The Decemberists are headed up. They recently signed to Capitol Records for their fourth studio album The Crane Wife, have been touring to promote it with sold out shows, and have somehow managed to get their name on the Coachella poster printed larger than Sonic Youth's. I have no idea how that happened, but it just goes to show that their fan base, once a small following comprised of Merlot-drinking intellectuals and indie kids in tight jeans, is expanding beyond...

Undoubtedly, one of last year’s best albums was Midlake’s The Trials of Van Occupanther. Actually, inarguably is probably a better word than undoubtedly, because while non-listeners may doubt its brilliance, they can’t argue after hearing “Roscoe” or “Young Bride” All this is to preface the fact that a nearly two hour drive to...

This is the first finger-to-buzz-modulated-button that Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin from Air have raised in three years—and it doesn't even buzz. In their latest effort, Air take a classical bend to their breathy electronic soars: the prominent presence of a piano in nearly every song exerts its wooden sound and classical weight, pushing the delicate wisps of the electronic arrangements to the back of the stage. To be sure, Air's sonic spaces were never cluttered to begin with, and...

The evening of March 3, 2007, marked the return of Bikeride, who chose local Long Beach venue DiPiazza’s to unleash their latest release The Kiss upon the world. It’s been four long and eventful years, but the time was well spent, making an incredibly wonderful album, all while dealing with unthinkable events that should, in most cases, leave lesser bands in squalor. Not this tight group of friends. They stuck together and made for a momentous record-release show that left...

The Sea and Cake are like a modern day classic rock band. While their sound has morphed stylistically over the past six albums, like a fine wine, their brand of post rock has aged well over the years. Nowadays, when one is required to navigate a complicated minefield of nuwave-disco-lofi-neo-proto-mustache-post-nude-ironic stylings in order to keep up with the current scene, a new record by these timeless Chicago overachievers is just what the doctor ordered—and Everybody delivers in full. The record...

Los Angeles epic instrumental quintet Red Sparowes kicks off a U.S. tour in support of its sophomore Neurot Recordings album Every Red Heart Shines Toward The Red Sun this week. The band had previously played select dates on the east and west coasts (as well as in the U.K.) last fall, but this is the first full scale jaunt for the quintet due to the busy schedules of its members who also split time in metal heavyweights ISIS, Neurosis, Battle...

There are shows that elbow you so hard in the face that you think you’re either 1) going to die because your nose may have pierced through your skull, 2) dancing so hard your shoes are melting off, 3) simply moshing at your finest. And then there are those shows that leave you stunned, silenced and sometimes even displaced. Well into the next week, in my case. It was like everyone in the world was at the Troubadour to see...

The White Stripes have revealed the details of their forthcoming album. The Detroit duo have titled the record Icky Thump, and have just finished mixing and recording it at Blackbird Studio. A release date for the follow up to 2005's Get Behind Me Satan has not yet been set, but a posting on the band's website says: "We are doing our best (whatever that is) to release the album as soon as corporately possible. And though we are tired, worn,...

London-based alternative rock trio PLACEBO will be touring the U.S and eastern Canada through the month of April, including an appearance on the Coachella Tour stage in California. PLACEBO TOUR DATES, SPRING 2007 Apr 6 – Roxy – Boston, MAApr 7 – Metropolis – Montreal, QCApr 9 – Guvernment – Toronto, ONApr 10 – Theater of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PAApr 11- Roseland – New York, NYApr 13 – House of Blues – Chicago, ILApr 14 – Beaumont Club...

If you’ve been in a bar or club over the past few years, there’s a damn good chance you’ve heard at least one song from the NY-based electro-rock-pop label A Touch of Class. For close to ten years, ATOC has been dropping dancefloor bombs from artists like Waldorf, The Ones and Scissor Sisters, and capped off a few years of hit 12-inches with their 2003 release A Touch of Class Sucks! which is a 2×12 vinyl release divided up in...