Music agenda: Arcade Fire, Kanye West and thousands of music lovers head to Coachella

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Some 100,000 music lovers head to the California desert for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, April 15-17, to see headliners Arcade Fire, Kanye West and Kings of Leon. Also US rock band the Foo Fighters drops its much-anticipated seventh studio LP, Wasting Light.

Foo Fighters: 'Wasting Light'
April 11/April 12
UK/US

Rock band the Foo Fighters, fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, will drop Wasting Light on April 11 in the UK and April 12 in the US. Wasting Light is the band's seventh full-length LP and is produced by Nirvana producer Butch Vig. Three of the Foo Fighters' previous six albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, and all six have been nominated. The group's last effort, 2008's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, won a Grammy Award and Brit Award for Best International Album, in addition to reaching number one in four countries.
http://foofighters.fm/
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Watch the clip for Wasting Light's "White Limo": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebJ2brErERQ


12th Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
April 15-17
Indio, California, US
Map

The 2011 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, will feature performances by Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Kings of Leon, and the Strokes. Also expected to take the stage at the three-day festival are PJ Harvey, The National, Bright Eyes, Robyn, Ariel Pink, Interpol, Cut Copy, Crystal Castles, Lauryn Hill, Sleigh Bells, Cee Lo Green, Lightning Bolt, the reunited Big Audio Dynamite and Suede, Duran Duran, Erykah Badu, The Black Keys, Titus Andronicus, Best Coast, The Kills, the New Pornographers, Lil B, Odd Future, and the Chemical Brothers. More than 100,000 are expected to attend, and the event is sold out, although a live webcast is planned for the event. Stay tuned to the event website for details. In the decade since Coachella launched, the multi-stage event has grown in size and acclaim and is now considered the opener of the summer festival season.
http://www.coachella.com
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4th Record Store Day
April 16
International

More than 1,000 stores on four continents are set to mark Record Store Day, an annual celebration of independent record stores, through events and special promotions. Bands set to drop releases include Gorillaz, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The Cure, My Morning Jacket, Big Star, The New Pornographers, Panda Bear, The Flaming Lips, Nickel Creek, Superchunk, and Phish. The Rolling Stones are also releasing a seven-inch of "Brown Sugar." To commemorate the event, Seattle's The Experience Music Project will launch its exhibit Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses, featuring 200 artifacts, many rare and unseen, owned by the members of the band and their crew and families. For information about releases, events, and participating stores worldwide, visit: http://www.recordstoreday.com.
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Fleet Foxes Tour
April 29 - July 16
North America/Europe

US folk pop band Fleet Foxes is launching a tour on April 29 in Vancouver, followed by a string of shows throughout the US and Canada before setting off for Berlin on May 25. After select gigs in Europe, they will return to the US to play at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago on July 16. Fleet Foxes are releasing their second album, Helplessness Blues, on May 2 in the UK and May 3 in the US via Sub Pop Records. The Seattle-based band received critical praise for their debut album, which peaked at number three on UK album charts and is cited as one of the best albums of 2008 by magazines Rolling Stone, Billboard, Paste, Spin, and Q.
http://www.subpop.com/artists/fleet_foxes
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42nd New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April 29 - May 8
New Orleans, Louisiana, US

A 10-day cultural feast filled with thousands of musicians and an audience of 400,000 enjoying music on 12 stages, spanning genres from blues to R&B and African to Latin. Arcade Fire, Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Kid Rock, John Mellencamp, Wilco, Willie Nelson, The Strokes, Robert Plant, Lauryn Hill, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Sonny Rollins, and John Legend & The Roots are among the top acts included this year. Arts and cuisine are also features of the fair. The festival is a hybrid of the city's Mardi Gras event and summer jazz fests from Detroit to Montreal. Single day tickets cost $45 (€37) when purchased in advance/$60 (€47) at the door.
http://www.nojazzfest.com


Beastie Boys: 'Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 '
May 2/3
UK/US

Hip hop legends Beastie Boys are dropping their long-awaited eighth studio album on May 3 in the US, May 2 in the UK. Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 will be their first non-instrumental full-length in seven years. The new album will include a collaboration with rapper Nas titled "Too Many Rappers," which released in July 2009 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The band has won three Grammy Awards and received critical acclaim for its albums such as Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty, the latter of which hit number one on charts in the US, the UK, and Australia.
http://www.beastieboys.com
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Radiohead: 'King of Limbs' newspaper album
May 9
Worldwide

British rock group Radiohead is releasing a "newspaper album" of the band’s eighth album, The King of Limbs, available for preorder on the band's website and shipping May 9. Following the album's digital release in February, the newspaper release will include two 10-inch vinyl records, a CD, several large pieces of artwork, and 625 small pieces of artwork. The album has reached number six in US album charts, and number seven in UK album charts. The band's last LP, 2007's In Rainbows, reached number one on album charts in five countries, including the UK, the US, and France. To preorder: http://www.thekingoflimbs.com/DIUSD.htm
http://www.radiohead.com
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