at Paramount Theater

Last night's performance by Wilco at the Paramount was just a few strokes short of phenomenal. And those few strokes, mind you, were negligible at best. The set had that bright, perfect, let-your-love-light-shine kind of feeling, coupled with a stunning amount of... well, shredding, really, is the only way to put it. Hella shredding, even! Lovelight and shredding, with lots of emphasis on the new album, select tracks from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and a perfect integration of the rest of the band's catalog. Lines like what was I thinking / when I said hello {I Am Trying To Break Your Heart}, with no larger problems / that need to be erased {Impossible Germany} and you love her / but you don't know why {Born Alone} were delivered with the intimacy and care as if they were being played for a few hundred close friends at a venue the size of Neumos. Connecting with a room the size of the Paramount is no small task, and Wilco seemed to pull this off effortlessly, much to the crowd's delight.

On top of all the sonic bliss, fans seated up in the balcony were able to take in the show the full view of the stage and the incredulous setup of hundreds of rag-covered lights that hung from the rafters, which reflected an aptly-displayed series of lights and images that changed with the songs during the set -- birds, mountaintops, digital dreamscapes, and open skies. It was reminscent of the thousand-lantern stage setup that Grizzly Bear had at the Moore a few years back, only better. Shreddier, even. And so beautifully Wilco-esque.

{Set list after the jump!}

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In the pig-pile rush to get our best-of-2011 lists done, we thought we'd take a break and pick up the continuation of that what's-in-heavy-rotation post from last month, wherein we let you know what was taking up space on the imaginary radar of late, along with upcoming shows and appearances. So, without further ado, here's the second piece of that post, where almost none of the bands have anything particular coming up on the calendar or release radar, but we've still got them in repeat mode regardless:

We're not sure if this is a band-produced or fan-made video, but in either case, Yellow Ostrich's WHALE is pretty high up there on the list for Best Mixtape Openers Ever To Exist {which makes the grand assumption that ubiquitous you still makes actual mixtapes, of course} with it's stripped-bare, big-empty-room drumbeats and veritable choir of multi-vocals to bleed into the start of something good. Regardless of your format or fancy, you'd be doing yourself a favor by picking up this track to have in your tracklisty mix-making arsenal. YO doesn't have any tour dates coming up at the moment, but head on over to their corner of the internet anyway to keep an eye on what's coming next for these gents. {band site}

On the roots-y-Roadhouse-y front, there's a few alt.indie acts that fall under the umbrella of "General American Songwriter" that have made it into our mixes of late, like the entirety of Gillian Welch's The Harrow and the Harvest and Caitlin Rose (photo above)'s Own Side Now. Gillian's album has proper and snippet-streams all about the web, but even though there were a slew of Fleetwood Mac covers, we couldn't find a video or track link for our favorite song of Caitlin's, "Coming Up" -- and it's hands-down the best representation of her we can muster. Should you come across it out there, please purchase it immediately and blast it on your next drive at full-volume, preferably as the closer of the mix you just made that started with that Yellow Ostrich track. {buy Gillian's music} {buy Caitlin's music}

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It's high time we started scouring the schedule and getting that backlog of laundry done -- because this year's Sasquatch festival up at the Gorge is upon us, and we'll be heading up there for the long Memorial Day weekend (including Friday) to report back the best of what's good. Here's a blow-by-blow of what's really blasting some emotional sunshine into the damp, grey corners of our Seattle springtime:

Monday's main stage shows are going to kick serious ass. Starting with the finish line: the day will wrap up with a full frontal dose of Wilco on a stage warmed up by the Decemberists, a win-win for a variety of tastes. Prior to that, the throwback sounds of Best Coast will be assaulting us from the Yeti stage, and before that we'll shoot over to the Bigfoot stage to catch the sweet, smiling-but-melancholy sounds of Stornoway. All this and a bag of goodies after starting off our morning (at 1pm) with the Young Evils, and the first appearance at the main stage for the day to catch Mr. Miller and the rest of the Old 97's. Monday will be full of big guitars, upbeat jangle-pop, swoontastic harmonies, and hopefully, lots and lots of sunshine to go along with the vibe.

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{Sasquatch photo by asclepius6 from the Imaginary Flickr Photo Pool}

Do you hear that?

It is the sound of folks feverishly tweeting and posting about the amazing #Sasquatch line-up just announced. After weeks (who are we kidding, months!) of mathematically calculating probabilities based on tour schedules and record release dates, we finally have a firm answer of who's going to be at the Gorge this Memorial Day weekend, as well as explanations as to why certain folks don't have a Seattle tour date in the next few months.

Not to sound like everyone else every other year, but this year's line-up has left me speechless. The Sasquatch folks have brought together the best of the best of the best (except Allo Darlin, which I'm guessing will be begged to participate next year) to celebrate their 10th Anniversary.  I mean Wilco, Bright Eyes, Matt & Kim, The Radio Dept., The Thermals, Stornoway, and The Young Evils!?!?!?  You're killing me!!!

Are you headed that way? Who are you most excited about (mine bolded below)? Anyone else you think is going to be added to the bill before we pack up our roadtrip munchies and head Quincy, WA way?

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Yesterday I divulged my favorite albums of the year. Today I am ready to let go of my latest obsession: My album recap of how I spent my 00's.

The below listage rant is my own little time capsule to remind myself why 2000-2009 musically ruled. As with my other list posts, I'm certain I totally forgot to add something really important to my end-all-be-all-recap. It's up to you to remind me by posting your favs of the 00's below.

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Judging by how fast tickets for The Shins' and Iron and Wine's two night stands sold out, everyone loves their schmindie. So, as a public service announcement, I'm compiling some schmindie-related news stories in one neat post.

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Wilco is offering up a free MP3. All you have to do to get it is pledge that you'll vote in the upcoming election.

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Fleet Foxes are having a fantastic year.

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Of course, this year's nominees were picked by a guy from Snow Patrol, a guy from the Killers, a guy from CMJ and a guy from KCRW ... and I suppose it reflects that diverse group (note the sarcasm).

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After much deliberation, here’s my top ten for 2007.

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