Wow there was a lot to choose from this weekend, including just hanging out in your friend's back yard pondering how to make it to all the shows happening this summer (yay warm weather tour season!).

By the looks of Amelia Gyde's photos from Friday's Lonely Forest / New Faces show at Vera... that *might* have been the place to be Friday night. It also sounds like Bloc Party was stellar on Saturday night and last night, Redwood Plan tore it up at the Crocodile with Ida Maria.

What did you see / do this weekend?

more...

Thanks to torbes163 who added a slew of great photos from the Bloc Party show Saturday night to the Three Imaginary Girls Sparkly Indie Pop Flickr Pool.

Did you go to this show? Was it packed and glorious?

more...

It has now been 2.5 years since I moved out of Seattle for the Golden State. I've slowly drifted out of the NW music culture, so sometimes I wonder if I know what to say on TIG these days.

Combine that with the fact that I was so distracted from music for a lot of 2008, this year's "best of" lists were especially difficult. Heck, I don't even think I can make a Best of NW music list this year, not because there was insufficient music, but because I just missed so many of those important-but-not-well-known releases that make these lists. I did enjoy Fleet Foxes, Common Market, Colin Meloy live, Malkmus and the like, but really, that isn't a "Best of the NW" list but rather a list of albums I liked that happened to be from the NW.

That being said, I did get a last minute music revival for the year. Maybe it was the election being over (and the good guys winning), maybe it was finally getting a faculty position after many years of trying (lets just say Erik will be moving east in 2009), maybe 2008 just didn't mesh with me musically. Who knows? However, there was a lot of great music anyway, and here are my top 20 (for your praise or fist shaking). Feel free to read the full commentary. 

more...

After months of searching for the NME top 10, I did finally find it on the MTV2 website, or at least what it claims is the NME/MTV2 Top 10.

more...

Sometimes I think it takes me waaay too long to come up with my Top 20 albums of a given year. There are a lot of internal debates and arguments that really have no right answer. Really, you reach a point where all the albums are good but how to rank them gets to be quite the challenge. This year was chock full of good music (not matter what the naysayers might groan). I counted something like 175+ albums worth mentioning in 2007, and that is only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything that was released in the year. However, I did whittle it down to 20... well, 22 if you count my 2 EP exception (EP's don't count as real albums).

If you're interested in some sub-lists, like my albums "with apologizes" (albums I didn't hear but should have) or "best imports" or "most disappointing" (hint, the band who made it rhymes with Milo Biley), check it out here.

So, here we go:

#21 The EP's - Two EP's made me happy this year, and really, they would be in the top 20, but it seems unfair to me to include EP's versus albums. They're both UK pop, and they're both brilliant in their own cute way.

Los Campesinos! Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (Thanks to igLiz for this band!)

more...

OK, well, nobody likes to reflect and rank more than I do (I'm a scientist, I love to quantify), so here goes. I've got my favorite songs of 2007 - no, not best or most innovative, but rather the songs I liked ... lots and lots and lots. There is a little overlap from my forthcoming Best Albums, but also some curveballs. Enjoy!

Honorable Mention:

• "Girls and Boys in Love" by the Rumble Strips
• "Sons of Cain" by Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
• "Jack the Ripper" by the Horrors (special note: If the Horrors had a brain and released the original fast demo version of this song on their debut Strange House, it would have been an easy top 10.)
• "Ragoo" by Kings of Leon
• "Heart It Races" by Architecture in Helsinki
• "Geld Essen" by K.I.Z.

#10. "The Prayer" by Bloc Party from Weekend in the City - This song is one of the most interesting songs Bloc Party has recorded. Too bad the rest of the album (short of "Hunting for Witches") just wasn't as cool.

more...

Here's a chance to get some exclusive songs from some of your favorite bands and help a great cause, the crisis in Darfur. The proceeds of the album are going to support various organizations trying to aid the people of Darfur

more...

I have to admit, it is a catchy song and look out for the hype machine for the Wombats to head west any time now.

more...

more...

I've decided to undertake a project each week to run down the Top 10 songs on NME and try to listen to every song (and trust me, I've acquried all the songs legally, let me tell you) and try to post a link it on the web too!.

more...