Coachella was bananas! It was packed, hot and full of unexpected moments. Love was in the air...or, maybe I should say, infatuation was in the air. Oh, young love. The plethora of emotions evoked from this weekend was like something out of a Fellini flick. Between the sea of screaming fans, dancing nomads, empty liquor containers, blazing balls of fire, earplugs, lawn smoochers, unfortunate mishaps, and broken dreams, I’d have to say people got their money's worth. Looking back at who I was most excited to see and who, I felt, gave me that tingle after watching their set, I realized just how hard it is to put on a show of that caliber and pull it off with rave reviews. Golden Voice did a pretty superb job at making sure fans would leave with enough awwww and ew moments to fill a thick book. I made a list of my favorite and not so favorite moments from Coachella ’09. I had some unfortunate mishaps of my own, so I missed a few key players, but the journey is what counts. So, here in no particular order, are the highlights:

The Black Keys, who I was so amped to see, were something else! The blues rockers really know how to bring it. Fearless. There was enough thick smoke in the air to make me assume viewers from every angle were enjoying themselves plenty. Their set was flawless, from start to finish. They didn’t disappoint. It was like watching a baby Jimi Hendrix and mini Buddy Miles up there. Superb!

Coachella 2009 is less than a week away and I couldn’t be more stoked about it. The anxiousness, over emotionalism and lack of sleep could be brought on by the fact that this will be my first time, or it could be the fact that I get to skip town for a couple days that’s making me giddy like a young school girl on a first date. Could be either of those, but I’m really going to have to place my bets and give full credit for my fevered state to the acts I’m most excited to see grace the stage.

Day 1: The Black Keys. The blues-rockers put on a spectacular live show, having toured with bands like Pearl Jam, Radiohead and Beck. They’re phenomenal on every record. My favorite has got to be Thickfeakness. It’s the truth! Meaning: the sweetest tasting candy in the world!!! Their last album, Attack & Release, which was produced by Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley, was originally supposed to be a collaboration with the legendary Ike Turner, but that idea was rendered impossible after Turner’s sudden death in December 2007. Danger Mouse, or that guy who put Jay-Z’s vocals from The Black Album over beats from The Beatles’ The White Album, isn’t on the bill this year, but it would be a great surprise to see him grace the stage with The Black Keys this weekend. I know… just wishful thinking. Then again, anything’s possible at Coachella -- I say it like I know. To whet your appetite, check out a video of the Black Keys performing at Amoeba right here.

Day 2: M.I.A. on the main stage. What a feast for the eyes and ears she's going to be; some kind of spectacular! I must admit, I was a little disappointed after hearing Amy Winehouse had pulled out of the line-up. Nothing could have made my day more, though, than learning M.I.A. would be taking her place. This will be my first time seeing her live and I'm going to enjoy it like the kids on the block love to jump rope, like a waitress loves a good tip. She's my hero. The visual artist was as cute as a button at the Grammys with her polka dots on and her big, beautiful belly bouncing around. She just gave birth to a little bundle of joy. Good news, considering she would have been miserable with a belly full in the scorching heat of Coachella, which tends to cause an alarming amount of inflammation in the feet and ankles. We’re just glad to hear she’s decided bed rest is for snoozers. I’ll be her number one fan, front row center, k'ankles and all. Click here to watch a video interview with M.I.A. from her Berkeley Amoeba instore.

My ipod, bless its heart, is always on shuffle. I listen to it while driving to work, while I’m cooking, working out, while I’m cleaning, when I’m playing dress up, whenever the spirit moves me really. Today I noticed a forming pattern. The female artists on my ipod for the most part are from foreign countries, and the majority of them hail from European countries. Maybe it’s some new thing-- for me, I mean. Like some sort of “phase,” as my mother likes to call it. Before long it will pass, then I’ll be into music from Kazakhstan or Mozambique or Utah or sometimes I’m in the mood for some good ol’ fashion gibberish from Nomansland. My point is this, um, err, oh yes: Euro chick music. Amy and Lily aren’t the only girls making a rawkus.

Are you familiar with Annie? No, not the freckle faced, red head with pigtails from our favorite childhood sing-a-long, I mean, musical. Did she have pig tales? I digress. If you haven't familiarized yourself with Norwegian electro pop singer Annie, you should. Her sound is like early Madonna doped up on bubble gum and pixie stix. Yes, that means dance music. She's woven from the same cloth as Datarock and Skatebård. Well, they all come from Bergen, Norway, anyway. England's Richard X, who has produced for Róisín Murphy and M.I.A, along with a handful of productions from fellow Norwegians Röyksopp and Timo Kaukolampi of Op:L Bastards, formed the basis of Anniemal, Annie’s debut album.

Her highly anticipated second album Don’t Stop is to be released on April  27th. Popjustice got their paws on a copy and declared it a “complete modern masterpiece.” The first single, a cover of Stacey-Q’s "Two of Hearts," was produced by Richard X and was leaked on the Internet a while back. It is a modern day dance till it hurts kind of song, complete with all the trimmings to make you move your feet till you get a cramp in your big toe. The second single, "My Love is Better," features this one guy from this one band...
Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. Ring any bells? Kind of a big deal. They just performed a packed show at Amoeba Hollywood, though without Annie. Anyway, he plays the guitar on this track, another track called "Loco," and in general for that band I mentioned. They won some awards or something. Oh, yeah and he sings the lead vocals for them too-- the band, I mean. My bartender told me the girls go crazy for him.