As anticpated, our first show at STG's new Neptune Theater was nothing short of an absolute success. Between the vibe of the venue and the bands themselves, we just could not get enough -- so much so that we stayed on until the very end of the night, cheering our approval for both. Okkervil River saw fit to bring over an hour of some honest-to-goodness indie rock to the stage, with a set full of face-meltingly tight selections from both their current and back catalog; while crowd pleasers Titus Andronicus brought all the noise, sweat, and big guitar.screamalong five people could have possibly mustered.

Julianna Barwick:

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We couldn't be more excited for our inaugural show at the Neptune this Saturday -- because none other than the mighty Okkervil River will be taking the stage, and we're planning to be there front and center (with bells on).

The combination of one of our favorite bands and the newest, most anticipated room-opening since Columbia City Theater has us chomping at the bit and ticking off the hours until show time, as this will likely be 2011's biggest and brightest example of two great tastes that taste great together. Emotionally speaking, it's the chocolate in the peanut butter moment we've been waiting for since news of the Neptune's reduxing process came to the surface earlier this year. And not only will we have a night with OKR on the docket, which could be taking place in a dilapidated flophouse and still be capable of melting our faces off, ps -- but we'll be seeing them perform fresh off the incredibly successful release of I Am Very Far.

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From M.I.A's "Kala" to Radiohead's "In Rainbows" and every musical tidbit in between, XL Recordings has released a cavalcade of music in the last year or so. Obviously, they're real darn excited over at XL, because they've put out a compilation, "08/09", of tracks they've been tinkering with and some they are prepping for release later this year.

Highlights include the oft-overplayed (hello KEXP) Peter Gabriel/Hot Chip collab, who render Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" into a much more enjoyable form than it's original, and the surprising soulfulness of the Raconteurs "Many Shades of Black" with Adele at the vocal helm. Damon Albarn's new endeavour with Jamie Hewlett, Monkey, also has a track on this comp. "Heavenly Peach Banquet" is surprisingly delicate and enchanting, like an emotionally stable Coco Rosie or a more youthful, playful Air.

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After two days of stellar recommendations (the other day he sent me to the Ex-Lovers), I'm ready to name him my new awesome recommendation buddy. Today's recommendation from him is Titus Andronicus from Glen Rock, NY.

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