Despite blank stares from leadman James Mercer, Broken Bells' artfully constructed and beautifully arranged notes highlighted the band's genius, making the show one of the year's best thus far. more ›

This week Broken Bells—the brainchild of the Shins front man James Mercer and producer/musician extraordinaire Danger Mouse—will be performing to a sold-out crowd (don't say we didn't warn ya!) at the Troubadour. Local psych-infused... more ›

We were lucky to be among a few hundred people to catch Broken Bells' first-ever live performance Friday night at the Bootleg Theater in Echo Park. Broken Bells -- if you haven't heard yet -- is a collaboration between James Mercer (of The Shins) and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse). Try to imagine what that might sound like and your expectations would be met and likely exceeded by the first single alone. more ›

Tonight, as always, local multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be jamming with friends at the Largo at the Coronet. Local retro 60s soul act Fitz and the Tantrums are poised to take on the Echo... more ›

Tonight the Shins front man James Mercer will be joining an all-star cast at the Wiltern to benefit Haiti. Local folk troubadour Ferraby Lionheart (LAist Interview, Review) is poised to take on the Bootleg Theater with local singer-songwriter Willoughby in tow. And, lastly, Highland Park's own experimental rockers Seasons will be performing at the Echo with none other than Highland Park-bred post-punk outfit Manhattan Murder Mystery. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch LAist's favorite local singer-songwriters Mia Doi Todd. more ›

Stores and restaurants are popping up everywhere. These temporary spaces turn shopping and eating into an adventure. At Royal/T in Culver City, the Poketo Pop-Up Shop is filled with original art and colorful designs and a special pix-fixe Poketo menu is being served in the cafe. more ›

Tonight legendary Hawthorne-bred surf rockers the Beach Boys will be playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown. Glasgow indie pop progenitors the Vaselines are poised to headline the El Rey Theatre. And, lastly, Houston's own experimental noise rockers Indian Jewelry will be performing at the Echo for Part Time Punk's 4-year Anniversary. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Hollywood Palladium to catch Portland-based indie rockers the Shins. LAist favorites the Delta Spirit (LAist Interview, Review) are poised to kick things off. more ›

Stoking the flames of independence, KCRW released its latest compilation album from live Morning Becomes Eclectic performances cut from twelve different in-studio acts. Crowd pleasers like The Shins and The Swell Season imbibe the album with not so new takes on their even older songs while Spoon and Indie Brits, The Orange Lights dig deep into their live repertoire to deliver interesting versions of their already strong songs. more ›

Everybody's doing it, right? I don't pretend to be hip or edgy or rebellious. I mean, I grew up on Billy Joel and Madonna and Motown and then the Gen Xer's basic dichotomy of KROQ versus Top 40 in the 90s. I find it increasingly harder to fall in love with albums in the downloading age, and am one of those people who obsessively compiles mixed cds for friends and iPod playlists full of individual tracks from a broad sampling of artists. The three places I'm most thankful for getting me turned on to new music would be my fellow LAisters, the awesome site 3hive, and good ol' KCRW. So without further ado, here are my pics for the 2007 releases I most enjoyed: more ›

One look at the bill for Night Two of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas one might think with all of the INDIE flavor that that LA's "other" rock station was behind the programming. But alas it was KROQ and Night Two featured great performances by Modest Mouse, Muse, Feist, Silversun Pickups, Jimmy Eat World, Spoon and a surprise unannounced performance from the Killers.
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"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse (One of the best videos of the year because we can relate to it via Guitar Hero 3 and we love Western themes. That and it's a great song.) Abstract 3's Armenian Folk Jazz @ The Baked Potato Muse, Feist, Jimmy Eat World, Modest Mouse, Silversun Pickups, Spoon, The Shins @ Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Citywalk The Cult, The Cliks @ House of Blues - Disneyland Heavy D @... more ›

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their little world. Therefore, this is an act of paying it forward to those hardworking, underpaid musicians who truly made a difference within the music scene this year. more ›

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their... more ›

Tonight is the most excellent show, Open Road on KCRW, which begins at 9:00 p.m., ending at midnight. DJ Gary Calamar mixes roots of Rock, Country, Jazz, Blues, and Soul with new releases that you can most see on his peer's lists. Calamar got his start at KCRW as a volunteer, moving his way to DJ after literally begging on his knees to Chris Douridas for a show. Douridas made a great choice. 1)... more ›

Still on tour in support of Wincing the Night Away, their third and most recent release from January of this year, The Shins hit up the Greek Theatre on Sunday to a packed house. Up until a few days prior I really only knew the Portland, OR based band from their two songs on the Garden State soundtrack, Caring is Creepy and New Slang. But I packed in some pre-show listens to the newest... more ›

Spongebob & the Hi-Seas, The Hectors, The Monolators, I Make This Sound @ Safari Sam's more ›

10/2, 4-6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 - Morrissey @ The Palladium 10/2 - Nick Lowe, Ron Sexsmith @ Safari Sam's 10/3 - Datarock, Foreign Born, Honeycut @ The Echo 10/3 - Mark Ronson @ The El Rey 10/5 - Metric @ Henry Fonda 10/6 - Bloc Party, Justice, Satellite Party, Kinky, Autolux, Celebrity Skin @ Detour Festival 10/6 - Lukas Rossi @ Viper Room 10/6 - Steve Miller @ The Greek 10/7 -... more ›

The Shins, "Australia" from Wincing The Night Away, Subpop The Shins, Viva Voce @ The Orpheum Elemenopy @ Safari Sam's Eek A Mouse @ Malibu Inn Rock & Roll Adventure Kids @ The Smell Jack Tempchin @ The Hotel Cafe Lyra, Forget Cassettes, Yes Me to Death @ The Scene Elemenopy, "It's Tricky" - live from the Whisky 7/05... more ›

KCRW's Sounds Eclectic cd is one of our favorite new offerings of 2007. Tonight's fundraiser for the station brings us live performances from Lily Allen, the Cold War Kids, the Shins, shredders Rodrigo y Gabriela, and others @ Gibson Amphitheater The Lords of Altamont, Rolling Blackouts, The Hexxers, The Clamour @ Safari Sam's Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks @ McCabe's Jedi Mind Tricks @ Henry Fonda Trash Fashion, 8-Bit @ The Scene Three... more ›

Billboard has a lot of charts. And usually we just give you the No.1s. However, the line up for this week was rather uninspiring, and it seemed in everyone's best interest to instead list the top ten winners from just a few featured charts. So here they are. Issue Date : March 31, 2007 Top Independent Albums 1. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge) 2. Type O Negative - Dead Again (Steamhammer) 3. The... more ›

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts... more ›

LAist is proud to offer a weekly chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts... more ›

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts... more ›

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ A selection... more ›

Can we go a week without licking the taint of our favorite local behemoth record store? Maybe. But it won't be this week. In the last year, The Shins have played Hollywood Bowl, Lollapalooza, Letterman (see above), Conan (see below, after the jump) and this spring will - allegedly - play Coachella. Hard to listen to The Shins without smiling, so if you end up at the record store next to the Arclight tonight... more ›

This might be a good week to give your piggybank the ol' smasheroo and excavate your couch cushions for awol monies. The CD player NEEDS your donations. Don't delay. Rush out now in a buying frenzy. Here's a glanceable list of new noteables and rightous reissues being handed down today. Ten octzillion more after the jump... Arbouretum - Rites Of Uncovering (Thrill Jockey) The Bird & The Bee - Bird And The Bee (Blue... more ›

Wanna' know what's hot and fresh on our playlists? Look no further. Here's the 411 on what your favorite LA-centric blog is listening to. Whether it's sick and twisted or straight up embarrassing to mention -- it's all here: more ›

STARTERS & DIPS Was the MTV President NEXT-ed? Mutiny at Music Television. [via Gawker] 50 Cent condoms will cover your wankster. [via Stereogum] Slash loses his hat. Big whoop. [via Idolator] EARLY BIRD SPECIAL The Shins' new album, "Wincing the Night Away" + iTunes glitch = download early. [via Retro Music Snob] ENTREES Money talks. And now it spies on you too. [via BoingBoing] eBay buys scalper website. This article comes w/ a side... more ›

Podcasting may have not tipped the point like blogging has, but its significance and importance will last long. And to insure proper service to yourself in this day and age, you need to jump on the bandwagon and at least grab the daily free music offered to you. iTunes Store users know that every Tuesday brings a free song to your collection. How would you like an additional 10 songs a week? Thanks to... more ›