Photos: Make Music Pasadena - 6/21/08

The Raveonettes

The Little Ones

The Little Ones

The Little Ones

Division Day

Show Alert: No Age @ The Getty Center - 6/27/08

No Age are set to perform at The Getty Center on Friday, June 27 as part of the museum's monthly "Fridays Off the 405" series. Hot off the release of their Sub Pop debut LP Nouns, the duo will grace attendees with their blistering one-two live arsenal of punk-tinged experimental delight. This free* event starts at 6pm (so cut out of the office early if ya can), but No Age probably won't go on until 8pm or so as King Shade kicks the night off with a DJ set of "hardcore trustafari explosive jamaican action".

*Parking is $8 per vehicle.

This Week's Recommended Music: Wolf Parade, The Notwist

The big one to look for this week is the new release from Wolf Parade. At Mount Zoomer is the band's sophomore effort and follow-up to 2005's Apologies To the Queen Mary. There are nine tracks in all, with four credited to Boeckner, four to Krug, and the closing cut attributed to both. The album comes out on Tuesday, but in case you want to sample before spending those hard-earned clams, the entire record is now streaming in low quality on MySpace.

And, as previously discussed, The Notwist are also set to unleash their latest work this week. Despite having released several EPs since 2002's Neon Golden, The Devil, You + Me is their first proper album in six years.

Live Archive: The Republic Tigers on Letterman - 5/22/08

In case you missed it, The Republic Tigers were on Letterman in May. Click on through to see an archive of their performance of "Buildings and Mountains".

Live: R.E.M. @ The Hollywood Bowl - 5/29/08

R.E.M. played twenty-six songs in their appearance at the Hollywood Bowl on May 29. With a generous smattering of new material from Accelerate, the band included some surprises like opener "Pretty Persuasion" (from 1984's Reckoning) and "Ignoreland" (never before played live). Despite these highlights, the set was plagued by too few second-rate racks. To make matters worse -- and this is by no means R.E.M.'s fault -- the crowd was the LAMEST crowd I've ever experienced. Little movement, dead applause, no reactions. I was told to sit down and others were told to "shhhsh". Unbelievable and a total buzzkill. At least even the most insipid attendees rocked out to "Man on the Moon". And seeing Stipe & Co. in the flesh -- for maybe the last time -- was awesome.

Show Alert: Mogwai @ The Wiltern - 9/9/08

Perennial post-rockers Mogwai will be appearing at The Wiltern on September 9, presumably in support of their forthcoming LP The Hawk Is Howling, out September 23 on Matador. Until then, do indulge in the track "Dracula Family" from the Rock Action Spring Sampler (available on the band's MySpace.) Experimental duo Fuck Buttons open. Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday, June 13 via Ticketmaster.

Best "Nude" Remix Yet

This is the best attempt at a remix of Radiohead's "Nude" I've seen yet. Enjoy!


Big Ideas (Don't get any) from 1030 on Vimeo.

The Rationales: The Going and The Gone

The Rationales are an Americana powerpop group from Boston, and they have just released their debut EP The Going and The Gone. Available now from iTunes and cdbaby.com, The Going and The Gone is a six-track collection of melodic, poppy, rootsy jangle rock that gets right to the point. According to easily fooled:

"The Going and the Gone kicks off with a confident, luxurious mesh of guitars on "Guardrail," followed by the boisterous bounce of "No Guarantees," [and] sustains this wave of raucous, infectious energy throughout--which might be why the closing track "Ruby Colored Halo" comes as such a surprise and delight. Featuring lovely touches of slide guitar, this sweet, folksy number not only offers another view of the Rationales, supplementing their power pop chops with poetry as well."

To get a taste of what The Rationales have to offer, listen to and download "No Guarantees" here. These guys are off to a great start, so look for more from them in the near future. Head over to their MySpace for more music and Northeastern tour info.

Show Alert: Ratatat @ The Echoplex - 7/12/08

Instrumental electro-guitar duo Ratatat are hitting the road for a short tour this summer. They will be appearing at The Echoplex on July 12, in support of LP3, out July 8 on Beggars Group USA. If their opening performance for Bjork's Nokia Theater concert was any indication, this will be a fantastic gig. Tickets are on sale now for $20.

BREAKING: FREE ELVIS COSTELLO SHOW @ THE EL REY! GO! NOW!

If you're reading this, you really should stop and get your ass to The El Rey RIGHT NOW as ELVIS COSTELLO is playing a free show. Starts at 10pm. That's all I know, but what else is there to discuss? GO!!!