Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman brought his sweet, shy, Burt Bacharach-meets-the-Avalanches sound to the Henry Fonda Theater on Friday and kicked out almost every jam he's got: "Maple Leaves," "Black Cab," "The Opposite Of Hallelujah," a jittery new song and even an Arthur Russell cover. Only bummer was that the show barely lasted an hour and a half, but at least he'll have some fresh tunes to play next time -- and there will definitely be......

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......

Day Four began with jazz hands. I started off at Cake Shop to see NY native Patrick Cleandenim. He struck my interest with his brand of flamboyant, jazz-infused pop. However, it'd be nearly impossible for him to replicate the orchestral backing live and thus his live performance seemed a bit flat. Regardless, Patrick is destined for large things. His latest effort Baby, Come Home was recorded in Kansas at a studio I am quite......

We here at LAist are strong advocates of Halloween, and have provided the list below in an effort to help all of our readers enjoy this fine holiday as thoroughly as possible. Even if you don't get out there in full costume and party like Bela Lugosi, we hope you enjoy some of the following: FRIDAY • Pretty Girls Make Graves, Bullet Train to Vegas and Razrez are on tonight at the Troubadour. Doors......

• At Largo, legendary LA punk John Doe will be performing with his band. Doors open at 8 PM. • Irving, Jens Lekman and the Impossible Shapes will be performing at Spaceland tonight. Doors open at 9 PM. (An entire Impossible Shapes album Tum is available for free download on the Secretly Canadian website for the duration of their tour with Jens Lekman.) • Catch Earlimart with Silversun Pickups and Richard Swift when Sea......