The first sign should have been the earplugs being handed out at the door... 17 years ago My Bloody Valentine delivered what is considered not only their greatest achievement but a classic album by any measure. Loveless was the climax of the My Bloody Valentine sound as well as epitomizing the entire shoegaze movement. Since the release of that landmark album the band faded and disbanded. There was no wall of sound to be heard......

First and foremost, we'd like to excuse our brief lapse into barbarism yesterday. We may or may not have initially forgotten to include the triumphant return of My Bloody Valentine, which commenced last night at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Tonight, the London-based progenitors of blaring shoegaze will be concluding their brief two-date stint with a sold-out show at the aforementioned venue. If you miss it, well, then you run the risk of being called—among other brilliantly devised hyperbole—an uncultured swine. For those lucky enough to snag tickets to McCabe's 50th Anniversary bash at Royce Hall, we applaud thee! You will be treated to a night filled with mind-blowingly dexterous guitar playing, including past masters Jackson Browne and Richard Thompson, as well as Drag City's own Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. And, lastly, Joshua Tree-based psych-pop act Gram Rabbit, who were hailed as best new LA band in 2005 at the LA Weekly Music Awards, will be headlining the House of Blues Sunset. But we suggest catching Icelandic quartet Sigur Rós at the Greek Theatre. They will be pumping out ethereal, otherworldly tunes in support of 2008's Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust....

My Bloody Valentine, who is playing a string of sold out shows in the UK is going to play the Santa Monica Civic Center, and you can get tickets RIGHT NOW. as of me writing this they are not sold out. The band who hasn't played in the US for more than 17 years will be playing two shows in Santa Monica this coming October, and you don't want to be one of the......

Artist: Ulrich Schnauss Album: Goodbye Label: Domino Release Date: Summer 2007 I had first heard tracks from Ulrich Schnauss' Far Away Trains Passing By on a bizarre compilation someone handed me back in 2002. Again I heard a couple songs from Schnauss' second release, A Strangely Isolated Place (2004), on yet another compilation. The songs were epic and transformative meanderings through ambient yet driving spaces. Schnauss' current release, Goodbye, takes us down these paths again,......

Artists: Various Albums: the Departure Lounge Grooves; The Sex, the City, the Music: Berlin Label: Petrol Records Release Date: Fall 2006 CM Murphy, former worldwide manager of INXS started the Petrol Records label in 2001 with the idea of creating and releasing “seriously good music from around the world.” His idea of creating good music is to put together themed compilations and selling them for about $10 a pop. I’m a self-declared fan of......

Coachella, the 100-plus-degree Woodstock of the West has announced its 2006 lineup. As rumors had predicted, Depeche Mode will perform in the unofficial "I love the 80s" slot. We're surprised that rumors of Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine reuniting haven't proved true. Maybe concert organizers are holding back a few "surprise guests" to goose ticket sales down the line. Combining the lists from Billboard and the LA Times, the confirmed bands include: Depeche......