Chad Batka for The New York Times Grimes performing at the Coachella music festival on Sunday. The festival returns this weekend.This week: the pop critic Jon Caramanica returns from last weekend’s 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, in Indio, Calif.
Weary of dust, sand and bros, Mr. Caramanica questions the indie paradigm and construct, doubts the value of Britpop reunions, and wonders why there’s so much nostalgia at a festival that’s seemingly about the present. Yet â€" as he revealed in a conversation with the host Ben Ratliff â€" he also felt buoyed by a few things he saw: the look and sound of Grimes, the solid delivery of the Hardwell show in the dance tent, the Burning Man-like play-acting at the Do Lab, and the presence of the mainstream rapper 2 Chainz at a festival where he might seem to be out of place.
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RELATED
Jon Caramanica’s notebook on the 2013 Coachella festival.
More coverage from Coachella in ArtsBeat.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
Tracks by artists discussed this week. (Spotify users can also find it here.)
