Liz BrownWith the lineup for Coachella still unannounced, rumors are flying as to the possibilities for the headliners. Here are the some unconfirmed (but widely rumored) potential headliners, as well as our best guesses as to why each will (or will not) make the cut. We'd like you to vote for who you'd like to see headline the 3 nights of the festival in the comments. (Note: the conclusion of this contest will be binding and the entire internet will be forced to abide by the outcome predicted herewith*):
* This is not actually true.
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire's most recent release may not be “fresh”, strictly speaking, by the time Coachella comes around; still, they appeared on quite a few end-of-the-year best of lists and impressed the entire internet with that one video that made use of HTML5 instead of Flash.
PJ Harvey
The Big Queenie herself, PJ Harvey
Her next studio album will be released in February, she's a world-famous musician who doesn't often tour stateside, and she has never played Coachella.
Robyn
The Swedish chanteuse curried critical favor with her most recent releases Also, her 2011 tour takes her stateside; however, in spite of favorable reviews, Robyn lacks the name recognition of previous headliners.
Best Coast
Best Coast
Best Coast's recent appearance on Jimmy Fallon has launched them into higher echelons of fame and boosted an already-impressively fast rise to relevance. Everything about Best Coast, from the music to the album cover, is perfect for a (sweltering) summer day. Best Coast's tour with Wavves leads (loosely) to Coachella. Still, as much as we love Best Coast, they still don't quite have the gravitas of previous headliners.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend's Contra showed up on some esteemed end-of-the-year Best Of list and is beloved by the type of fan who potentially has enough money to actually go see them play Coachella. And perhaps most convincingly, Vampire Weekend (aka, “fuckin' Vampire Weekend,” as in “fuckin' Moby”) makes unfathomably bland music that no one could care enough about to hate.
Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids
Their upcoming release will still be fresh, and they have West Coast tour dates scheduled around the vicinity of Coachella. Their last release by this Christian Non-“Christian Rock”-ers didn't do as well as they had perhaps hoped, maybe Coachella will be the boost they need?
Train
Train
Skeptical? Don't be: this is the only “rock” band in the past year that charted for any length of time, with the song “Hey Soul Sister” (no, really). And if that doesn't depress you enough, ponder that while standing in a polo field in 105-degree heat after you've paid hundreds of dollars to do so.
Kanye West
Kanye
He hasn't played Coachella since 2006, and he'll be on tour in support of his latest album, which appeared on a considerable number of “best of” charts, even those that generally focus on indie rock and electronica. Kanye has massive appeal as well as critical acclaim, making him a serious contender.
Daft Punk
Daft Punk scored Tron: Legacy, potentially putting them in a good place to headline and free themselves from the confines of the rave tent; that soundtrack, however, got mediocre reviews. They did say that there are no plans to play the soundtrack live, however, things change and hope springs eternal.
Coldplay
No. Please. No. (shudders)
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