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This week Grammy Award-winning Parisian indie rockers Phoenix will be headlining the Hollywood Bowl with Brooklyn-based indie rock act Grizzly Bear San Franciscan lo-fi rock outfit Girls. Portland's own experimental indie rock trio Menomena are poised to take on the El Rey Theatre with none other than Brooklyn quartet Suckers. And, lastly, English indie rock outfit Mystery Jets will be gracing the Troubadour, ringing in their third studio album Serotonin. more ›

Tonight Seattle-based garage rockers Murder City Devils will be concluding a two-night stint at the Henry Fonda Music Box with local duo Tweak Bird. English indie rock outfit Mystery Jets are poised to play Spaceland for this week's edition of Club NME. And, as mentioned previously, Long Island-based pop rockers As Tall As Lions will be headlining the Troubadour for free if you're legal. But we strongly suggest doing whatever it takes to get into the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown to catch Chicago's crown jewel, Mr. Andrew Bird. The classically trained violinist will not only mystify you with an unparalleled proficiency, but also a very singular, songbird-esque trill. Sweden's own multi-instrumentalist Loney Dear (LAist Interview) is slated to kick the show off. more ›

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008. more ›

Tack, Going Direct, Sam Boyd, Rogue Stallion, Foiled @ Whisky more ›

Björk - Volta (Atlantic) Bone Thugs -N- Harmony - Strength & Loyalty (Interscope) Barbara Streisand - Streisand: Live In Concert [2 CD] [LIVE] (Sony) Keren Ann - Keren Ann (Blue Note) Brakes - Beatific Visions (Rough Trade) Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls (Too Pure / Beggars) Elliott Smith - New Moon [2 CD] (Kill Rock Stars) The Clientele - God Save the Clientele (Merge) Page France - Page France and the Family Telephone... more ›