Oh Coachella…we miss you so! It was only a week ago that we were in your midst, braving the traffic, hot sun, half naked patrons, and a mangy little squirrel inside of our rental home. Here are some of our reflections and personal highlights from the 3-day adventure in the musical heaven that is and was Coachella (AKA Squirrelchella) 2010.

Brittany

Echo & The Bunnymen blew me away with their overall sound and presence…Will Sergeant was the star of the show for me, especially during “The Cutter”.  I absolutely loved Ian McCulloch’s stage presence and how he commanded the stage with very little to say in between each song.  The one thing I do recall him saying was “This next song is the best song ever written” and then he played “The Killing Moon”.  I can’t say that I disagree.  Every time I hear that song I feel like I have been transported to another time on another planet, and I love every minute of it.

Ginger

So mine is Thom Yorke surprise surprise!  We walked up to the outside stage an hour early to get a good glimpse of the super huge Thom Yorke that chose to rock the smaller stage instead of the main one. To my surprise he was performing with Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers who was playing bass with him wearing a white minutemen shirt, appropriately, and ripping his bass to shreds. Thom York played the entire Eraser album and killed my two favorite songs, “Black Swan” and “Skip Divided” which happen to be the most depressing songs on the planet because they are so identifiable lyrically. I was completely consumed by his lyrics and how they transcended me back to where I was when I was listening to this album when it came out. It’s rare that I can get lost in a performance, let alone in the lyrics. Definitely a winner!

Kasey

I have two Coachella highlights.

1. Seeing Florence And The Machine. I’ve missed two of her shows here in Los Angeles, and couldn’t wait to see her play on Sunday. I even went as far as to get to her set early and stand my ground in a tent of dirty, sweaty Coachella-goers. The sound wasn’t fantastic in the tent but Florence proved to be a great stage presence and her voice was awesome. Dog Days and Raise It Up were my favorites. Also, Nate from the Cold War Kids coming out to sing one of my favorite songs “Hospital Beds” was a highlight.

2. Watching Temper Trap mid-day was pretty amazing. The band sounded perfect and Dougy’s vocals were spot on.  It was one of those magical festival moments; “Down River” and “Resurrection” playing, The Outdoor Theater, the heat of the sun, and being amongst friends hearing great music.

Justin

Man it’s hard to pin down just one favorite act among the many good ones I saw this weekend, but the crisp and clear sound of Phoenix definitely sticks out in my mind.  I think there’s something to be said about the feeling I got listening them play “Love Like a Sunset” as the sun literally set behind the amazing Outdoor Theatre stage.  It was electrifying.  The crowd was into it, I was way into it, and some Phoenix was just what I needed after the long Coachella weekend.  Great job, Phoenix!

Matt

This was my first Coachella experience…and I miss it already. I seriously cannot wait to go back. One of my favorite moments happened during the Spoon set on the last day when my wife, Beth (who is not much of a show goer or indie rock fan) looked at me without prompting and said, “I like this band”. My heart melted and I was reassured that I had indeed married the right gal.

Alex

Top 3 Performances:
1. MUSE
2. The Specials
3. MuteMath

Now here is where it really gets interesting…

If you can guess who picked each song, we’ll send you a FREE Chop Shop T-Shirt!!

The people you have to choose from are: Matt, Brittany, Kasey, Ginger, and Justin. Put your picks in the comment section and we’ll notify you if you are the winner!

Enjoy!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

ANSWER KEY:
The Bird & The Bee – Ginger
The Radio Dept. – Brittany
Spoon – Matt
Caribou – Justin
Pela – Kasey

WINNER: MOC – Sent over this photo of her winnings via Twitter:

musicofchuck

My @ChopShopMusic t-shirt arrived in the mail today! I will wear with pride. Thanks Matt and CS crew! http://tweetphoto.com/20059365

Spoon – “Got Nuffin”

I imagine this would be the perfect song to listen to while running. Of course, I wouldn’t know if that is true or not, so let’s just say that it is great for driving (really fast) in your car…something I am much more familiar with. The pulsing bass and frantic but sporadic guitar sections fit together perfectly and are never indulgent. I also love the sharp fade at the end of the song on the album version. Unfortunately, the clip below is from a different version, so you’ll just have to go check out the new album, Transference, which is an early favorite for best of 2010 (even though it’s only January).

For all the Chuck fans out there, you heard this song on last weeks episode (Ep. 304: “Chuck vs. Operation Awesome”). It’s a really fun placement that you can check out on Hulu when you get a chance.

iTunes |  MySpace

To all the Pacific North Westerners out there, Anya Marina has just been added to the 94/7FM Alternative Portland A December To Remember concert series. She will be playing a few songs each night at the Crystal Ballroom, in between sets from some amazing artists. If you don’t believe me, check out the lineup:

Monday Dec. 7th – Passion Pit & Hockey

Tuesday Dec. 8th – Metric & Band Of Skulls

Wednesday Dec. 9th – The Bravery & Airborne Toxic Event

Thursday Dec. 10th – Vampire Weekend & White Rabbits

Friday Dec. 11th – Spoon & Black Joe Lewis

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.