Norway's dance club mastermind Annie emerged on the music scene in 1999, with a Madonna-sampling bit of pop brilliance called "Greatest Hit" that created considerable underground buzz, which she capitalized on by spending... the next 5 years... recording her debut album. Despite the ominous overtones that usually accompany such obsessive tinkering, that record, , was brilliant from start to finish, chock full of songs spanning various dance styles that felt shockingly new and warmly nostalgic at the same time. It earned her the slavish devotion of fans of perfectly crafted pop dance music, widespread critical acclaim, and several minor hits including the bittersweet "Heartbeat", and her amazing ass-shaking ode to the playgirl lifestyle, "Chewing Gum". more ›

On Halloween, New York-based shoegazers Asobi Seksu (MySpace), whose previous Southern California appearance was two years ago at The Echo (MySpace), returned there to complete the final stop on their current domestic tour, performing songs from their existing repertoire and the new album that is tentatively scheduled to street in February. The show was a homecoming for frontwoman Yuki Chikudate, as she grew up in Gardena and her relatives were in the audience. more ›

Last month, the local electropop duo Uh Huh Her (MySpace), consisting of Leisha Hailey, formerly of The Murmurs, and Carmila Grey, formerly of Mellowdrone (MySpace), performed at Nettwerk's The Sync in Hollywood. more ›