Joshua Pressman

Tonight Manchester's most dysfunctional kinship, Oasis, are headlining the Staples Center in Downtown. NY-based hip hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan will be stopping through the House of Blues Sunset. Social Distortion front man Mike Ness is kicking off a two-night stint at the El Rey Theatre. And, lastly, producer/singer-songwriter Butch Walker will be rocking out to a sold-out crowd at the Largo at the Coronet. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Troubadour to see the Sea and Cake. The Chicago-based quartet will presumably be playing jazz-infused pop rock tunes from 2008's Car Alarm.

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.

Tonight Chicago-based alternative rockers the Smashing Pumpkins will be concluding a two-night stint at the Gibson Amphiteatre. LA locals the Afternoons (LAist Review, #2) are slated to headline Spaceland. Quirky folk rock outfit Eagle Winged Palace have a record release show at the Silver Lake Lounge. If you missed Brooklyn-based School of Seven Bells opening up for the M83 show over the weekend (shame on thee!), then catch them tonight at the Airliner in Downtown with LAist favorites Gangi (LAist Review). And, lastly, MA-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman will be performing at the El Rey Theatre. But we recommend heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to catch French electro-pop sensation Sébastien Tellier.

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.

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.

Tonight Chicago-based alternative rockers the Smashing Pumpkins will be performing at the Gibson Amphitheatre. LA up-and-comer the Gray Kid is slated to headline Check One Twosday at the Echoplex. We love what we've heard from his forthcoming record, 2009's Free Music. And, lastly, we're just receiving word that Brett Dennen will be the special guest for the Gary Jules show at the Hotel Café. But we strongly suggest catching local noise rockers No Age, who will be playing at the Troubadour with Titus Andronicus. If you didn't already get on the free RSVP list, then tough cookies—head over to the plex.

There is a noticeable shortage of shows tonight in LA. Weave! are closing out their residency at the Echo with Fool's Gold and We Are the World. The Colour Turning will be performing at the Silverlake Lounge. But the only place to be tonight is Spaceland, where the the Movies (LAist Review, #2) will be kicking off their month-long residency. Local music journalist Kevin Bronson will be DJing. And, of course, it's free!

The older models that once dominated hip hop have officially been superseded by auto-tune—a corrective action amidst a heavily saturated genre. The hyper-inflated, mechanical effects of the aforementioned tool undoubtedly help to achieve a heavy-hearted tone. And it definitely compliments the lonesome lyrical content, which West strains to convey with a puerile sense of entitlement—as though he's the only person ever to have experienced such personal anguish. But, more often than not, the picturesque pretense strewn throughout 808s & Heartbreak masks any semblance of true emotion at hand, constituting a pretty wearisome gimmick.

Tonight Disney's bastard children the Jonas Brothers are performing at the newly renovated Hollywood Palladium. Speaking of the younger demographic, please be good to your children. Take them to experience substantive, thought-provoking music like that of the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2) and the Henry Clay People (LAist Review, #2), who will be performing at the Echo early on for Kidrockers. As always, you must have a child in tow to gain admission. Local singer-songwriter extraordinaire Charlie Wadhams will be concluding a month-long residency at Tangier in Los Feliz. And, lastly, Nebraskan indie pop duo Azure Ray (LAist Interview) will be gracing the Troubadour with Cursive front man Tim Kasher and local folk rockers Whispertown 2000 (LAist Interview, Review, #2). But we strongly suggest you head over to the Echo later on in the night for Portland's own experimental folk maestros Blitzen Trapper (LAist Interview). The busy bees in Parson Red Heads are slated to open, making a grand total of two appearances in one night at one venue.

Tonight Grammy Award-winning Brazilian artist Sergio Mendes will be performing at Club Nokia in Downtown. LA-based punk rockers the Melvins are concluding a two-night stint at the Troubadour. Oakland's own abstract hip hop sextet Subtle will be stopping through the Knitting Factory with Zach Hill of Hella. And, lastly, English singer-songwriter Holly Golightly is slated to share the stage at Spaceland with Frank Fairfield. But we recommend heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to see French electronic group M83. School of Seven Bells, a relatively newfangled Brooklyn-based group formed by Benjamin Curtis of Secret Machines, will be opening.