May is a magical month here in Seattle. We've got spots of sun teasing us with summer promises, Sasquatch anticipation running rampant, and the warm glows of SIFF oozing with the best international indie films. There's only one reason we'd ever want to leave our emerald city bubble during this sweet spot of the year... a good ole fashioned PopFest!

This year, the month of May brought with it two very enticing reasons to head elsewhere: The New York City Popfest {May 20-23, 2010} and the San Francisco Popfest {May 27-30, 2010}. To mark these special events, we've gathered up some of our favorite songs by folks playing these festivals which includes a couple cover songs, a not-yet-released Math & Physics Club song and some rarities to up the popfest ante.  If you were one of the lucky folks that caught any of the NYC or SF Popfest shows, let us know how it went!

***Listen to the Imaginary Popfest Podcast MP3***
{To download the podcast, right click on the link above
and save to your computer}

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{photo via last.fm page}

There are few things I love more than taking indie pop related trips, and thankfully, Slumberland Records have gifted me with the perfect indie pop daydreamer's vacation complete with bands I never thought I'd get to see. To celebrate their 20th anniversary, they're throwing two identical shows, one in San Francisco and one in LA at with some of my favorite bands ever.

March 27th - The Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco/March 28th - The Echo, LA

Henry's Dress
The How
Go Sailor
Brown Recluse
Summer Cats
Pants Yell!
Devon Williams
Neverever
Brilliant Colors
Boyracer

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{Long Winters photo by Trickshot Photography}

Because I'm some kind of masochist and a total nerd, I've been slaving over this list, keeping it brief (harder than you'd think!) at my favorite 20 albums of the decade without duplicating a band (even harder). Side note: I've probably forgotten something I really, really love, so let's just call this how I feel right this minute. These are the albums I know every note and breath of by heart and I love as complete albums with all of my soul. These are albums that in my humble opinion have no skipable track and are works of beauty in their entirety. I'd also like to point out that these are my favorite albums, as I tend to shy away from calling them "the best", as really, it's just my opinion, and who am I to tell you that you're wrong for not liking these records? (Though, if you catch me in a potentially altered state, I may completely negate that and call any number of these THE GREATEST of all time and call you wrong to your face if you disagree.) I digress. Here they are!

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Mark the holiday of St. Valentine with some of the finest fresh and new indie-pop in the blogosphere!

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This album makes me want to chase them down and beg for an evening out on the town together.

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The NYC Popfest folks have announced their 2007 line-up and HOLY COW is it fantabulous! IT MAKES ME WANT TO TYPE IN ALL CAPS!
Behold - I'll post the line-up now and comment more once I gather myself.

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AstroPOP! for September 2006 features rock and roll astrological reviews with Damien Jurado, DJ KRUSH, Every Move a Picture, Gosling, Mike Dumovich, Pants Yell!, Persil, The Thermals, Transmissionary Six, Umber Sleeping, and Viva Voce.