Coachella Day Two: Portishead, Death Cab, M.I.A., Malkmus, Kraftwerk

Saturday’s late-afternoon primetime sets began just before 5 p.m. at the Outdoor Theatre, where Stephen Malkmus was holding court with the Jicks. After joking about the environmental crisis, he half-heartedly crooned Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” adding, “I would have played that if I was over there,” gesturing towards the slightly larger Main Stage. After doodling one of his many lengthy solos during “Elmo Demo” (from the band’s new Real Emotional Trash), Malkmus, outfitted in a giant floppy hat, told the crowd, “That was one was for me. It felt so good to say something so stupid.” Informing the crowd the next track, “Hopscotch Willie,” was actually for them, the band broke into an extended desert jam, with power drummer Janet Weiss playing so integral a role, Malkmus spent the majority of the show turned sideways to partially face her. “These guys are so fucking good, I can’t believe I get to front this shit,” the former Pavement leader concluded. As the mid-day heat finally started to abate, strains of Death Cab for Cutie’s “The New Year” rang out across the Coachella field. Singer-guitarist Ben Gibbard rocked back and forth on his heels in front of several thousands fans at the Main Stage as his band debuted tracks from their new album Narrow Stairs (including winding, dark single “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “Long Division”), which sounded even broodier rubbing up against poppier older favorites like “We Laugh Indoors” and “The Sound of Settling.” Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis carries some glam with her in the form of passionate torch songs and fine threads. Over at the Outdoor Theatre she sang the tortured “I Never” with the lyrics “I’m only a woman of flesh and bone/and I wept much, we all do,” as guitarist Blake Sennett plucked out a romantic Fifties pop melody.
	Published: 2008-04-27 Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News, Coachella