World’s End Girlfriend: Seven Idiots (Erased Tapes)

World's End Girlfriend: "Teenage Ziggy"

World’s End Girlfriend is the wild, hyper-melodic project of Japanese composer Katsuhiko Maeda, whose vivid arrangements have created a following in his homeland and been used in critically acclaimed films. Originally released last year in Japan, Seven Idiots is his tenth studio album.

The music is a dense, larger-than-life blend of post-rock, classical music, and electronica, and within just the first minute of Seven Idiots, the listener is hit with a beautiful union of Battles-esque guitar lines, funky bass slaps, classical melodies, glitch beats, and squiggly synth lines. As the album progresses, it delves into polyrhythms, improvisation, and other complexities — particularly during the “Bohemian Purgatory” triptych — but a robust sense of melody and an opportunity for head-nodding are almost always at its core.

Helms Alee: Weatherhead (Hydra Head)

Helms Alee: "8/16"

With its 2008 debut album, Seattle trio Helms Alee forged a sound all its own — part metal, part post-punk, part melody-driven rock, and all abandon.

If it was Isis joining up with The Breeders for a quick outing into the wilderness, then the band's sophomore effort, Weatherhead, returns to the woods to find our friends older, craftier, and better bonded.

As a trio, the band's personal contributions are easier to discern: the driving, effected guitar and guttural screams of Ben Verellen, the distorted low end and breathy, light-weight vocals of bassist Dana James, and the steady, pounding aggression of Hozoji Matheson-Margullis.

On top of alternately punishing and pulchritudinous riffage, Verellen and James again are paired for vocal harmonies.  But this time around, they're joined by the assertive vocals of Matheson-Margullis, who leads a call-and-response exchange with the two in the standout single "8/16" and who adds screams to the title track.  James, however, takes the lead at other points, and she frequently harmonizes with Verellen's clean vocals to produce some of the album's most hypnotic tracks.

The egalitarianism of the vocals is nearly matched by the diversity of the music — albeit music that nearly always rocks.  But the soft moments are pronounced, and the acoustic interlude of "Anemone of the Wound" is a welcome change of pace.  This contrast and disparity makes Weatherhead just as compelling as its predecessor, while featuring additional growth as a trio.

3:33: The First Thousand Days (Parallel Thought Ltd.)

Stream the entire album here.

Just two months ago, the mysterious, experimental electronic group 3:33 released its debut album, 333LP1. Its follow-up has an uncharacteristically communicative title — The First Thousand Days (Bandcamp) — but the group's mechanical, idiosyncratic number/letter combinations are still present in the track list.

If it weren't so amorphous and downright sinister, The First Thousand Days would fall somewhere in the experimental electro-hop territory typified by musicians like Prefuse 73. It is set apart by a rawness of texture that recalls Amon Tobin's field-recording-style compositions, where the line between digital and analog is scuffed beyond recognition.

The mystery of the music, and of the artists themselves, is compounded by spare, muffled vocals and crunchy, textured instrumentation. The group's ability to simultaneously plod and pulsate, to move swiftly from tribal percussion to glacial ambience, is unmatched — and unsettling.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson.

Seun Anikulapo Kuti: From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory)

Seun Anikulapo Kuti: "Rise"

The youngest son of Afrobeat legend and political dissident Fela Kuti, saxophonist and singer Seun Anikulapo Kuti is the latest to continue the cherished legacy of his last name.  Similarly to Femi Kuti, Fela's eldest son, Seun maintains his family's tradition of activism and rump-shaking funk, both of which are prevalent on his sophomore album, Rise.

For the second time, Seun is joined by his famous father's Egypt 80 ensemble, a group that played with Fela 30 years ago.  The music, though not treading new ground, is chock full of tightly wound horn harmonies and dance-inducing rhythms, as filtered through the one-of-a-kind sounding board that is co-producer Brian Eno.

As per the album's title, there's plenty of political fury: "African Soldiers" addresses the cyclical nature of military governments throughout modern African history, and "You Can Run" dissects the cowardice of brutal dictators who flee when the prospect of justice is threatened.  "Rise," meanwhile, emphasizes tribal heritage, rejecting the imposed demarcations placed upon Africa by the Western world.

The fact that the music doesn't delineate from the Afrobeat legacy is irrelevant.  Africa, perhaps as much as ever, needs a messenger like Seun Kuti.

Honorable Mentions

Bon Iver: s/t (Jagjaguwar)

Cassettes Won’t Listen: Evinspacey (Daylight Curfew)

The Devin Townsend Project: Ghost (Century Media / Inside Out)

Elitist: Fear in a Handful of Dust (Season of Mist)

Father’s Children: s/t (Numero Group)

Grieves: Together/Apart (Rhymesayers)

Laurel Halo: Hour Logic (Hippos in Tanks)

Mark Wingfield & Kevin Kastning: I Walked into the Silver Darkness (Greydisc)

Painted Palms: Canopy EP (Secretly Canadian)

Ty Segall: Goodbye Bread (Drag City)

So Hideous, My Love…: To Clasp A Fallen Wish With Broken Fingers (Play The Assassin)

Viva Voce: The Future Will Destroy You (Vanguard)

White Hills: H-p1 (Thrill Jockey)

Stereogum has a streamer of "Half Kleptos," the second track from the upcoming album of El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez.

Stones Throw has posted a free MP3 of "One Beer (Drunk Version)," a Madlib remix of a rare Madvillain track.

Afrobeat star Femi Kuti begins a 24-date North American tour in New York City on June 3.  His newest album, Day by Day, was released last November.

Dirge-metal quartet Pelican is self-releasing its Ephemeral EP on June 6 on its Migration Media label, and the band is planning a split seven-inch with Young Widows.  Southern Lord will release the vinyl and MP3s of Ephemeral.

Minimalist composer Steve Reich won this year's Pulitzer Prize in music for Double Sextet, a 22-minute piece that was commissioned by Eighth Blackbird, an experimental and theatrical chamber/percussion troupe.

Following a trip to the US last winter, Australian ambient/minimalist/rock trio The Necks will spend May touring Europe.

Seattle music blog Ear Candy reported a rumor that Sunny Day Real Estate is reuniting to tour with its original lineup.

Black-metal quintet Nachtmystium will begin a mini-tour with doom pioneers Pentagram at the end of June.

Folk-rock four-piece The Avett Brothers have a new album, I and Love and You, set for release on August 11.  The album is being produced by Rick Rubin and follows a massive summer tour across the US.

Playing down-tuned dirge metal a la Pelican or Isis, Kylesa rumbles with crust punk, sludge, metal, hardcore, and psychedelia, often laced with atmospheric samples.  To date, Static Tensions is the group's most powerful album, a deliberately straightforward record that exemplifies the vibes of its title.

The group's trademark tri-vocal attack has been whittled down to two for this album, with guitarist Laura Pleasants adding clean vocals to her guttural screams.  Tracks like “Insomnia for Months” and “Almost Lost” bear a crushing weight akin to a sonic bulldozer; elsewhere, the music has shifted increasingly towards the psychedelic, such as “Perception” with its guitar freak-out ending.

Kylesa: "Almost Lost"
Kylesa: \"Almost Lost\"

Les Claypool: Of Fungi and Foe (Prawn Song)

Oddball bassist extraordinaire Les Claypool returns with his ever-shifting cast of collaborators for this follow-up to his 2006 album Of Whales and Woe.  Still vibrant and weird, Of Fungi and Foe is comprised of material penned in conjunction with his work on Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, a bizarre new videogame, and Pig Hunt, a dark comic horror film.

This time around, the material is wonderfully accented by the active bow work of cellist Sam Bass, and percussionist Mike Dillon (Critters Buggin) reprises his role in the backing band.  Saxophonist Skerik (Critters Buggin) and sitar/theremin player Gabby La La have moved on, but the tunes are as idiosyncratic and engaging as ever.  Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hütz appears on "Bite Out of Life."

Melvin Gibbs' Elevated Entity: Ancients Speak (Livewired)

Funk/rock/jazz bassist Melvin Gibbs has worked with an array of notable musicians, including Femi Kuti, Vernon Reid, John Zorn, Jeff Parker, John Medeski, Bill Frisell, the Rollins Band, and more.  His work as a musician and producer has been as varied as the aforementioned artists and has included splashes into hip hop with DJ Logic and Dead Prez.

In this venture as bandleader, Gibbs expands his palette further with Ancients Speak, incorporating tastes of Brazilian hip hop and African Yoruba culture.  With Gibbs' vision and a lengthy list of collaborators, this album honors no musical demarcations, fusing the above genres with psychedelic jam rock and Afrobeat grooves.

Melvin Gibbs' Elevated Entity: "Ancients Speak"
Melvin Gibbs\' Elevated Entity: \"Ancients Speak\"

Bonnie "Prince" Billy: Beware (Drag City)

Continuing a prolific decade under his Bonnie "Prince" Billy moniker, Will Oldham issues another tome of harmonized folk with accents of Americana.  Beware is something of a compendium to Lie Down in the Light, Oldham's most recent full-length that was released just last May.

Performing in nonstandard capacities, a number of Chicago jazz luminaries provide accompaniment on Beware, which includes the services of Michael Zerang, Rob Mazurek, Nicole Mitchell, Josh Abrams, Dee Alexander, and many other notable musicians.

Chicago Afrobeat Project: Off the Grid EP

Following the late 2007 full-length (A) Move to Silent Unrest, this self-evidently named group mixes classic Afrobeat elements with bits of modern groove, organ-splashed post-jazz, and funk rock.  This EP features three new tracks as well as a remix of "Media Man," the third track from (A) Move to Silent Unrest.

Chicago Afrobeat Project: "(A Warm) Global Warning"
Chicago Afrobeat Project: \"(A Warm) Global Warning\"

1. Subtle: "Nomanisisland" (For Hero: For Fool)

One of the melodically and structurally odd songs from this album, "Nomanisisland" isn't a great starting point for Subtle's idiosyncratic indie hip hop, but it's a great mid-album respite on the group's best album.

2. An Albatross: "Cosmic Gypsy" (Blessphemy [of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite])

Here we have 1:19 of organ-fueled shredding.  An Albatross' newest album, The An Albatross Family Album, is more epic and twists many different ways, but this song's album takes no prisoners with its unadulterated force.

3. Phosphorescent: "Wolves" (Pride)

As the third track on Pride, Phosphorescent's beautiful and minimalist 2007 folk album, "Wolves" has prime sonic real estate.  Though we're not major folk fans, Pride is so pretty that it made ALARM's Top Ten Albums of 2007.

4. Tomahawk: "Sun Dance" (Anonymous)

Wow…another entry from ALARM's Top Ten Albums of 2007.  This song's album, Anonymous, was a spectacular homage to Native American material that was re-imagined by the lineup of Mike Patton, Duane Denison, and John Stanier.  "Sun Dance" is one of the most rock-driven numbers on the album.

5. Genghis Tron: "I Won't Come Back Alive" (Board Up the House)

From melodic new wave to crushing metal breakdowns, "I Won't Come Back Alive" is a great track to experience this trio's musical dichotomy.  The song's album, Board Up the House, is an extremely unique album and one of the best of 2008.

6. Luis Bacalov: "Suspense" (The Italian Western of Luis Bacalov)

First, this piece from the soundtrack of 1972 spaghetti Western film Si Può Fare…Amigo revisits the main melody of "Can Be Done," a preceding piece that features vocalist Rocky Roberts.

Shortly, however, the tune shifts to an upbeat theme that recalls the circus or a cheery old-time saloon.  "Suspense" then fittingly moves to a dramatic string passage before the main melody is revisited once more.

7. Amon Tobin: "Marine Machines" (Supermodified)

The deep sea beckons on "Marine Machines" with countless samples, including dark brass accents and creature-like gurgles.  This song's album, Supermodified, is the best album from this big-beat DJ.

8. Femi Kuti: "Wonder Wonder" (self-titled)

As group vocals join Femi in the song's pensive but sunny chorus, the opening track from his 1995 self-titled album brings a great live feeling to a studio recording.  Following in his idolized father's footsteps, Femi uses his funky Afrobeat to raise political awareness.  Here he asks, "Will Africa ever unite?"

9. Secret Chiefs 3: "Hypostasis of the Archons" (Book of Horizons)

Entirely composed by multi-instrumentalist Trey Spruance, the creations of Secret Chiefs 3 span an incredible range of beautiful, cinematic, and heavy sounds, often working with Indian, surf, and spaghetti Western styles.

This track, however, showcases another of Spruance's loves: rapid-fire, end-of-the-world death metal.  Otherworldly screams, demonic vocals, and quick-twitching strings join to make this unlike anything on the album other than "Exterminating Angel."

10. Matt Ulery: "Would You Remember my Song?" (Themes and Scenes)

The 1:48 closer to this great chamber-score album uses harmonium, toy piano, and whistling to create a quirky, merry romp.  A one-time refrain from the composer gives an Old World feel to the album's final seconds.

(To hear one of his creations, check out my Q&A with Matt Ulery.)

- Scott Morrow

The Afrobeat star and son of Nigerian genre pioneer Fela Kuti had to postpone his US tour due to illness. Femi's new album, Day by Day, is another step forward in a storied career, but we'll have to wait until he's better to catch him live again.

Femi dished out one of the best performances of Lollapalooza 2007; read our Day 1 recap, with photos by Tanya van Kampen, for a little nostalgia.

Also, you can find a fabulous cover story on Seun Kuti, Fela's youngest son, written by New York Public Radio staff writer Siddhartha Mitter in our newest issue, ALARM 33.

Doppler Shift, Family Order @ Beat Kitchen (Chicago)

Drawing tangential comparisons to Squarepusher and John Zorn's Naked City, heavy jazz-rock quartet Doppler Shift headlines this late show at Chicago's Beat Kitchen. Influenced by IDM, funk, and dropped-D riffs a lá mid-'90s Helmet, Doppler Shift creates a powerful, beat-driven jazz intersection that shows no mercy.

The quartet leans on electric trumpet and distorted bass for its dirty sound, but the style is equally sophisticated, employing its share of acrobatic duels between trumpet and saxophone. With a quality opener in the form of jam/groove four-piece Family Order, this show is a bargain for $6.

Bustle in Your Hedgerow @ Abbey Pub (Chicago)

Led Zeppelin cover bands are a dime a dozen, but not when one includes keyboardist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo (who, together, make up the Benevento/Russo Duo). Watch the group lay down jam-rock renditions of Zep classics as Benevento tones up for the release of his great, new, covers-laden album Me Not Me, out February 3.

Stoner-metal outfit Witch has announced tour dates starting in late February with Tee Pee Records labelmates Earthless. Head to Tee Pee for the list.

Due to illness, Afrobeat star Femi Kuti has canceled his North American tour that was set to begin on Wednesday, January 7.

In anticipation of Bromst, his new full-length album due on March 24, Dan Deacon has posted "Get Older," one of the album's tracks, on imeem. Deacon also has a split 12" with electronic brethren Adventure coming out on January 27.

Converge and Supermachiner (side project with vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou) each have a new album in store for 2009.

Bannon's new experimental project, Irons, has a split 12" with Pulling Teeth also due in 2009. Bannon's label, Deathwish Inc., has a glut of releases planned for this year.

Chinese-American composer Wu Fei will perform on January 16, 17, and 18 in China to celebrate the recent release of her new album, Yuan, on Tzadik. Details can be found at her website.

Watch the brief trailer for Mastodon's new album, Crack the Skye, at the band's website.

Fifty free pairs of tickets are being given away to Kronos Quartet's performance of Terry Riley's Sun Rings in France on January 16. To request a pair of tickets (by Monday, January 12), e-mail announcements@kronosquartet.org, with the subject line "Paris Sun Rings – MySpace", including your name and e-mail address in the body of your message.

Bassist/guitarist Reed Mathis, a founding member of 15 years, has left Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey to pursue other endeavors. The group has a lineup with two new members that will perform for scheduled shows in January and February.

Founding drummer Pat Pengelly has quit Bedouin Soundclash, making the group, for now, a duo with Jay Malinowski and Eon Sinclair. The group's February tour dates will remain intact.

These Arms are Snakes has announced a month-long US tour, primarily hitting the Midwest and East Coast, that begins in late February.

Madlib has a new disc for his Beat Konducta series — Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6 — that will be released February 10 on Stones Throw.

Danish weirdo rockers Powersolo will release their new album, Bloodskinbones, on February 23.

Via an interview with band manager Peter Mensch, the BBC reports that the instrumental members of Led Zeppelin — Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham (son of John Bonham) — are looking to tour and record a new album without Robert Plant. The article says that it is unknown whether the group will continue under the famous name, but in a separate interview with Mensch on musicradar.com, the manager emphatically states that "Led Zeppelin are over."

Apple is finally doing away with DRM protection (short for digital rights management) on its iTunes music files.

Tonight, punk ensemble World/Inferno Friendship Society will perform a special one-off gig at New York's Webster Hall. The show, a multi-media operetta based on the life of Peter Lorre, is part of the Under The Radar Festival.

Femi Kuti - Day By Day

As the eldest son of Nigerian activist, Afro-Beat originator and certified legend Fela Kuti, who passed away in 1997, Femi Kuti has certainly had some enormous figurative shoes to fill. Fortunately for us, he’s thus far done a bang- up job, and his latest, Day By Day from Mercer Street Records, is not only a worthy addition to the catalog, but is perhaps his finest and most focused to date.

Femi’s earliest recordings were with his father’s legendary outfit, Egypt 80. By 1986 he was out on his own with his band Positive Force, though it wasn’t until Shoki Shoki (MCA) in 1999 that his musical prowess truly began to shine. The album garnered wide critical acclaim, the volume of which would be well surpassed by its 2001 follow-up, Fight To Win (MCA), which featured guest spots from artists like Mos Def and Common in an attempt to help shed some light on the connections between Afrobeat and American hip-hop.

With each successive release, [Femi Kuti's] lineage becomes less of a determiner as it becomes more and more apparent that he is very much his own man, and an unprecedented musician in his own right.

Day by Day is Femi’s first record in seven years, and though for many that has been an excruciatingly long dry spell, it’s safe to say that it has been well worth the wait.

As the rightful heir to the Afrobeat throne, it makes sense that Femi Kuti would be turning out some of the finest grooves the genre has to offer, but with each successive release, his lineage becomes less of a determiner as it becomes more and more apparent that he is very much his own man, and an unprecedented musician in his own right.

Day by Day is nearly flawless. Each track is rhythmic and rollicking, and the lyrics are poignant, political, and appropriately stirring. Title track “Day by Day” is a slow-building triumph, eloquently describing the plight of a people. Each verse is sung in a bordering-on-reggae-dub style as traditional African percussion and a choir of voices fill the surrounding waltz-tempo choruses.

The following track, “Demo Crazy,” is a frenetic, funky, free-jazz-influenced explosion taking on the pitfalls of Christianity in Africa. “Do You Know” opens with an Isaac Hayes-style rap before peeling back layer after layer of perfectly synchronized instrumentation laden with saxophones, Hammond organ riffs, and blistering wah-wah guitar funk.

Throughout the record, politics are key, and all is dealt with in a highly engaged and passionate manner — the kind that’s only plausible coming from someone who’s seen disunity and hardship firsthand.

As each track builds carefully upon the elements of the last, the mind of the maker shows itself aptly capable of a kind of calculated restraint necessary to sculpt the frantic rhythmic ruckus of Afrobeat into something new, exciting, and current.

Day by Day makes one hope its not another seven years before we hear from Femi Kuti.

- Pete Klockau

Femi Kuti: www.myspace.com/femikuti
Mercer Street Records: www.downtownrecords.net

Ennio Morricone

Legendary film-score composer Ennio Morricone will write music for Inglorious Bastards, Quentin Tarantino's next film. Whether he has enough time to score the whole film remains to be seen.

Undefinable folk/hip-hop crossover artist Tim Fite has posted a video for "Big Mistake," his single from Fair Ain't Fair (Anti-). Watch it here.

Fellow Anti- artist and somber, raspy crooner William Elliot Whitmore now has "Old Devils" posted on the label's website. "Old Devils" is a track from Animals in the Dark, his new album due in February.

In promotion of its five-part series of remix records, electro-grind trio Genghis Tron has posted a track from the third volume. Head to the group's remix-specific MySpace page to hear Danny Lohner (of Nine Inch Nails) remix "Board Up the House."

Gorgeous electro-acoustic duo Lymbyc Systym has announced dates for its first European tour. The dates span two weeks and can be seen at its MySpace page.

Ambient horror soundtrack artists Zombi have released the cover artwork for their upcoming album, Spirit Animals, which will be released on February 3, 2009. The cover art is pretty freakin' awesome.

Multi-talented folk artist and loop specialist Andrew Bird has posted US tour dates for January and February in support of Noble Beast, his upcoming full-length due in winter. For now, fans can listen to "Oh No," the album's first track. Melodic genre masher Dosh opens for Bird at Carnegie Hall.

Blistering metal maniacs Burnt by the Sun have posted the first demo track, "F-Unit," from their long-awaited third full-length. The track, which will be on the group's first album since 2003, can be heard at its MySpace page.

Danish psychobilly/alt-country/surf-influenced trio Powersolo has uploaded "Murder in SFAX" to its MySpace page. The song will be on the group's upcoming album, which will be available in March.

Indie hip-hop label Anticon has announced a 10th anniversary show in New York City. The event will be held at The Knitting Factory and feature Themselves (Doseone, Jel), Yoni Wolf of Why?, Sole, Alias, Buck 65, Odd Nosdam, and more.

In a total no-brainer, GQ has named Nick Cave its "Rock 'n' Roll Badass of the Year."

Kocani Orkestar: The Ravished Bride (Crammed Discs)

A vivacious Romani brass band, the Kocani Orkestar returns after its release of Alone at My Wedding, an album full of Gypsy wedding music.

The Ravished Bride finds the group as powerful as ever, combining wild instrumental runs with the crooning voice of Ajnur Azizov. The album contains a touch of surf influence while also including a Mexican number and a few traditional Macedonian pieces. Guitarist Uri Kinrot (Balkan Beat Box) makes a guest appearance.

Femi Kuti: Day by Day (Wrasse)

The eldest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Femi furthers his own legacy with Day by Day, the newest installment in his 20-year career as a bandleader. Like much of his family's catalog, Day by Day targets the corruption of African politicians, but its soul-jazz influence takes Femi in a new direction — trading his saxophone for a piano and a trumpet, his original instrument.

Ocean: Pantheon of the Lesser (Important)

Two years in the making, Pantheon of the Lesser is Ocean's brutal new two-song full-length.

The album's opener, "The Beacon," is 41 minutes of über-slow doom – which consists of three movements and turns into more than an hour of material when played live. But the songs are more than distorted, minimalist dirges; melancholy chimes combine with clean-channel guitar to give "The Beacon" a downright deathly feel.

Ocean: "The Beacon" (excerpt)
Ocean: \"The Beacon\" (excerpt)

Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid: NYC (Domino)

Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) and Steve Reid (Steve Reid Ensemble) present another helping of atmospheric samples, dense sound collages, and jazz drumming. Influenced by New York City and its "infamous energies," the songs on NYC are time-tested structures — no longer the "instant compositions" that marked the duo's initial collaborations.

Spylacopa: s/t EP (Rising Pulse)

This five-song debut EP is a studio project from John LaMacchia (Candiria), Jeff Caxide (Isis), Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), and Julie Christmas (Made Out of Babies / Battle of Mice). The disc's primary style is one of modern metal, but it crosses into alternative sonic territory with the pretty piano work on "Together We Become Forever" and the Pink Floyd-sounding guitars of "I Should Have Known You Would."

Spylacopa: "Haunting a Ghost"
Spylacopa: \"Haunting a Ghost\"

Though the case can be made for the detractions of continued corporate sponsorship and a focus on "Kidzapalooza," the all-too-radio-friendly three-day festival mostly suffers from a predominantly average lineup. That was certainly the case on Friday, when uninspired acts such as Silversun Pickups, The Rapture, The Black Keys, Electric Six, Sparklehorse, and Satellite Party were scattered about an eleven-hour schedule.

Even festival organizer Perry Farrell, whose mid-day press conference spoke of the strength of coummunity, the advantage of blogging, and the event's carbon neutrality, couldn't change the lackluster nature of Satellite Party, his newest band, by opening with a cover of Jane's Addiction's "Stop," one of his most popular works.

Thankfully, a number of the other performers were watchable or slightly enjoyable. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists got the afternoon going with some rousing power pop and a closer lamenting the Central Intelligence Agency; protest punks Against Me!, led by the throaty, piercing vocals of singer/guitarist Tom Gabel (shown left), continued as one of the day's only other voices of dissent.

Alt-experimenters Blonde Redhead, one of the lineup's biggest throwbacks to '90s-style indie rock and not too dissimilar in sound to Sonic Youth, mesmerized concertgoers with delayed clean-channel guitar, dirty rock riffs, sampled drums, sequencers, and the whispy, near-falsetto vocals of multi-instrumentalist Kazu Makino (left of image).

Multi-ethnic rapper M.I.A. (shown left) earlier offered up hot beats and mild gyration, although her act and vocal style quickly grew tiresome. Sadly, the highlight of her party-flavored set was when she climbed a riser during the penultimate song and dropped lines atop a large speaker.

However, Kuti (below) and his backing band, The Positive Force, acted as one of Friday's saving graces. Clad in matching green and purple outfits, The Positive Force provided a forceful backdrop for Kuti to rock harder than anyone else on the bill.

Between funky, succinct bursts of brass and traditional African rhythms, the Nigerian musician fired up the crowd with frenzied eruptions of organ, saxophone, encouraging lyrics, and spinning, kicking dance moves.

Earlier in the afternoon, the dozens of performers from The Polyphonic Spree appeared to crave heat stroke while all dressed in matching black attire. With singer Tim DeLaughter at the forefront, the small orchestra inundated its audience with triumphant, typically distortion-free, über-heavy pop in support of recent album The Fragile Army.

The group, which flaunts a flautist, harpist, and two drummers among its mammoth roster, then switched into white robes for an encore that included a massively layered rendition of "Lithium" by Nirvana.

At the end of the evening, famous electronica duo Daft Punk dazzled dance fans with the same fantastic stage setup it has used at festivals in recent years. Though the outdoor venue was less conducive to getting down than a club setting, the ever-changing pyramid of lights in which the two played was a site to behold.

- Scott Morrow

Photo credits: Tanya van Kampen