Hour by hour

When it comes to meltdown at the Coachella Festival, we’re not just talking about standing out in the sun. It can also be caused by musical/sensory overload, that feeling of disorientation that can hit when one is faced with too many choices. It’s the point where you can’t remember whether it was Bright Eyes or Wolf Eyes that you were looking forward to -- and God help you if you pick the wrong one.

To help avoid this kind of crisis and wisely navigate simultaneous events occurring on five stages, Calendar has again assembled an hour-by-hour guide to the festival, with our choices for the mandatory, the maybes and the rest. Factor in your musical preferences, stay hydrated, and note that whether it’s the Chemical Brothers or the Blood Brothers, you’ll be staying up late.

Saturday

THE NOON HOUR

Catch it if you can: Sexy Magazines (12:30-1, Mojave Stage). The New York band’s spare garage-rock is a pop-leaning take on the Stooges and Sex Pistols.... Boom Bip (12:30-1:20, Gobi Tent). The organic and electronic blend neatly under the hand of Cincinnati’s Bryan Hollon, whose album “Blue-Eyed in the Red Room” includes vocals by Anna Nastasia and Gruff Rhys.

1 PM

Catch it if you can: Gratitude (1:15-2, Mojave Stage). Anthem-packed guitar rock that’s a little emo, a little Bright Eyes. Generic but impassioned.

Also: Katie Melua (1:35-2:20, Gobi Tent). After an odyssey that took her from her native Georgia (the former USSR version) to Ireland and then to England, you would hope for something more intriguing than mellow jazz-pop-soul in a Norah Jones vein. At least there’s an occasional flurry of Kate Bush.

2 PM

DON’T MISS: Buck 65 (1:55-2:40, Main Stage). This boho rapper conjures a trace of Tom Waits when he applies a flavorful growl to his narratives, which include some provocative originals and a stroke-of-genius take on Woody Guthrie’s wickedly funny “Fishing Blues.”

Catch it if you can: K-os (2:35-3:20, Gobi Tent). Flamenco, reggae, Quincy Jones-style pop-soul, mariachi -- this and more flows through the music of the Toronto-based rapper and singer. While it can all drift toward blandness, his bouncy single “Crabbuckit” is insanely catchy.... Radio 4 (2:15-3:10, Mojave Tent). Rock-steady electro-funk grooves, yelping vocals, political lyrics -- yep, another Gang of Four disciple. And not a bad one, with simple hooks building to a clarion clamor that’s catchy and insistent.

Also: Nic Armstrong & the Thieves (1:40-2:25 Outdoor Theater). The Brit sounds earnest and energetic, but the dawn-of-rock vision is narrow, as if he’s spent a little too much time with the Beatles’ Hamburg tapes.... Evil Nine (1:30-3:15, Sahara Tent).

3 PM

DON’T MISS: Raveonettes (3-3:50, Main Stage). Girl-groups, surf guitar, Velvet Underground, the Jesus and Mary Chain, rockabilly -- they might be overexploited resources, but this Danish duo reminds us why they keep getting plundered: They’re a lot of fun and endlessly recyclable.

Catch it if you can: Jamie Cullum (2:50-3:35 Outdoor Theater). Another Brit who looks back to England’s musical heritage, but he peers over the usual punk and post-punk influences and takes inspiration from Elton John-era pop, stirring in Sinatra, Darin and other swingers.

Also: Ambulance Ltd. (3:35-4:20 Mojave Tent). The New York band plays melodious pop-rock with some experimental textures. Pleasant, but it could use more hooks or more energy.... DJ Peretz (3:15-4:15, Sahara Tent). That’s Perry Farrell in his DJ hat. Watch Mr. Lollapalooza checking out the competition.

4 PM

DON’T MISS: The Kills (4:50-5:40, Mojave Tent). Sexual tension and obsession are acted out in cathartic song by this Anglo-American duo. Scary stuff.

Catch it if you can: Snow Patrol (4:15-5:05, Main Stage). These sensitive lads are members of the Coldplay school, but their furrowed-brow seriousness tends to tamp down the grandeur. Until they get to “Run,” which is as grand as pop gets.

Also: Eisley (4-4:45, Outdoor Theater). Sounds more Lilith Fair than Coachella, with three sisters weaving voices in tight harmony on the debut album “Room Noises.” .... M83 (3:40-4:30, Gobi Tent). More is not enough for M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez, a symphonic progressive-rock extremist who layers on the crescendos and choruses with shameless excess.... DJ Marky (4:15-5:15, Sahara Tent).

5 PM

Catch it if you can: Keane (5:30-6:20, Main Stage). The English trio sweetens its Coldplay-like balladry with a choirboy openness that puts it on the fence between emotive and saccharine.... Razorlight (5:10-5:55, Outdoor Theater). Illness and stage fright derailed the Brits’ first U.S. tour earlier this year, so Razorlight is trying to catch up with the new U.K. crowd. Credentials include a love of the Kinks, a debut album of promising Libertines-like songs and a potentially tumultuous front man in Johnny Borrell.

Also: Immortal Technique (4:55-5:45, Gobi Tent).... Tiga (5:15-6:30, Sahara Tent).

6 PM

DON’T MISS: Rilo Kiley (6:20-7:10, Outdoor Theater). The Los Angeles band broke from the pack in 2004 with its third album, “More Adventurous,” which brought added command and richness to its complex but catchy treatises on modern life.

Catch it if you can: Jean Grae (6:05-6:50, Gobi Tent). The New Yorker remains an indie/underground rap phenom, despite mounting accolades for her second album, “This Week.”

Also: Stereophonics (6:10-6:55, Mojave Tent). The Welsh band is a career foot-soldier in the Britpop army, always there and ready with its emotive guitar rock, but never irreplaceable or essential.

7 PM

DON’T MISS: Wilco (6:45-7:35, Main Stage). With Los Angeles guitar visionary Nels Cline in the touring lineup, Jeff Tweedy and company take their game up to a new level, adding rock power and range while retaining the folksy intimacy.... Cafe Tacuba (7:35-8:25, Outdoor Theater). The longtime rock en espanol heroes’ charming performance at the recent KCRW benefit concert stole the show from everyone but the headlining Coldplay. Time for a rematch.

Catch it if you can: UNKLE (6:30-7:45, Sahara Tent). James Lavelle and new man from UNKLE Richard File figure to deliver some of the propulsive, atmospheric dance music from the new album “Never, Never, Land.”

Also: MF Doom (7:15-8, Mojave Tent). The outre, hockey-masked rapper from L.A.’s anything-goes Stones Throw label is a complex cartoon.... Swayzak (7:15-8:05, Gobi Tent).

8 PM

DON’T MISS: Weezer (8-8:50, Main Stage). Attach underdog attitude to KISS crunch and decorate it with some enticing hooks. The L.A. veterans have it down cold, and bringing in the estimable Rick Rubin as producer has only added to the allure -- their new single, “Beverly Hills,” quickly climbed to the top of the KROQ play list, and songs from the upcoming album “Make Believe” figure to spice the set.

Catch it if you can: Secret Machines (8:25-9:05, Mojave Tent). The band moved from Dallas to New York, where it honed its contemplative, billowing hard rock. Not too ponderous for something so apocalyptic.

Also: Josh Wink (7:45-9, Sahara Tent). The Philadelphian is one of the mainstays of dance music .... Four Tet (8:30-9:20 Gobi Tent).

9 PM

DON’T MISS: Bauhaus (9:15-10:15, Main Stage). The four original members of the band that launched a thousand goths get together for the first time since their 1998 reunion.

Catch it if you can: Bloc Party (9:30-10:15, Mojave Tent). The Londoners’ spare, astringent rock manages to be direct and slightly arty.... Sage Francis (8:45-9:30, Outdoor Theater). The New Englander is a feisty and articulate leader of the alt-hip-hop scene.

Also: Hernan Cattaneo (9-10:15, Sahara Tent). Argentina’s contribution to global dance music.

10 PM

DON’T MISS: Chemical Brothers (10:20-11:50, Sahara Tent). Dance music’s fortunes might be in flux, but this veteran English duo keeps going strong. Its latest, “Push the Button,” includes the psychedelically exotic single “Galvanize,” featuring Q-Tip, and the live show promises new dimensions in light and sound.

Catch it if you can: Mercury Rev (9:50-10:35, Outdoor Theater). The upstate New York band has built a major cult following with its moody, psychedelic rock, and anticipation is high for the new album “The Secret Migration.”

Also: Amp Fiddler (9:45-10:35, Gobi Tent).

11 PM

DON’T MISS: Coldplay (10:40-11:55, Main Stage). The English band makes it look easy, but there’s nothing facile or glib about its instantly accessible anthems of devotion and confessions of uncertainty. And there’s not a trace of contrivance in front man Chris Martin’s manically urgent stage manner.

Catch it if you can: Spoon (11-11:55, Outdoor Theater). The Austin-based duo has been building its critical credentials for a while, but the upcoming “Gimme Fiction” figures to boost the buzz, with a mix of the cerebral and the soulful that recalls the likes of Squeeze.... Fantomas (10:40-11:30, Mojave Tent). Call it the anti-Coldplay. Anyone attracted to the experimental, cartoonish mayhem of singer Mike Patton (Faith No More), drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and company won’t be worried about missing the headliner.

Also: Zap Mama (11-11:50, Gobi Tent). The veteran world music group has taken a soul-music turn, relocating to Philadelphia and entering the Roots’ orbit for its latest album, “Ancestry in Progress.”

Sunday

THE NOON HOUR

Catch it if you can: Midlake (12:40-1:10, Mojave Tent). There’s something evocative at the core of these small-town Texans’ winsome, whimsical and melancholy psychedelia.

Also: Goodbye Radar (11:50-12:20 Mojave Tent).

1 PM

DON’T MISS: Zion I (1-1:40, Gobi Tent). Talib Kweli and Aesop Rock are among the guests on “True & Livin,” this Oakland entry’s laid-back, melancholy take on its hometown and the black experience.

Catch it if you can: Shout Out Louds (1-1:40, Outdoor Theater). The Swedish pop-rock band has a light touch, recalling such artists as Frank Black and the Smashing Pumpkins.... Sloan (1:35-2:20, Mojave Tent). A Cheap Trick for the times? The Canadians specialize in a bouncy, driving power-pop that can work up a frothy infectiousness.

Also: DJ Jun (12:30-2, Sahara Tent).

2 PM

DON’T MISS: Gram Rabbit (1:40-2:25 Main Stage). The desert-dwellers’ starry-eyed psychedelia and soaring space rock are grounded by a twisted sense of humor and a twangy sincerity.

Also: Donavon Frankenreiter (2-2:45, Outdoor Theater). This associate of surfer-turned-mellow-popster Jack Johnson combines a dusky, soft-soul sound and some cringe-making rhymes into a package so wispy it could be carried off be the slightest desert breeze.... Diplo (2-3, Sahara Tent). Cinematic, orchestral/jazz soundscapes fulfill the title mission of “Florida,” an album evoking the producer-DJ’s home state.... Subtle (1:45-2:30, Gobi Tent).

3 PM

DON’T MISS: Autolux (2:45-3:35, Mojave Tent). Grinding guitars, electronic whooshes and toy piano stake out some of the wide boundaries of the Los Angeles trio, whose meditative tendencies are balanced by a dash of Smashing Pumpkins and a taste of the Jesus and Mary Chain.

Catch it if you can: Perceptionists (2:50-3:35, Main Stage). From the pace-setting underground hip-hop label Definitive Jux, some classic-cum-progressive sounds and heavy political/social comment.

Also: Jem (3:05-3:55, Outdoor Theater). Dido lite.... Matthew Dear (3-4:15, Sahara Tent). The Detroit-based Texan is one of the rising stars of dance-music’s minimalist wing.... Sixtoo (2:55-3:45, Gobi Tent).

4 PM

DON’T MISS: Kasabian (4-4:50, Mojave Tent). In rock ‘n’ roll, urgency trumps originality every time. This band from Leicester distills decades of British music, from “Magical Mystery Tour” Beatles to the fleeting but memorable Jesus Jones to the whole Manchester groove thing, but it gives it a kick and a twist that make it all its own.... M.I.A. (4:10-5, Gobi Tent). The Londoner of Sri Lankan heritage uses her outsider sensibility as the launching pad for the raps that have made her a rising force in England.

Catch it if you can: Fiery Furnaces (4:20-5:10, Outdoor Theater). The brother-sister team from Brooklyn have made intriguing music out of private obsessions ....Ben Watt (4:15-5:30, Sahara Tent). The former partner in British duo Everything but the Girl has become a big-time DJ, specializing in house music.

Also: Thrice (3:55-4:40, Main Stage). The Orange County band’s punk/metal squalls have drawn a hard-core following, but beyond the energy there isn’t much staying power.

5 PM

Futureheads (5:05-5:50, Main Stage). None of the other members of Britain’s new breed use voices the way this Sunderland band does on its debut album, “The Futureheads,” where it twines in Beach Boys harmonies and deploys in playful, propulsive formations reminiscent of the early Who.

Catch it if you can: Tegan and Sara (5:30-6:20, Outdoor Theater). The Canadian twins’ tart and tangy harmonies often take on an almost metallic edge that keeps their spiky light-rock from cloying.

Also: The Bravery (5:15-6:05, Mojave Tent). The buzz-bearing, attitude-sporting New York City band is often catchy, but it’s usually more slick than sultry.... Beans (5:25-6:15, Gobi Tent) This tongue-twisting rapper sometimes approaches dancehall speed.

6 PM

DON’T MISS: Gang of Four (6:15-7:05, Main Stage). There couldn’t be a better setting for the first U.S. show by the influential British band’s original lineup in more than two decades. From Bloc Party to Radio 4 to the Faint to the Futureheads, the Coachella lineup is flush with bands indebted to the quartet’s sinewy, funk-rooted sound and political lyrics.

Catch it if you can: Roots Manuva (6:30-7:20, Mojave Tent). Dizzee Rascal, the Streets and now M.I.A. have had the spotlight when it comes to distinctive British hip-hop, but this engagingly gruff Londoner was there first, laying the groundwork.... Miss Kittin (5:30-6:45, Sahara Tent). The deadpan diva from France specializes in electro-erotic charges.

7 PM

DON’T MISS: The Arcade Fire (6:45-7:35, Outdoor Theater). The Montreal group was one of last year’s big breakthroughs, quickly expanding its audience with urgent live shows and with “Funeral,” an album that confronts loss and courts transcendence.

Catch it if you can: Z-Trip (6:40-7:30, Gobi Tent). The L.A. producer and DJ’s new album, “Shifting Gears,” has several guests, including Chuck D, but it’s the track with Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, “Walking Dead,” that has brought him to the rock audience.

Also: Junkie XL (6:45-8, Sahara Tent). The best known work by the eclectic England-to-L.A. transplant is the hit remix of Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation.”

8 PM

DON’T MISS: Aesop Rock (7:55-8:40, Outdoor Theater). The Brooklyn-based rapper is one of the most dazzling wordsmiths in the hip-hop underground.... New Order (7:35-8:35, Main Stage). One of the father figures to many of the weekend’s bands, this spinoff of the storied Joy Division earned its own cachet in the early ‘80s as an originator of dance rock. Its new album, “Waiting for the Sirens’ Call,” is spotty, but when they lock into their signature groove it’s as if they never went away.

Catch it if you can: Dresden Dolls (7:45-8:35, Mojave Tent). The Boston-based cabaret-rock duo’s “Coin-Operated Boy” has won a lot of fans, including Trent Reznor, who tabbed the Dolls to open Nine Inch Nails’ tour.

Also: DJ Krush (7:40-8:30, Gobi Tent). An elder statesman of DJ culture, the Japanese turntable maestro excavates slow, sensuous grooves on his latest album, “Jaku.” ... Armin Van Buren (8-9:15, Sahara Tent). One of the most in-demand DJs in the dance world.

9 PM

DON’T MISS: Nine Inch Nails (9-10:15, Main Stage). He’s baa-ack. Trent Reznor has used his long layoff to go through rehab, among other things, but fans can still expect explorations of the soul’s dark recesses as he unveils a new album, “With Teeth.”

Catch it if you can: British Sea Power (8:55-9:40, Outdoor Theater). “Open Season” is the new album from a quirky British band that’s earthy but sweeping, loose and vigorous.... Pinback (8:55-9:40, Mojave Tent). The San Diego band’s sophisticated, texture-centric rock is clean, smart and meticulous. Understated but alluring.... Roni Size (9:15-10:15, Sahara Tent). The multifaceted Englishman has shifted from dance instrumentals to an album packed with soulful vocals, but here he’ll do a DJ set with Dynamite MC.... Matmos (8:50-9:40, Gobi Tent). The one-time leader of the unfortunately monikered “intelligent dance music” subgenre transcends categories on “The Civil War,” on which the clangs and whooshes interface perfectly with medieval music.

10 PM

DON’T MISS: Blood Brothers (10-10:45, Mojave Tent). “Everybody needs a little devastation,” sings this bracingly abrasive avant-punk band from Seattle, whose goal seems to be to make listeners feel as if they’ve been dropped into a blender.

Catch it if you can: The Faint (10-10:50, Outdoor Theater). The synth-rock specialists expanded their range on “Wet From Birth.” After their set they’ll become part of fellow Omaha outfit Bright Eyes.... Wolf Eyes (10:05-10:50, Gobi Tent). After Nine Inch Nails, you might be primed for this Michigan trio’s heavy-duty sonic monsters, slabs of pure aggression that evoke Throbbing Gristle and the heyday of industrial rock.

11 PM

DON’T MISS: Bright Eyes (11:10-midnight, Outdoor Theater). Conor Oberst brings a large version of his band (including three members of the Faint) into the glare of high expectations after acclaim for his two new albums.

Catch it if you can: Black Star (10:40-11:40, Main Stage). An exceedingly rare pairing of “conscious” rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli, whose 1998 collaboration album has granted them a seemingly perpetual semi-legendary status ....The Locust (11:10-11:55, Mojave Tent). Antagonistic, radical and confrontational, the San Diego band has amassed fans and foes over the last decade.

Also: The Prodigy (10:30-11:45, Sahara Tent). The English electronica-rock hybrid was once a must-see attraction, but now it’s struggling to regain lost footing.