Recently Announced Live Shows

Autolux Have Some Shows Coming Up

Hollywood Palladium
9/30/10: Spoon / Cold Cave (presale now, password = KROQNUFFIN; on sale Friday at 10 AM) [conflict alert – same night as Pavement, Sonic Youth and No Age at the Bowl]

The Music Box
10/12/10: Eels (Friday at 10 AM)
10/15/10: Four Tet (now)
11/2/10: Two Door Cinema Club (Saturday at 10 AM)

El Rey
9/16/10: Menomena / Suckers (Saturday at 10 AM)
9/18/10: Autolux / Gold Panda (Friday at 10 AM)
10/13/10: The Corin Tucker Band (now)

Spaceland
Mondays in July: Summer Darling
7/16/10: Happy Birthday / Residual Echoes (now at Ticketweb)
8/18/10: Star Anna & the Laughing Dogs (now)
8/19/10: Woven Bones (now)
8/20/10: Ha Ha Tonka (now)

Troubadour
10/1/10: Fountains of Wayne (Thursday at 1:00 PM)

Citizens Business Bank Arena
10/24/10: Justin Beiber (Saturday at 10 AM)

Staples Center
10/25/10: Justin Beiber (Saturday at 10 AM)

Honda Center
10/27/10: Justin Beiber (Saturday at 10 AM)

LA Tennis Center at UCLA
7/23/10: Keith Urban / The Avett Brothers (Friday at 10 AM)

Club Nokia
8/5/10: Hillsong Live with Reuben Morgan (Friday at 10 AM)
10/6/10: 4Troops (Friday at 10 AM)

Nokia Theatre
8/8/10: Camila (Friday at 10 AM)

Greek Theatre
9/21/10: Furthur [Phil Lesh & Bob Weir] (presale now, password = RIPPLE; Saturday at 10 AM)

OC Fair
7/31/10: Sublime with Rose / The Dirty Heads (presale now, password = KROQSWR; on sale Saturday at 10 AM)

Verizon Wireless
7/29/10: Aerosmith (Saturday at 10 AM)

The Wiltern
10/15/10: Miike Snow (Saturday at 10 AM)
12/3/10: Margaret Cho (Friday at 10 AM)

The Glass House
8/6/10: The Donnas (Thursday at Noon)
9/17/10: Autolux / Gold Panda (Friday at Noon)
9/18/10: Nekromantix / The Howlers (Friday at Noon)

Best of the Decade: #10 - #1

It's February, which means it's finally time to say goodbye to the last decade. For the rest of the top 50, click HERE.



10) Spoon: Kill the Moonlight (2002 on Merge) – The second Spoon album on my list. Probably the most consistent band of the decade - Girls Can Tell, Kill the Moonlight and [editor: fixed this]Gimme Fiction all get mixed up in my head.

The Way We Get By - Spoon

9) The New Pornographers: Electric Version (2003 on Matador) – Still a go-to record when I want to hear something upbeat and fun. The New Pornographers are another contender for band of the decade.

The Electric Version - The New...

8) Beck: Sea Change (released in 2002 on Geffen) – This was Beck’s last really consistent album. Hopefully the record club thing and the production work with Charlotte Gainsbourg will re-invigorate him. You know there’s another mind-blowing album in there.

Lost Cause - Beck

7) The White Stripes: White Blood Cells (2001 on Sympathy for the Record Industry) – I can count my friends who like Jack White on one hand, but he was a big part of six really strong records this decade (De Stijl, White Blood Cells, Elephant, Van Lear Rose, Broken Boy Soldiers and Consolers of the Lonely). Impressive.

We're Going To Be Friends - Th...

6) Pernice Brothers: The World Won’t End (2001 on Ashmont) – I enjoy pretty much everything Joe Pernice does, but this one’s his masterpiece.

Bryte Side - Pernice Brothers

5) Sufjan Stevens: Illinoise (2005 on Asthmatic Kitty) – This record holds up surprisingly well. I like an indie artist with some ambition.

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Sufjan ...

4) Brian Wilson: Smile (2004 on Nonesuch) – Darian Sahanaja did an amazing job getting this out to the public. After listening to bootlegs for years, it’s great to hear a final product that stays true to the era. Some of the versions don't quite live up the originals, but seeing this performed live was one of the live music highlights of the decade.

Heroes and Villains - Brian Wi...

3) The Shins: Oh, Inverted World (2001 on Sub Pop) – Chutes Too Narrow might be a little bit catchier, but it didn’t “change my life” the way this one did. This digs way deeper than the rest of the music labeled indie pop.

Caring Is Creepy - The Shins

2) Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002 on Nonesuch) – I’m still more of a Summerteeth guy, but this one’s fantastic too.

Kamera - Wilco

1) Arcade Fire: Funeral (released in 2004 on Merge Records) – This one was a game changer. Unfortunately, we’ve all had to endure five years of overwrought indie bands with similar ambition, but far less talent.

Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) - ...

Best Albums of the Decade: #40 - #31

Here's part two of my best albums of the decade. For #50 - #41 click HERE....

40) Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit (released in 2006 on Matador) – Not as important to me as their early music, but the record has a looser vibe that makes it fun to listen to. We’re still waiting for the proper follow-up.

Another Sunny Day - Belle & Se...

39) The Avalanches: Since I Left You (released in 2000 on XL) – Infinitely more interesting than Girl Talk. According to their Wikipedia page it contains 3,500 samples. Still no follow-up, but supposedly their working on clearing samples.

Frontier Psychiatrist - The Av...

38) TV on the Radio: Dear Science (2008 on Interscope) – One of those rare bands that gets better with each release (so hopefully their hiatus does go on indefinitely). Like most bands with multiple songwriters there can be a little inconsistency at times.

Halfway Home - TV On The Radio

37) Peter Bjorn and John: Writer’s Block (2006 on Wichita) – I feel like a lot of folks still dismiss these guys as a one hit wonder. But this record’s solid all the way through (and the one before it, Falling Out, might even be a little better).

Amsterdam - Peter Bjorn and Jo...

36) Everest: Ghost Notes (2008 on Vapor) – These guys toured with Neil Young and Wilco and still didn’t get a whole lot of attention for this record. While most bloggers were scouring the internet to find musicians who just learned to play guitar last week and record straight to ghetto blaster, I was listening to this.

Into Your Soft Heart - Everest...

35) Aloha: Some Echoes (2006 on Polyvinyl) – Indie prog? I’m not really sure why I got so into it, but I probably listened to this record more than their moms and girlfriends.

If I Lie Down - Aloha

34) David Vandervelde: The Moonstation House Band (2007 on Secretly Canadian) – Another artist where I feel like I’m his biggest fan. There are some definite Bolan/T. Rex-isms but that’s fine and dandy with me.

Jacket - David Vandervelde

33) Spoon: Girls Can Tell (2001 on Merge) – It was great living in Austin when Spoon was at its peak. Britt Daniel seems to hate LA so much, they never seem to put on an interesting show here, but I saw some good ones in Austin. Possibly the most consistent band of the decade.

Anything You Want - Spoon

32) The New Pornographers: Mass Romantic (2001 on Mint) – With so many mediocre bands out there why don’t more singers/songwriters put their egos aside and join together? They were my go to band of the decade for uplifting music.

The Slow Descent Into Alcoholi...

31) The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002 on Warner Bros.) – This was the beginning of the end of one of my favorite bands. The best songs have been licensed in so much crap, it’s hard to hear them objectively anymore. Hopefully they find their way again.

Fight Test - The Flaming Lips

Sinking Radio - Spoon's "Well-Alright"

This is my weekly reminder to point your internet browser to Little Radio this Friday from Noon to 2:00 PM PST for the Sinking Radio show. 

Each week, the show features an official You Set the Scene pick. My pick for tomorrow's show is "Well-Alright" by Spoon. This track comes from the forthcoming  Dark Was the Night compilation. The 31 track compilation is a benefit for the Red Hot Organization (dedicated to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS) and will be released February 17th on double-CD and triple-vinyl. 

The curators of the compilation, Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National, did a nice job finding contributors. It's the literate, public radio / Starbucks kind of indie rock (which I often enjoy). In addition to Spoon, it features: Arcade Fire, Feist, Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, Ben Gibbard, Grizzly Bear, The Decemberists, Beirut, Stuart Murdoch, My Morning Jacket, Dave Sitek, Sufjan Stevens, Yo La Tengo, Andrew Bird, Cat Power, Kevin Drew, The New Pornographers, The National, Yeasayer and Kevin Drew. There's also a handful of non-indie rock choices (Kronos Quartet, Buck 65 and Sharon Jones). 

The track choices are a mix of interesting covers, solid originals and unexpected collaborations (Blonde Redhead with Devastations, The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez, etc...).  The long running time means that, for existing fans, there's a lot to dig into. And for your out of touch friends, it will serve as a great crash course on what's happening in music these days. Proceeds benefit a good cause and it's very fairly/reasonably priced (the CD set is $13.98 on Amazon with the vinyl going for $28.48). 

MP3: Dirty Projectors and David Byrne - "Knotty Pine"

Spoon / John Vanderslice @ Little Radio

If I wasn't so behind, you'd know that Spoon released their new album this week. With the exception of the Jon Brion produced song, I like it. They're last few records have all shown up on my year end best of lists. Anyway, they're playing with John Vanderslice at Little Radio this Monday. Check Little Radio's website tomorrow at 10:00AM to buy tickets. They're $15 but include free Dewar's.

Spoon Tickets on Sale

Who: Spoon in Concert

When: September 10th and 11th

Where: Henry Fonda Theatre

How: Tickets are on sale now through Musictoday (you can save some service charges)

Spoon's new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga comes out on July 10th on Merge Records.