Alwaysmovinginstereo

I finally caught The Horrors live at Bimbo's 365 Club in SF last week when they co-headlined two shows with The Black Angels. It was a loud, and achingly gorgeous-sounding set in a beautiful venue.

Back in England, where these decidingly throwback shoegazers are from, they're Album of the Year winners(well, NME says) and doing duets of their single "Still Life" with mega fan Florence Welch. It's about as good as you'd hope, which is close to perfection.

i just bought tickets to lana del rey's show at bill graham civic auditorium in sf on april 18th. it could be really bad or really GOOD. this remix, however, is close to perfection.

Star cluster NGC 6193 and Nebula NGC 6188

js

Zola Jesus opened for the xx nearly two years ago at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, easily becoming the most pleasant surprise of the night. That's saying something considering the show was stacked, with fellow openers Warpaint being as outrageously beautiful as they are, and headliners the xx beefing up their set and presence to suit their ever-growing success. 

Sometimes you remember exactly how you felt the first time you heard a song. A song you've heard 100 times. Beyond all the memories and feelings you've since attached to it. You remember the exact drink in your hand and the friends surrounding you that regrettably you forgot you had. 

I heard "I Can't Stand" and was instantly taken, especially by her voice, so hauntingly powerful it completely enveloped the 2,800-capacity room. I remember. I remember. I remember. Perfectly.

favorites.

Too Short came into my restaurant in Oakland last night. He was accompanied by a fine-ass young lady who hell yeah wanted steak sauce in a Pan-American restaurant. 

So last week I grumbled about pretty much everything - sucky weather, utter broke-ness, and the lack of good new jams. I was your prototypical anonymous cynic of the internets!

This week is different. It's currently 75 degrees in Oakland with fair skies, and I'm stoked on a new track. I am however, still broke, but I'm always broke. 

French swirly dream pop band M83 dropped new single "Midnight City" off the forthcoming Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. This succeeds John Hughes-movie- soundtrack-inspired LP Saturdays=Youth, which was a damn near perfect record for ME. I mean, c'mon, an atmospheric synth-pop record inspired by moments like Ferris and Sloane bidding goodbye after a long, radical day to Dream Academy's "The Edge of Forever"? 

Saturdays=Youth was a record tailor-made for this kid who thought Shermer, Illinois was real way before Jay and Silent Bob.

New single "Midnight City" doesn't sound far off, era-wise. There's a huge sax solo at the end. I've heard this so many times before (Psychedelic Furs' "Heartbreak Beat") but with that, it hits every note of nostalgia without sounding old. 

The double(!) record comes out October 18 on Mute, followed by a gig at SF's Independent on November 10. 

You know when you've been listening to a highly agreeable song for a while, and one day it hits you like a ton a bricks? And you're like, it's so obvious. 

Oh Arcade Fire. They deserve every accolade for The Suburbs. The record can mean exactly what you want it to, for anyone, from here to Montreal. It's that good. You just have to listen. 

This song is yours and mine.