3. James' Surprisingly Good Catalogue: Let's face it: The only James song anyone really cares about is "Laid," the Manchester, England Britpop band’s cheeky hit about beds on fire with passion and love. But it turns out there are others that are worth seeing/hearing, too—who knew? (I didn’t)—especially “Sound,” from their 1992 fourth album, Seven. "Leave your suffering,” Tim Booth sang over a tornado of psych guitar sounds and unhinged drumming. Surprisingly gorgeous. Now I'm pumped to get their full catalogue.

4: Neon Indian's (Chill) Heat Wave: The lo-fi, experimental electro music of "chillwave" outfit Neon Indian usually doesn't bode well with 100 degree-plus temps (it's more, like, snorkeling music). But Alan Palomo pulled it off by making the band’s muscular surges come off like heat waves. "When I touch my keyboard keys I burn my fingers, which is sort of perfect," Palomo joked. His pal "hijacked" the LED screens to project video of the band distorted in waves of hypercolor, bolstering the effect. Trippy! Palomo's outfit wasn't weather appropriate, though, even for a Texas native; his black pants, buttoned-up shirt (even the top button!) and black jean jacket practically gave me a stroke. Later the set picked up tempo and bumpin’ and grindin’ ensued to songs like "6669 (I Don’t Know If You Know)." The bouncers stood on the makeshift walls and doused the audience with water from canisters. “It must be nice getting sprayed,” Palomo cracked. “But it looks like pesticide!" Hopefully it isn't, considering that I had a few mouthfuls.

5. Jimmy Cliff's Sunny Soundtrack: I can see clearly now the rain has gone, indeed. Last Friday, as I settled in for a late night in New York City, I got reports that it was cold and rainy at the kickoff of Coachella Week 1. Not this Friday, though. The reggae legend celebrated with an apt rendition of the classic “I Can See Clearly Now.” The sentiment was backed up on “The Harder They Come” as his backing girl group sang, "sun shine shine shine!!!!" Reggae music will make you appreciate the sun, not matter how hot it is.

6. Girls' Solos: I simply love San Francisco’s throwback rockers Girls. I’ve seen ‘em live three times in support of their latest album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost (another one of 2011’s best) and they have me skipping and dragging my toes on the ground (I call this dancing) like a love-drunk court jester each time. The glory moments during their mid-afternoon set at the Outdoor Stage were as follows… 1) The solo after the second verse on "My Ma." It slays. It’s explosive but not overdone in the slightest; very tasteful. 2) The solo on "Love Like a River," which is bright and, again, very tasteful, understated and complimentary to their sound. And, most importantly, 3) The wailing vocal take from the backup singer on “Vomit.” Wow. Bonus style points to singer-guitarist Christopher Owens for sporting a shirt supporting his home team, the SF Giants.

10 Best Moments of Coachella: Day 1

Coachella

Ten Most Exciting Record Store Day 2012 Releases

Flaming Lips

Neon Indian On "Psychedelic" Flaming Lips Collabo

Ultra Music Festival