Over the past week, we’ve showcased the best new bands to check out at Coachella. Instead of our usual Artist of the Week, we’ve decided to mix it up a bit in honor of one of the biggest festivals in the world. With the festival rapidly approaching (this weekend and next to be exact), here are some highlights from our running series. Stay tuned, over the next week, there will be more pieces to come.

tUnE-yArDs: Merrill Garbus is both powerful and adorable, relatable and admirable. In her songs, she finds a way to keep it real while being strong and encouraging. Watching her live looping and seeing exactly how she creates these innovative musical puzzles is part of the fun, but there’s just something in her delivery of it all that communicates a genuine, pure joy to be doing what she’s doing. She continuously exchanges glances of glee with bassist Nate Brenner, and the two of them are so in sync it’s enviable.

This is music perfectly conducive to the essential rock concert experience: being surrounded by strangers, but when you look at the person next to you, you have this shared understanding that you are having the same kick ass experience.  – Kelly Knapp

Dawes: When I see Dawes on a list of new bands to check out, I chuckle and have to remind myself that they haven't been a band for all that long, even if they seem like they've been part of my life for years. I remember listening to their debut album, North Hills, on vinyl with a couple friends a few days after I had seem them live for the first time at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. Seeing them perform in all different sorts of venues, I can say that the band excels in any surrounding and will undoubtedly command attention at this festival.

Watching them perform at Lollapalooza and witnessing fellow concert-goers stop in their tracks and instantly become fans is a great indicator of what is sure to be just as amazing performances to come at this years Coachella. I am deeply jealous of anyone that gets to see them at this amazing venue in all their rocking glory. – Daniela Montelongo

Miike Snow: Miike Snow may have fooled you the way they fooled me when I first laid my ears on that catchy electro-pop number Animal back in 2009. I was hooked that very first time. The song’s choruses trance my brain the way their mysterious identity seemed to appeal to me and perhaps others too. It was only after non-stop rotation of their eponymous debut album and a chance to see the band live for the first time in 2010 that made me realize this one fact about Miike Snow has been quite misleading on a first impression basis: Miike Snow is not a person.

If you’re heading to the festival on either weekend, Miike Snow will be performing on 14th and 21st of April (that is on a Saturday) alongside Radiohead, Bon Iver, St. Vincent, just to name a few.Expect an intricate stage set up, a dance party where you’ll be singing along to their catchy numbers (and do cross your fingers for them to play a number or two from the debut. – Nazirah Ashari

Childish Gambino: "Childish Gambino" is a silly name created by a Wu-Tang Clan name generator website. The name itself speaks to Glover's seemingly cavalier approach to the rap game while simultaneously belying the underlying efforts and serious work that he’s been putting in to becoming a solid hip-hop artist. Childish Gambino doesn't really make pop music although his flow is peppered with more pop culture references than a SportsCenter marathon. He makes rap music. His songs aren't radio friendly. They don't have super-catchy hooks. Many don't even have hooks at all. They just have verse after verse of Glover's wit, bite and some very well founded swagger. – Adam Ward

Gotye: If you have not heard “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye, you must live under a rock. It’s the only explanation, really, considering that track transcends genres, making it accessible to alternative rock, pop, and even hip-hop radio stations, which have all given it monstrous airtime. The Australian-based indie outfit has been one of the most talked about new bands this year.

Although it was singer Wouter De Backer’s determination that initially sparked his success, it is his unique brand of experimental yet accessible atmospheric indie rock that propelled it and his breathtaking live show (with a complete band) that will cause it to continue growing. I was lucky enough to attend Gotye’s American television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in February of this year and can say, without a doubt, his performance is a must see at Coachella. – Katrina Nattress

Somewhere in North Hollywood right now, there is a failed actor in his 50s wearing loose-fitting pants, shoes only available at Samuel French, and a faded salmon tank top. He's standing in front of a group of hapless "actors" who have foolishly signed up for his class, because "it was a good deal," and "Well, you gotta be in class."

At some point between his incredibly affected monologues and "industry advice" he will undoubtedly say something like, "to make it in this industry you've got to be a Triple Threat!" He'll then strike poses to accentuate each threat–gross. The term triple threat has been around as long as bad acting teachers and typically means, acting, singing & dancing–three skills every true "actor" should possess, because these are the tools of trade. But maybe this term is a bit outdated.

Perhaps what he should really be telling these attractive waiters is, to make it in this industry, you've got to be a Donald Glover. The actor known musically as Childish Gambino is freakishly (and geekishly) multi-talented. He wrote for 30 Rock right out of college and stayed with the show for two of its Emmy-winning seasons. He's a hilarious as Troy Barnes on NBC's Community and when he takes to the stage as Childish Gambino, he doesn't come across as a comedian doing a hip-hop comedy act, or an actor giving rapping a shot. He comes across as a sick emcee with solid production, a ferocious cadence and enough clever wordplay to make even the most seasoned hip-hop snobs at least pay attention.

"Childish Gambino" is a silly name created by a Wu-Tang Clan name generator website. The name itself speaks to Glover's seemingly cavalier approach to the rap game while simultaneously belying the underlying efforts and serious work that he’s been putting in to becoming a solid hip-hop artist.

Childish Gambino doesn't really make pop music although his flow is peppered with more pop culture references than a SportsCenter marathon. He makes rap music. His songs aren't radio friendly. They don't have super-catchy hooks. Many don't even have hooks at all. They just have verse after verse of Glover's wit, bite and some very well founded swagger.

The lack of commercial appeal in his music isn't unique in itself. After all, there are loads of underground rappers that don't pander to the masses. But typically when an actor, NBA player, or someone else who is already famous crosses over into music, they're doing it for more money and more fame. Glover seems to just be doing it because he loves rapping. Gambino comes across as a kid who grew up on hip-hop, and yet his flow seems far more influenced by current rappers than the dominant forces of the 80s & 90s. Lots of critics hear some Kanye and Lil' Wayne in his delivery, but those aren't a bad pair to channel into your work.

While Gambino will never catapult to the level of those two, at least in the rap world, he's still a heavy weight talent and his show deserves your eyes and ears. He even dances a little bit too–truly a triple threat.

You can catch Childish Gambino on both Saturdays of Coachella.

For the first time ever the Parisian clothing and music emporium has compiled an eclectic selection of fresh new faces on the North American front with Kitsuné America.

After booming in Japan, expanding in South East Asia and steadily developing in France and Europe, Kitsuné felt it was time to jump the (other) pond and land firmly in the USA -- eager to take in its many bubbling scenes, from strobe-lit basements to sun soaked festivals. All in all, this is one album full of the things Kitsuné loves most: new music, great tracks and talents yet to be discovered, from indie acts to dance producers and whatever new bands fall in between. From East Coast (St Lucia, Slebrities, XXXChange) to West Coast (Giraffage, Childish Gambino, Dwntwn) Kitsuné aims to never leave a scene overlooked.

With the brand and label celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Maison Kitsuné will also make a permanent place for itself in the USA with the opening of their new boutique in New York City this April. Perfectly located just blocks from the Ace Hotel and a stones throw away from Madison Square Park it's the ideal location for the next step in Kitsuné's already elegant history. Conceived as an engaging experience in fashion, music, design and lifestyle, Maison Kitsuné New York will present a unique retail experience in a forward-thinking and lively space, providing a cultural cornerstone in one of the city’s most dynamic creative hubs.

Kitsuné America
Compilation Tracklist

St Lucia - Before The Dive
Dwntwn - See My Eyes
Childish Gambino - Heartbeat (Them Jeans Remix)
HEARTSREVOLUTION - Retrograde
Frances Rose - Vampire
Gigamesh - Your Body
White Shadow - If You Like It
XXXChange - F*k Yeah Ace Of Hearts
Oliver - Walk With Me
Emil & Friends - Royal Oats
Selebrities - Regret
Poindexter - Helpless
Computer Magic - Help Me
Giraffage feat. XXYYXX - Even Though

What Bonnaroo does better than any other North American festival is purvey that communal atmosphere of Woodstock. As great as the festival's atmosphere is, let’s talk about some of the bands we’re most excited to see.

They’re not exactly a new band, in fact, they’re the complete antithesis of that, but we’d be remiss if we didn't at least give a passing mention to the Beach Boys in their 50th anniversary.  Bonnaroo could be an amazing place to see the rock legends perform live. Imagine the rain sweeps through Tennessee, Mike Love starts into “I Get Around” as the puddles accumulate and you, a rugged individual concertgoer starts sliding through the mud. That would be the experience of a lifetime.

You want newer bands? We got Grouplove, who as you aware of, are one of the best new bands to hit the scene in years. What they’re doing is almost criminally good. Sure, they’re a bit weird and a bit disjointed, but don’t we seek a bit of chaos in our musical joy? Having never seen them live I can only imagine the amount of energy that it takes to play at such a high level.

The Avett Brothers are a band I have had the pleasure of seeing in person. They’re so good live that they’ve made it onto my top five concerts list. They drip sweat the way Bruce Springsteen does after a show. You would half expect a digit to fly with the sheer speed that they play their respective instruments. With a new album coming out sometime this year, they’re sure to play some songs you’ve never heard and perhaps, if you’re lucky, a cover or two like the backyard YouTube video they did of the aforementioned Springsteen’s“Glory Days.”

Who is Bon Iver? Or for those unadoring haters, Bonny Bear. He’s the Grammy winning Best New Artist, but that doesn't mean shit. I didn't love his last album, but mostly because it wasn’t particularly my style. The album so many people that considered it one of the best albums last year that I felt like I was in the minority of those that didn't have it in the top five. Even if you don’t like Bon Iver what you can’t deny is that Justin Vernon is funny, engaging and a wonderful talent in a scene that seems thoroughly bereft of much of it these days.

If you thought I was going to leave out hip-hop, you thought wrong. Childish Gambino is gonna get on that as tags and destroy all the preconceived notions you had of a rapper, actor and a celebrity all in one fell swoop. I already thought he had one of the best albums last year and knowing that he’s about to blow the tarp off the Bonnaroo stage makes me shaky with anticipation.

If you’ve budgeted for one festival this summer, for one trip, make this the one. Get on a plane, take a train, find a bus, gas up the Prius and get your ass to Tennessee in June. Kudos to the organizers of this amazing festival, you’ve done it once again.

When my friends and I wax sentimental, it’s become common—even expected—to hear at least one anecdote from a bygone Sasquatch weekend. Hosted at the Gorge Amphitheater in central Washington, the festival promises jaw-dropping musical talent and one of most visually stunning venues in all the land. This year suggests no different, with performances from musical goliaths Bon Iver, Beck, Jack White, Girl Talk and BestNewBands.com favorites such as Childish Gambino, The Civil Wars, Gary Clark Jr. and our Best New Band of 2011, Grouplove.  Also, there is a bundle of new and up-and-coming bands sure to secure a spot in the memory banks of this year’s attendees. For example:

Shabazz Palaces—

With the release of their debut album last year, Seattle’s Palaceer Lazaro—aka Ishmael Butler—and multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire (Shown Above) have proven to be two of the most exciting new voices in hip-hop.  Black Up is an impressive mix of Butler’s cosmic rhymes set to swirling psychedelic beats and haunting, reverb-drenched effects.

Lord Huron—

There’s a lot of folk-pop to be had in this world, but it’s rare to find some as carefully crafted and emotive as Lord Huron. With ethereal vocals that drift over Afro-Caribbean percussion and acoustic guitar narratives, Ben Schneider and crew are able to separate themselves from the pack while making it sound effortless.

Star Slinger—

It was two years ago that Darren Williams started making music under the name Star Slinger.  Since then he’s put out a number of unofficial remixes, collaborations with other artists and original material. Volume 1, his 11-track 2010 release, finds the 25-year-old producer making upbeat sample-heavy sonic collages that follow in the footsteps of artists like J-Dilla, Kanye West and Madlib.

For more information see: http://sasquatchfestival.com/

Top Photo: Deerhunter by Christopher Nels

The lineup for this years Coachella Festival is out and, as you would expect, it's a great one. Headlined by The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog. The lineup includes also includes a lot of our favorites here at BestNewBands.com including: M83, Florence + the Machine, Neon Indian, Dawes, WU LYF, tUnE yArDs, Childish Gambino, Gary Clark Jr.,  and our Best New Band of 2011 Grouplove.

The recession's over, so get your tickets now before they sell out.

I resisted listening to this album for a long time, because yay another actor made a hip-hop album. We all remember that Jamie Foxx fiasco from a few years ago and who could forget William Shatner’s disastrous foray into making awful, if not comical, music for the masses. Then I started hearing rumblings. My friend Amanda started tweeting endlessly about how good the album was and while I love Amanda, our styles aren’t always necessarily intertwined. So, again, I procrastinated.

You see my plate is full of albums I’m supposed to be listening to. I’m supposed to listen to albums to decide whether or not they are good enough to review or shitty enough to review. Lately, there seems to be a plethora of material coming my way and while I welcome that material, some of it is shall we say less than satisfactory. I watch Donald Glover on the NBC show Community and while I do enjoy his character and his little end of show vignettes with Danny Pudi, I still find it less than appealing for actors to do music as well.

Here’s the thing about that…no I’ll put it in a way you can understand. Keanu Reeves, Bruce Willis, Jack Wagner, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto, Kevin Bacon, Steven Seagal, Billy Bob Thorton, Jada Pinkett Smith (she was in a scream-o band), Dennis Quaid, Johnny Depp, Hugh Laurie  and Michael “Fucking” Cera (proper name). All of these actors are or were in bands as well. What is the common denominator of all these bands? They suck. You’ll notice I did not name Zooey Deschanel, Jason Schwartzman or Jeff Bridges. Why, pre tell did I not throw them into the shitpile? Because their bands are/were good. Phantom Planet gets a bum rap from critics because their song “California” was the theme song to The OC. She & Him are a great little act and I will never say one bad word about The Dude. Never!

So percentage wise it doesn’t usually merit even a listen when actors make an album. It’s just a circumstance of having a combination of money and too much time that makes an actor say, “Fuck it, I like music and I’m famous, maybe I can make some side dough on another creative outlet.” That is not a good reason to make music. Now, we come back to Childish Gambino, who, incidentally, got his name from a Wu-Tang Clan app, which doesn’t surprise me in the least.

Finally, the cries of awesomeness were just too much to bear and I relented. I listened to it once and thought okay this isn’t bad. I saw Kanye West and Eminem influences in the music and I love both rappers, so that was a plus. Then I listened again and delved into it a little more lyrically and understood where he was going: it’s honest, epic and funny. My favorite track, and really it wasn’t close, was “Heartbeat.” For some reason, it reminded me of “Every Breath You Take” by The Police. I don’t know why, it just had that feeling, that desperation about it. I know that feeling. That “what the fuck are we” emptiness when you’re the guy the girl cheats on her boyfriend with.

I am not a hip-hop connoisseur. I think it’s been muddled and watered down so much that there are only a few great MCs around anymore. Lupe Fiasco, Wiz Khalifa, Theophilus London these guys are the new breed and now I think you can add Childish Gambino to that mix. Unless, of course, this is a one off. The biggest relief is that he didn’t go PG. To coin a particularly overused phrase, he “kept it real.” I wanted to hate it, but how can you hate something that makes you want to move like a hyena on crack? It’s a fantastic album and is far better than anything that Degrassi hack Drake is vomiting out these days. Get it, you can thank me later.

I first learned of the Massachusetts based indie-pop project Dom this past spring when I saw them live at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. The show was fun and the synth driven sounds had me hooked from the first song. One of the highlights of the show was Dom’s interaction with the crowd, which had me laughing throughout the set. I was excited to learn that Dom will be dropping a new EP-Family of Love-on 8/9. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Dom for a bit about music while him and his band were on their way to a show in Philly.

Dan Cordie: Alright let’s do this - what are some of the bands that have influenced the music that you are making?

Dom: The Stone Roses, The Cure and The Ventures. This new record that’s coming up is Bowie, Mariah Carey and Judy Nylon sounding.

DC: I checked out the new EP Family of Love and am really digging it.

DC: What’s one of the strangest gigs that you have played?

Dom: (Asks band mates for suggestions) Oh I got one—the strangest one and probably most recent was the Sydney Oprah House on acid in June.

DC: Wow, that sounds insane.

Dom: Yeah, that was just really intense. Cate Blanchett was totally killing the vibe, really nice people there though.

DC: Are there any upcoming shows that you’re looking forward to?

Dom: Philadelphia tonight, Lollapalooza, Nashville (I’ve never been) and well I’m excited for Loufest - that’s going to be fun.

DC: What bands are you really into listening to right now?

Dom: I am really excited for the new Wild Nothing to come out. I'm also listening to Real Estate. (Asks band - what else are we listening to?) Oh yeah—Childish Gambino, that shit is funnier than Community. Can you quote "Donald Glover what are you doing?”

DC: If you created a dream concert bill, who you be playing with?

Dom: Let me think—King Tuff, Mariah Carey—umm I don't know but that would be fun. I guess we have to think big on this one.

DC: Definitely, it’s a dream man

Dom: No way, uh hold on, the dream concert would be opening for Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

DC: I’m a huge fan of the song “Jesus”, could you give me a little background?

Dom: That was actually the first song I wrote for this. I really thought about where I was. I was dating a girl for four years, it was really falling apart fast and I didn't have anything else in the world, no family or anything. Basically it’s about how you want what you used to have in something—whether religion or a relationship, but its pretty obvious that you would never return to where you once were.

DC: What do you hope to accomplish as a musician in the upcoming year?

Dom: Tour and make some money

Order Dom’s new EP Family of Love on Amazon now

You can connect with Dom on Facebook and Twitter

Catch Dom live:

8/6 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
8/9 – The Garrison – Toronto, Canada
8/10 – il Motore – Montreal, Canada
8/11 – Pier 54 – New York, NY
8/12 – Kahbang Festival – Bangor, ME
8/27 – LouFest – St. Louis, MO

Picked By: Liz Livengood

Who: Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr

Where: Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR

When: Monday, June 6th at 9pm

Cost: $10 advance, $12 day of show

Age Restrictions: 21+