COACHELLA 2010: Reporting from Day Three

Julian Casablancas sings the Strokes, shot by Erik Voake

For Day Three of Coachella, Spin gave me a mission of breadth over depth. Holding down Sunday’s “Best and Worst Moments” roundup, I weighed in on the following: Julian Casablancas “covering” the Strokes; Phoenix’s unexpected bid for the main stage; Little Boots playing a laser harp; Thome Yorke and Flea dancing their asses off; Rusko destroying the delicate parts of the inner ear; and Deerhunter improvising a Coachella theme song.

Plus: Sunny Day Real Estate confirms its emo status, and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba! joins King Khan and the Shrines on stage! Read it all here.

Q&A: Phoenix’s Thomas Mars

The A.V. Club has just published my interview with Phoenix singer Thomas Mars. The truth is, I’ve been a fan of these Frenchies since high school, but they lost me after Alphabetical. They still have yet to outdo that precise collection of breezy, electronics-laced soft-pop, but their latest, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is garnering the group the most praise it’s seen in years. Read about it here, and count the Gallic metaphors as they stream from Mr. Mars’ mouth.