FYF Fest 2012: Refused, Wild Flag, M83, Yeasayer booked

Now in its ninth year, the independent-focused FYF Fest is returning to the Los Angeles State Historic Park and for the first time since moving downtown will expand from one to two days. The lineup for the Labor Day weekend fest is an adventurous mix of acts young and old, leaning heavily on punk and veterans of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Top-billed artists this year include the reunited Swedish punk band Refused, reunited local rock band Redd Kross, the trippy M83, indie-punk supergroup Wild Flag and electro-soul artist James Blake. 

Once again the FYF Fest is working in conjunction with Coachella promoter Goldenvoice. This marks the fourth straight year that FYF has been stationed at the Chinatown-adjacent State Historic Park, also the site of this summer's dance-focused Hard Summer. While FYF has long specialized in promoting punk and noise shows in and around Echo Park, this year's lineup was first unveiled on Santa Monica's non-profit KCRW-FM, a sign of FYF's growing influence on the local scene.

Other acts booked for the festival, which will take place Sept. 1 and 2, include the reunited Desaparecidos, the politically inclined scrappy punk outfit led by Bright Eyes architect Conor Oberst, and the global influenced music of Yeasayer. All told, more than 50 acts were revealed Monday morning. Among the highlights: hard-core act Quicksand, noise-pop aficionados Sleigh Bells, '80s revivalists Twin Shadow, electronic act Purity Ring, the patiently ambient rock of Warpaint and in-the-news punk band Against Me!

Weekend passes will start at $77 and will go on sale Friday via Ticketfly. FYF Fest is all-ages and will run from noon until midnight each day. Tickets will also be available at independent record stores in the L.A. area and select Chilli Beans locations. Visit the FYF Fest site for a complete run-down of outlets. 

Complete lineup and poster is after the jump:

M83's galaxy-sized ambitions

Today, The Times' Calendar section has a long profile of Anthony Gonzalez, the sentimental synth-wrangler behind M83. Gonzalez relocated to Los Angeles two years ago. His new album, "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming," was released last year to his best reviews. It made him a live-show favorite (he plays the first of two sold-out nights at Club Nokia with like-minded locals Big Black Delta tonight).

His emphasis on clear vocals and big onstage productions might herald a turn toward pop ambitions.

“We certainly are looking towards the pop landscape as an arena where M83 can have success,” said Nicole Blonder, senior director of marketing and sales for M83's label Mute Records. “There's been a lot of very positive response from radio, sync licensing, media -- all necessary to make that transition.”

Still, Gonzalez has insecurities to shake. He admits that he doesn't see himself as much of a singer and that he was depressed for months after completing his last album, the breezy and more rock-inspired “Saturdays = Youth.” “When I first listened to it after it was finished, I just cried and cried because I knew I could have done better,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do at that point. That album gave me so many great experiences, but I felt like I was so lazy in making it.”

No one can say that about the sprawl of "Hurry Up." 

Gonzalez's show tonight (and his just-announced major Coachella slot) feels like a codification of a major new voice straddling electronica and rock. Read the full profile here.

-- August Brown

Photo: Anthony Gonzalez, the French electronica producer who performs as M83, photographed in front of a mural, on Jan. 09. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times.