After reviewing a few dozen releases this year this is my top ten of reviewed albums plus a few select tracks of items that I went out and hunted down myself. These weren't easy to select out of the great stuff I received so it was a challenge. I'd like to thank the labels and their PR agencies for hunting me down and sending CDs to me. I reviewed everything that I received this year with just a couple of exceptions of items I felt I wasn't qualified to review. [Hint to labels and their agencies: LAist likes getting stuff to review, look for our contact info on the staff page]. In my Top Ten is a band (Tall Pony) that wasn't even signed when I posted the review and I had a few others like that this year but there should haver been more. Also, please note that there are 3 LA bands/groups in my Top Ten (Bitter:Sweet, No Age, The Deadly Syndrome). more ›

!!! aka Chk Chk Chk (or any other triple repeated expletive) played at the Avalon a couple weeks ago to a large crowd of friends, supporters, party-people, and folks who just effing wanted to dance. The band is 8 months into touring to support their incredible album Myth Takes and are about to embark for another pass through Europe. !!! loves LA - they have a lot of friends here, they make a pilgrimage... more ›

LAist reviewed !!!'s excellent album Myth Takes earlier this year. Here's a chance to see what can only be described as a tribal experience. They've got the horn section, they've got crazy needs-more-cowbell jams, they've got the nutty electronics, and they've got the energy to drive this machine. more ›

Air - Pocket Symphony (Astralwerks) Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours to Keep [US] (New Line) Antibalas - Security (Anti) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge) !!! - Myth Takes [Bonus Disc] (Warp) Joss Stone - Tell Me ‘Bout It [SINGLE] (Virgin) KMFDM - Nihil [Bonus Track] (Metropolis) Mary Chapin Carpenter - Calling (Zoe) My Brighest Diamond - Tear It Down (Asthmatic Kitty) Ry Cooder - My Name Is Buddy (Nonesuch) Son Volt - Search... more ›

Artist: !!! Title: Myth Takes Release Date: 3/4/07 Label: Warp Records !!!'s MySpace !!!'s Website If, like me, you’ve been fortunate enough to see a live !!! show, then you’ll know that their recordings are just snapshots in time, a place for the band to step off on extended sweat-inducing punk funk jams. Enough about their bizarre name, call them chkchkchk, uhuhuh, whatever. The band is comprised of Mario Andreoni (guitar), Dan Gorman (horns/percussion/keys),... more ›