ball hog." It should be interesting to hear what a solo Jack album would sound like.

JACK WHITE'S NEW BAND: THE DEAD WEATHER

Last night, Jack White unveiled his new band - his third band - The Dead Weather. It's Jack on drums and backing vocals, Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes on bass, Dean Fertita from The Raconteurs' touring band, he's also played in Queens Of The Stone Age's touring band, on guitar and vocals, and Alison Mosshart of The Kills on vocals. They have a two-track single on iTunes: "Hang You From The Heavens," and the "B-side" is a cover of Gary Numan's Tubeway Army-era song "Are 'Friends' Electric?"

The band made their debut at an event of the opening of Jack's Third Man Records building in downtown Nashville, which houses the record label offices, a vinyl record store, a photo studio, a darkroom and a performance stage. Jack kicks it old school.

The band performed for the first time, and everyone who was invited got a 7" single with artwork painted by the band. Jack's Raconteurs bandmates Brendon Benson and Patrick Keeler, and White Stripe Meg White were all in attendence, as was Sheryl Crow who lives in Tennessee. I bought the two Dead Weather tracks as soon as I got home, I really dig them. Jack White is one talented cat. But I wonder what it's like being in a band with him, waiting when he will be done with his other bands.

BEST OF '08: THE RACONTEURS' CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY

I loved The Raconteurs' Consolers Of The Lonely when I first heard it, and I love it even more now. I don't know if I prefer it to their debut, Broken Boy Soldiers, or if I prefer them to Jack White's other band, The White Stripes. (I do think that they are better live, though.) I have been writing a lot of these "BEST OF '08" entries, but if I could only pick a short list of favorite albums of the year, this one would probably be in the top 5. I also loved the band's "Old Enough" single, which featured a new bluegrass version of the song with bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and bluegrass newcomer Ashley Monroe (there's also a guest-less bluegrass version of "Top Yourself," my favorite song from the album). You should really check that out. I'm looking forward to their upcoming collaboration with Adele. And one of my favorite songs of the '08 was Jack's collaboration with Alicia Keys, "Another Way To Die" from the new 007 flick, despite the fact that lots of people HATE it.

I hope The Raconteurs will be an ongoing project for a long time, although I don't think we'll hear much from them in '09: Jack usually switches off between his bands, and The White Stripes are rumored to be co-headlining Coachella. And I've even heard that he wants to start another new project. That should be interesting, but I hope he doesn't overextend himself.

JACK WHITE WORKING WITH ADELE

In an interview with Rolling Stone's website, Adele says that she's working on a collaboration with Jack White. She worked with Jack and The Raconteurs on a version of their "Many Shades Of Black." I can't wait to hear that.

I'm definitely impressed with Adele. I don't know much about her, but her song "Chasing Pavements" is really great, and I'm glad that her career was boosted by the fact that she happened to be performing on Saturday Night Live the night that Sarah Palin was appearing on the show. And I'm happy for her getting four unexpected Grammy nominations. Also, she does a great cover of Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love."

THE RACONTEURS NEW SINGLE

You gotta love The Raconteurs.  Their latest release will be a new version of their song "Old Enough," featuring bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and up-and-coming bluegrass singer Ashley Monroe. It will be a CD single with a guest-less bluegrass version of "Top Yourself," which is my favorite song from their new album. 

The Raconteurs, who seemed to start out as side project for all four members, has turned out to be a great band. I wonder how long it will take them to do a new album - will Jack White do another White Stripes record before they work together again? I guess it's a cool decision to have to make: which awesome band do I work with next? 

THE RACONTEURS ROCKED

I just got back from The Raconteurs show - thier first of three sold out concerts at New York's Terminal 5. (I need to start bringing my digital point-and-click to these shows, but I'm always afraid it will get taken away).

Anyway, they were great. I saw them a few years ago in an arena opening for Bob Dylan, and I was a bit disappointed. But it must be hard to play for a half-empty arena and maybe only half of those people are interested.

But tonight, they owned the stage all night. I'm sure every indie blog will be analyzing every minute of the show and posting a setlist: I didn't take notes, I just took it all in and really dug it. Although they only have two short (and sweet) albums, they stretched the songs out in interesting ways that never seemed meandering or self-indulgent. One thing is for sure: they aren't a Jack White side project, they are really a great band. Having listened to the band a lot in the past few days, I've decided to revisit some of my Brendan Benson records.

It occured the me that there's nothing "alternative" or "indie" about the band. They are a great blues-based rock and roll band. Not metal, not punk, not a jam band (although they can jam), not blues traditionalists (although they know their blues). Just a great rock and roll band. They could have come out of the '60s or '70s. I highly recommend both of their albums (Consolers Of The Lonely will surely be in my top 10, or 5, of '08) and also I'd say they are well worth the money if you see them perform.

THE RACONTEURS - NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP

By now, every magazine, website and blog has posted an opinion on The Raconteurs' new album, Consolers Of The Lonely.

Jack White's two bands have generally fared really well in the press, and I imagine that at least some writers have thier knives out, plus they are probably a bit sore about not getting advance copies because of the way the band surprised the industry by releasing it with a week's notice.

My take is that it's a great album. I loved their debut, and I don't know if it is better. I do know that none of the songs immeadiately grab you the way "Steady As She Goes" did. But I do know that "Top Yourself" and "Carolina Drama" are classics. But I don't know if the album is a classic yet. I am looking forward to spending more time with it though. Which I will be doing, because I have tickets to see them next month at Terminal 5.

THE RACONTEURS BIG SURPRISE!

Today, The Raconteurs announced on their website that they are releasing their next album a week from today.

I remember when I was a kid, in the pre-internet era, you often had an idea that an album was coming out, but you weren't usually sure when it would happen. You might hear a song from the album on the radio, or even see a video on MTV, but you wouldn't really know if it was out yet, or about to come out. Although I obsess over release dates, there's still something pretty cool about an album just popping up like that.

The guys in the band supposedly just handed it in to their label, and the label is working overtime to make this happen. Jack and the guys must enjoy not having to sit through months of "set-up" and doing marketing meetings, etc. Of course, only a band with a following could do something like this and expect to sell any records. And, yes, I do think that they will sell some records (or at least downloads).

All that stuff aside, I can't wait to hear the new album. And I only have to wait a week.

THE RETURN OF THE RACONTEURS!

The Ractonteurs posted this on their myspace page this week: I guess it's no surprise: The White Stripes have wound down their activities around their underrated album Icky Thump, and The Raconteurs are booked for both Bonnaroo and Coachella. I thought the first Raconteurs album was a classic, so I'm really looking forward to this one.

ROGER WATERS TO CO-HEADLINE COACHELLA

I'm not a marketing executive, but it seems weird how major brands with lots of credibility with specific fanbases seem willing to compromise their brands.

Bonnaroo, which started as a very inclusive jam band festival, last year featured Tool and The White Stripes as headliners. The year before it was Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Radiohead. I remember years ago, the H.O.R.D.E festival did a similar thing. After years of having predominatly bands from the jam band scene with some other artists that sort of made sense, they did a tour that featured Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Primus, Beck, Ben Folds Five and a few other bands that didn't have a real connection to the scene. I myself loved that bill... but to fans, "H.O.R.D.E" didn't mean anything anymore.

Likewise, after catering to the "alternative rock" crowd, Lollapalooza went "off message" by having Metallica headline. I thought it was a great tour, but after that, "Lollapalooza" lost it's meaning. So, I don't understand how Coachella hasn't learned from that. This year, Jack Johnson and Roger Waters are two of the headliners. Waters, as he did last summer, will be performing Dark Side Of The Moon. I wonder how it will go. On one hand, I think people have good enough taste to be respectful of this masterpiece, even though it is one of the best selling albums of all time, and hardly "alternative" (although it's as creative as any album you'd care to mention). Also, Coachella often promts artists to do something for the "first" time - they were behind the Pixies, Stooges and Jesus & Mary Chain reunions, which led to full on tours. If they got Roger to do Dark Side for the first time, that'd be one thing. But he's been doing it on tour for well over a year.

Anyway, there seems to be less excitement about the festival's lineup than usual. But there are some pretty cool artists: other than Rog, there's The Verve (who recently reunited), The Breeders, Madness, The Raconteurs and... Dwight Yoakam.