Coachella: Ann Powers’ must-see acts
Friday
The Hold Steady: One of the two best bar bands in America (rivaled only by the Drive-By Truckers, who play the next day), these Brooklynites transcended that category by making it a prime subject. Craig Finn’s hyperliterate songs would be pretentious if not for the tattered joy the band never stops generating and the singer’s deep belief that the most profound guy in any given room might have been the one who just threw up in the wastebasket. (Paul Kane / Getty Images)
Friday
Buraka Som Sistema: In the new global pop landscape, trends jump continents with the ease of a great Internet connection. Kuduro is a sound that represents the cultural exchange between the central African country of Angola and Portugal, which once claimed it as a colony and where many emigrants relocate. This group is the style’s premier practitioner, known for generating sweats with dizzy rhythms and rapid-fire vocals. M.I.A. is a fan and collaborator; maybe she’ll guest during this set. (AFP / Getty Images)
Saturday
Tinariwen: Many rock stars like to claim they’re nomads; these African blues players are. Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and his bandmates are Tuareg -- Saharan wanderers with connections to Malian rebel movements -- whose entrancing, organic sound invokes the meaning of the group’s name: empty places. The band’s deep, psychedelic groove is sexy and tough in ways that the term “world music” just doesn’t capture. Just ask self-professed fans
Saturday
Ida Maria: This Norwegian power-pop songstress is like Katy Perry in some ways; she has dark hair and a sultry voice, a sizzly wit and a love of confrontation. But Ida Maria is a proud feminist who exhibits real, messy, plate-breaking emotion in songs such as “Oh My God” and the torchy “Keep Me Warm.” She’s an It girl that bighearted young women deserve. (Nancy Pastor / For The Times)
