Los Campesinos! (Yes the exclamation point is part of their name)

Some of my favorite concerts are those by new bands who are still truly humble and grateful to their audiences, Los Campesinos!'s show at the Echoplex on Nov. 27 was just that. Their set was short (but not too short), energetic, and...well as fun as you'd expect a band named Los Campesinos! to be. It was really refreshing to see how truly excited they were to play on the West Coast "in Hollywood" as they kept repeating to the audience in between their songs, and it showed in the energy they put into each of their songs. Some songs I'd recommend would be "We throw parties, you throw knives", "Don't tell me to do the math(s)", and "You!Me!Dancing!". Their opening band was The Most Serene Republic who were excellent despite their slightly creepy lead singer...

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CFCF: An electronica like no other

Yea so this electronica artist from Montreal keeps coming out with consistently good tracks on his myspace page. From Kanye remixes to straight-up orginals, CFCF brings a sound that is instantly familiar. Maybe not as technically impressive as Daft Punk, but certainly as original. The sounds this guy makes with his computer are superb. Enough said. Check it out. And if you don't trust me, trust PITCHFORK WHO HAS NAME-DROPPED HIM MULTIPLE TIMES !!!!!

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Incredible Concert Over Winter Break

I never thought I would dislike having almost an entire month off from term papers, exams, useless discussion periods, and extreme amounts of reading. Then, I learned about Concrete Frequency. Concrete Frequency is a multimedia concert being presented at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this January (all on dates when I will be shivering with cold in the Midwest instead of basking in the glow of incredible music and the golden rays that shine from the Walt Disney Concert Hall). The performance features classical music, film footage of the city, and raw performances from people such as Zooey Deschanel, Sean Lennon, and Daniel Rossen (of the really cool indie band Grizzly Bear). The music in this concert is supposed to be a ripped-down-to-the-core expose of music about the artists' feelings, experiences, and attitudes towards the city. It is in several parts, Concrete Frequency I, II and III, that are spaced out over the first few weekends of January. This concert would be an experience unlike any other- fusing together media, 8mm film, the philharmonic orchestra, incredible composers, and ethereal vocalists. As William Miller in Almost Famous would say, this concert is going to be "incendiary." For real. So, basically, I need 300 dollars to fly back to Los Angeles for the weekend. and a place to stay. It would be totally worth it.

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Do the m-p-3-4-free

It's no secret there are a few power poppers around the office, so here's one for the fans hot off the MySpace: the Busy Signals. These guys have been up in Chicago mashing pop and punk together for a couple of years now, and they just released their debut LP on Portland label Dirtnap Records. All they've gotta do is cover "You're the Right One Baby" with Jamie Foxx and they've got rookie of the year in the sack.

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