Constant pavement pounders and Midwestern sweethearts the Poison Control Center are back on the road and will find themselves back in Seattle this Thursday, June 9th! I've expounded endlessly on my love for these boys, and have often referred to them as "Pavement with acrobatics", but their newest record Stranger Ballet, out today on Afternoon Records, finds them growing into their own brand of loud, fast and heartwarming indie rock. Come to the show to rock and leave with a grin, and possibly some bruises (but you know, happy bruises). Supporting are Seattle's own the Bismarck and Runt.

Ever Kings of the Summer Jam, PCC has done it again with the Cheap Trick playing the Who-like swingin' "Some Ordinary Vision". Check out a live version of it beyond the jump to get pumped for the show!

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It's hard to believe 2010 is already over (which is probably why this list is so late), as it was one of the biggest and craziest years of my lifetime. I quit working full time to start a business with my fiance, and, as some of you know, mid-way through last year I decided it was time to bid Seattle a temporary farewell, and by the end of the year, I was packed up and across the country, living small-town style in Athens, GA. I'm a life-long Seattleite, and will continue to think of myself that way, despite the distance, for at least the time being.

These songs of 2010 were the ones that counseled me through the tough decisions of leaving and provided respite in scream-alongs to remind me that everything was going to be OK. Some of these win brownie points for unbelievably adorable videos, and some of them the songs were just too great to not post something, so bear with the fake youtube videos that just have a photo and the album version of the song. Trust me, it's worth it.

1. Nana Grizol "Cynicism"

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{a rare Popfest sight - an empty 40 Watt, by Rich Guiterrez}

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Athens Popfest is always the best week of the year for indie pop nerds, and this year was no exception. Think five days straight of raging shows, surrounded by so many old and new favorite bands and your "camp buddies" you only see once a year + 100 (or more) degree heat and southern humidity + cheap booze + insane nerdery. All I can really say is that it was epic, for so many reasons. Here are a few highlights.

Top five favorite bands:
1. Go Sailor
There was kind of no way that this wasn't going to be my favorite, as I'm a die hard Go Sailor fan, but their set was amplified by me and about 20 other die hard Go Sailor fans screaming along every word to every song. You just can't buy that kind of camaraderie and sense of community. At that moment, Go Sailor were our Beatles. We spent the whole set singing specific favorite lyrics to each other and jumping up and down and dancing our asses off. I consequently spent the rest of popfest without a voice. It was totally worth it. Their whole set was recorded and is on youtube, but here's my favorite song of the set "A Fine Day For Sailing". (That's us in the background.)

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If Ariel Pink isn't your thing, then consider checking out Iowa's favorite sons, The Poison Control Center tonight at the High Dive! Think of it as Pavement with gymnastics. I've seen these boys a bunch (including last night in a 200 sq ft basement in Olympia) and they are absolutely one of my favorite live bands. You can hear me gush for about a minute straight on our latest Imaginary Mixtape about how much I love this band.

No two shows are the same, but last night's set included a crowd surfing guitar player, tons of guitar solos played upside down candle-stick style (see above), and lots of rolling on the floor and doing the splits. I just wish I'd brought a camera. Of course, tonight they play on a stage, but as you can see in this below video, that doesn't make much of a difference. If you're looking to thrash around (with Salmon Thraser opening, no less!) with a giant grin on your face, I'll see you at the High Dive.

{Tullycraft photo by Steve Louie}

Holy indie pop incredibleness! Do you miss Tullycraft as much as I do? It's only been less than a year since their farewell set at San Francisco Popfest (which still gives me chills just thinking about), but just knowing that there may be another chance to sing along to such glorious pop gems makes me happy. Well, this isn't a new Tullycraft record, but the next best thing: all your favorite (well, at least my favorite) indie pop bands together on one comp covering their favorite Tullycraft songs!

The wonderful folks who are putting the comp together put up an experiment of sorts on the site Kickstarter (a great website for getting funding for projects!) to see if they could raise a little scratch to make this cover compilation huge; to spread the love of Tullycraft to the masses! Only if they raise their amount will you be charged. Think of it like a pre-order: by paying in advance, you get tons of awesome benefits!

Full band list after the jump.

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If you're like me, and summer is not just the promise of good weather, but also amazing summer jams, then you're in luck: Ames, IA's The Poison Control Center have a brand new record coming out! Their Pavement-for-a-less-slacker-generation laid back indie rock always translates much mellower on record than live, but in this video for the brand new "Being Gone" (from the upcoming Sad Sour Future out May 18th on Afternoon Records) gives quite a hint at how goofy these guys can really get.

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