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......

Last year we did a lot of Best Of lists, and this year we are on a roll to eclipse the quantity and quality of last year. One thing I have noticed is there seems to be two ways to do a Best Of list. You can do a politically correct one for the hipsters and cynics - which is boring and a lie. Or you can keep it real and talk about how......

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......

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......

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......

Tonight is the most excellent show, Open Road on KCRW, which begins at 9:00 p.m., ending at midnight. DJ Gary Calamar mixes roots of Rock, Country, Jazz, Blues, and Soul with new releases that you can most see on his peer's lists. Calamar got his start at KCRW as a volunteer, moving his way to DJ after literally begging on his knees to Chris Douridas for a show. Douridas made a great choice. 1)......

If you totally dug the soundtrack to American Beauty (not the orchestral score by Thomas Newman, which is amazing too), then you must know that KCRW DJ Chris Douridas was behind it. His choices in music for that movie led to a Grammy nomination, but that is only one of many movies and accomplishments under his belt. As a DJ, Douridas hosts New Ground on Saturdays at noon for three hours. In September, we......

Right around Labor Day we interviewed KCRW dj Jason Bentley about the 30th anniversary of Morning Becomes Eclectic. Today he provides us with his top ten albums of 2007, and you Radiohead fans will be glad to see that he adds them to his list just like most of his cohorts did. Interestingly when Mathieu Schreyner left Radiohead off his list, not only was he not criticized, but he received many more positive comments......

This week we have been spotlighting KCRW djs and their favorite cds of this year. Yesterday we gave you Liza Richardson, before that Nic Harcourt and Tom Schnabel. This morning we bring you Anne Litt's list. Anne of course is the host of The A Track, and hers is the first list to include the Arcade Fire's Neon Bible. Let's see what else struck her fancy as we continue our parade of KCRW dj's......

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks of John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band every time I hear The Arcade Fire's "Keep the Car Running," off Neon Bible. I'm used to getting death threats for even suggesting that The Arcade Fire may be the most overrated band of the year but hey, it's not like I'm calling for Eddie and the Cruisers III. They ripped off a band that ripped off......

Doom hangs over the new Arcade Fire album. A nameless dread, omnipresent and consuming, from the oceans and the skies, by infernal means and by human hands....

Looking for new music to check out? Well look no further. LAist is giving you the 411 on what's moving up and down our playlists. Lisa, Music Editor: The Bees (U.S.) - High Society Kind Hearts and Coronets - Rampart Castle Joan As Police Woman - Real Life Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga The 88 - Kind of Light Tony, Editor: Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond Kayne West - Can't Tell Me Nothin......

Ten Questions with Danny Seim of Menomena by Erin Scholz for LAist they have vocal harmonies which may have you convinced you're in the deep south, sitting in on a church choir practice....their songs range from punch-you-in-the-face rock, to tranquil and uplifting tracks that will put you in a kinder place...oh, and all held together by hip-hop inspired beats and baritone sax. wtf? wikipedia decribes them as 'experimental rock', pitchfork gave their latest album......

Over their three years or so of existence in the music realm, the Arcade Fire have collected much praise and hyperbole for their albums, Funeral and this year's superb release Neon Bible. This praise and adoration is rightly deserved, as both albums are amazing, genre defying collections of music that are unlike anything out today. But it is only when you see the band live that these claims can be confirmed. Playing the first......

They look like they just won the talent show, and they sound like something your grandmother would have liked. Old timey strings and brass arrangements mashed up with Talking Heads sensibilities mixed with a little something called originality and you begin to scratch the surface of the Arcade Fire. Playing an equal assortment of new faves from the recently-released Neon Bible to the old hits off 2004's Funeral, the 9-piece band of multi-instrumentalists from......

Our most anticipated band at Coachella did not disappoint. They mixed their new songs off the amazing "Neon Bible" with your faves from their debut, "Funeral". And although we love love love "Neon Bible", the best moment in last night's performance was when singer Win Butler jumped into the crowd during "Rebellion (Lies)", never once wiping a smile on his face. Lighten up Win, they're cheering! This clip was taken from the AT&T Blue......

We listen to a lot of music each week. Mostly new music because we have ADD and are bored by everything. Because we're saving the world we don't always have time to review all the new music we're listening to so on Fridays we do a brief summary of what's been booming from the iTunes. Sonic Youth - Destroyed Room Arcade Fire - Neon Bible John Oszajca - Elephant Graveyard Fishbone - Still Stuck......

LAist gets and listens to a Lot of music. You can see the bands we like in the concerts that we review, the Tonight in Rock listings that we compile, and in the cds that we review. But we realize that we listen to way more music than we review so we figured we make a list once a week letting you know what we're into. week ending 4/13/07 Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Self-Titled......

Arcade Fire Neon Bible Merge Records Every once in a while a cd will come along that you can't get out of your head. You take it with you to the car, you bring it into the shower with you, and hey look at that there it is playing in your iPod. Arcade Fire's first album was like that, Funeral. Beware though, Neon Bible is going to cost you. It's such a dynamically beautiful......

LAist gets and listens to a Lot of music. You can see the bands we like in the concerts that we review, the Tonight in Rock listings that we compile, and in the cds that we review. But we realize that we listen to way more music than we review so we figured we make a list once a week letting you know what we're into. week ending 4/06/07 Charlie Louvin - "When I......

LAist gets and listens to a Lot of music. You can see the bands we like in the concerts that we review, the Tonight in Rock listings that we compile, and in the cds that we review. But we realize that we listen to way more music than we review so we figured we make a list once a week letting you know what we're into. week ending 3/31/07 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible......

Billboard has a lot of charts. And usually we just give you the No.1s. However, the line up for this week was rather uninspiring, and it seemed in everyone's best interest to instead list the top ten winners from just a few featured charts. So here they are. Issue Date : March 31, 2007 Top Independent Albums 1. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge) 2. Type O Negative - Dead Again (Steamhammer) 3. The......

No offense to the local boys, but we are far more excited to check out the Arcade Fire on Saturday night of Coachella than the Chili Peppers. Which is why we're crossing our fingers that Win Butler, the lead singer and genius behind the Arcade Fire will have successful sinus surgery. Butler announced yesterday on the band's website that for three months he's been suffering from a sinus and bronchial infection and canceling the......

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts......

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......

OUT TODAY: Barbie - Songs from Fairytopia (Koch) Sophe Lux - Waking the Mystics (Zarathustra) Anaïs Mitchell - Brightness (Righteous Babe) Lucinda Williams - West (Lost Highway) Grace Jones - Inside Story (EMI) Gerald LeVert - In My Songs (Atlantic / Wea) Blue Öyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening [Bonus DVD] (Sony) The Doobie Brothers - Definitive Collection (Rhino) Drats!!! - Welcome to New Granada Duran Duran - Essential Collection [EMI] (EMI) Field Music......