Indie Rock and Indie Pop

The Short List: This Week's Recommended Shows 

City Arts Fest: Big Boi, She & Him, Gogol Bordello, Belle and Sebastian, Oct. 20 to 23

big dog​From the department of "reasons to call in sick for a week", the first annual City Arts Fest is another reason we're in for a stellar Rocktober. Among the highlights are Belle and Sebastian and She & Him playing separate shows at the 5th Avenue Theater on October 20 and 22, respectivel ... More >>

Dinosaur Feathers

big dog​From the department of "reasons to call in sick for a week", the first annual City Arts Fest is another reason we're in for a stellar Rocktober. Among the highlights are Belle and Sebastian and She & Him playing separate shows at the 5th Avenue Theater on October 20 and 22, respectivel ... More >>

The Short List: The Week’s Recommended Shows

big dog​From the department of "reasons to call in sick for a week", the first annual City Arts Fest is another reason we're in for a stellar Rocktober. Among the highlights are Belle and Sebastian and She & Him playing separate shows at the 5th Avenue Theater on October 20 and 22, respectivel ... More >>

Smashing Pumpkins to Play Portland, Arcade Fire Burns Up the Billboard Charts, and M.I.A. Sets Clip-Art to Music

​MFNW: Just in case you need another reason to attend this year's MusicFestNW, Corgan and Co. play the Wonder Ballroom Sept. 11. (If you're staying in town that weekend, Smashing Pumpkins also play Showbox Sodo on Sept. 10.) Merge Records: Arcade Fire's Suburbs topped the Billboard charts la ... More >>

Three Examples of Music that Just Sounds Better During Hot Summer Weather

This hot spell Seattle's experiencing won't last much longer, so I'm going to enjoy summer music while I can. Yes, that's right: there's some music I mostly want to hear in the fall and winter (this is depressing music; sorry, Cat Power and Bon Iver) and springtime (this is upbeat and hopeful, like ... More >>

Rocket Queen: Casino Boogie

Why rockers of all stripes are taking a second look at the paychecks past the craps table.

Little Big Bands

How the Northwest's premier summer music festivals reflect the redefinition of "indie."

The Short List: The Week's Recommended Shows

How the Northwest's premier summer music festivals reflect the redefinition of "indie."

Dirty Projectors

How the Northwest's premier summer music festivals reflect the redefinition of "indie."

Das Racist

How the Northwest's premier summer music festivals reflect the redefinition of "indie."

Broken Social Scene Create Clever Sonic Textures and Fill the Stage With a Dozen Canadians at the Paramount Last Night

​Broken Social Scene Friday Oct. 15, 2010 The Paramount Theatre Broken Social Scene proved there is such thing as strength in numbers at the Paramount Theatre last night. At times the Canadian collective swelled to as many as 12 members on stage, which must have helped the band power through ... More >>

Deerhunter

​Broken Social Scene Friday Oct. 15, 2010 The Paramount Theatre Broken Social Scene proved there is such thing as strength in numbers at the Paramount Theatre last night. At times the Canadian collective swelled to as many as 12 members on stage, which must have helped the band power through ... More >>

The Short List: The Week's Recommended Shows

From Sufjan Stevens to Joan Osborne.

Cold War Kids' "Louder Than Ever" Is the Band's Most Conventional Effort to Date

Chris Kornelis​Artist: Cold War Kids Track: "Louder Than Ever" Album: Mine Is Yours, Due Jan. 25 Rating (Skip, Stream, Buy): Skip (But there is a free download) With a name like "Louder Than Ever," you've either got to bring the heaviest jam of your career or the lightest. Cold War Kids fall ... More >>

Also Tonight: Acclaimed Art-Rappers Das Racist Make Their Prompt Return to Seattle

When Brooklyn-based Das Racist made their first Seattle appearance at the Comet Tavern back on Oct. 1, the $8 tickets sold out faster than you could ask and answer "Who's that? Brooown!"--and left an unfortunate mob of folk dejectedly milling outside the venue. So now, just over a month later, th ... More >>

Vinyl Black Friday: Limited Edition Dylan, Harrison, & Hendrix No Getting Up at 4 A.M., Standing in Line, Or Punching People

​Vinyl collectors can sleep in a bit on the morning after Thanksgiving -- instead of waking up at 4am to get in line and shove people at Best Buy or Target, Vinyl Black Friday starts at 10am at Sonic Boom Records, and you'll be able to get in on some purchases that are a lot more exciting than ... More >>

Monday Morning Psychedelia, Brought to You By Neon Indian & The Newly Invented LZX Visionary

Ben Aqua​Do you know what the above glowy machine is? I don't, really, but apparently it's a piece of LZK Industries' LZX Visionary, the world's first video synthesizer. In a most basic explanation, the LZK Visionary does to video images what an audio synthesizer does to sounds. Techie geeks, ... More >>

An Incomplete History of Seattle Music in 2010

From major-label moves to major festival bummers.

Sub Pop Splits With Grand Archives, Seattle's Most Buzzed About Band of 2007

Renee McMahonArchives, at show number one -- March 21, 2007, Neumos -- before they were Grand Archives,​When Band of Horses co-founder Mat Brooke announced Archives, his post-BOH project in 2007, he sent the Interwebs and Seattle-music watchers into a tizzy. The band's four-song demo immediat ... More >>

Givers' Mardi-Gras Atmosphere Nearly Upstages Ra Ra Riot, Last Night at Neumos

​Ra Ra Riot, Givers Neumos Thursday, Jan. 27 Ra Ra Riot brought a Louisiana treat with them to a sold-out Neumos last night in the form of Lafayette quintet Givers, a band we'll go ahead and call "Cajun Afropop." True, it makes zero sense geographically, but perfect sense sonically, with the ... More >>

With Fleet Foxes' Contract Almost Up, Can Sub Pop's Support for Helplessness Blues Keep the Band on the Label?

Sean Pecknold​When Sub Pop vice president Megan Jasper was working in the label's sales department in 1991, she got an early listen to an album from some expats who were about to release their major-label debut. Jasper told her bosses that she thought the record was going to be huge. Twenty ye ... More >>

Industrial Noise: Sub Pop's Fleet Fox Moment

How the independent label plans to attack the biggest release date in its history.

Sasquatch 2011: Wilco, Death Cab, Modest Mouse, Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, the Decemberists, and the Rest of the Lineup Announced at the Festival Launch Party

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy will need his cowboy hat when the sun sets on his band's set at the Gorge for Sasquatch! 2011.​Update: 11:41 p.m. Live Nation and Adam Zacks went to their speed dial to book Sasquatch! 2011, the first year the 10-year-old festival has stretched to four days. Save for the p ... More >>

Speaking of Sasquatch . . . Founder Says Festival Could Sell Out By Week's End

Renee McMahonDeath Cab for Cutie -- seen here at Sasquatch! 2008 -- returns to the Gorge for Sasquatch! 2011, over Memorial Day Weekend. The day-by-day schedule is expected shortly.​Sasquatch! founder/booker/curator Adam Zacks says that the four-day festival is selling 300 percent faster than ... More >>

Sasquatch! Day-By-Day Schedule Unveiled: Foo Fighters (Friday), Death Cab (Saturday), Modest Mouse (Sunday), Wilco (Monday)

Sasquatch 2011 Lineup from World Famous on Vimeo. Seriously? Monday had to be the best day???? It's going to be much harder to sneak out of the festival early this year than last (sorry, Ween), what with Wilco, Sharon Jones, Black Mountain, and Chromeo closing things out just a few hours before you ... More >>

The Short List: This Week's Recommended Shows

Sasquatch 2011 Lineup from World Famous on Vimeo. Seriously? Monday had to be the best day???? It's going to be much harder to sneak out of the festival early this year than last (sorry, Ween), what with Wilco, Sharon Jones, Black Mountain, and Chromeo closing things out just a few hours before you ... More >>

Still Room in Seattle for Crystal-Clear Pop?

Telekinesis' Michael Benjamin Lerner is trying to find out.

The Strokes, and 6 Other Bands Who Should Have Hung It Up After Album Number 1

​Musicians rarely know to quit while they're ahead (if they do it's often because they die, like Jeff Buckley or Biggie). Of course, there are exceptions--James Murphy recently announced LCD Soundsystem's calling it quits because he doesn't want to be a geriatric rocker, and Neutral Milk Hotel ... More >>

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Are Not a Marketing Scheme

The new Pains of Being Pure at Heart album, Belong, is a pretty audacious leap for the band--recruiting mega-producer Flood (U2, the Smashing Pumpkins) to buff their previously slouchy twee-pop sound up to something more closely resembling the radio-friendly alt '90s--and it's already earning them ... More >>

The 75 Greatest Things You Missed at Coachella This Year

All photos: Curtis Cartier/Seattle WeeklyThe hunt for drugs at the Sahara Tent for many was hardly a secret.​There was a massive music festival in Southern California this past weekend. Maybe you heard about it? Coach-something? Anyway, lots of stuff happened. I should know--I was there, man. ... More >>

In Honor of Modest Mouse Working With Big Boi, 7 Other Unlikely Indie/Hip Hop Mash-Ups

.bbpBox63368266483105792 {background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_background_images/214078480/bestill5.jpg) #1a1b1f;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit- ... More >>

This Week's Recommended Shows

From Battles and Beach Fossils to Joan of Arc and The Cars.

Fleet Foxes Say Goodbye to Indie-Folk, Last Night at the Moore

Sean PecknoldLive pics will be added shortly.​Fleet Foxes, With Cave Singers The Moore Tuesday, May 3 Tuesday May 3, 2011 was the most anticipated release date in Sub Pop Records' history. And Fleet Foxes -- the label stars who issued their sophomore LP, Helplessness Blues yesterday -- did mo ... More >>

KEXP Partners With NPR For Live Streaming of Sasquatch!, the Station's "Most Ambitious Live Broadcast" Yet

Wilco's May 30 set will be among those broadcast by KEXP and NPR.​KEXP hosts over 500 in-studio sessions a year, stream live sets from SXSW in Austin, and took over Ballard last weekend. But, says executive director Tom Mara, "This is the most ambitious live broadcast project we've taken on." ... More >>

The Hipster Headdress Schtick Isn't New, But It's Gone Mainstream, and Is Just as Offensive

​As I reported last year ("An Incomplete History of Hipster Headdresses"), I was pretty stunned by the abundance of headdresses, warpaint, and makeshift totem poles at Sasquatch! 2010. I spoke to a couple tribal members, and they were as excited about the trend as you might expect them to be. ... More >>

And the 30 Most-Played Songs in Tim Robbins' iTunes Library Are Fleet Foxes' "Helplessness Blues," Pearl Jam's "Just Breathe," And . . .

​As opposed to our favorite songs, or songs we'd like to think define our listening habits, taking a look at what a person actually listens to can be far more revealing. With that in mind, we've decided to ask a few folks to take a look at the most-played songs in their iTunes libraries and sh ... More >>

Fleet Foxes' Helplessness Blues Has Sold Just 5 Fewer Vinyl LPs Than Abbey Road This Year

​​Album sales figures are still grim -- roughly half what they were in 2000 -- but the music industry got a rare bit of good news yesterday when Nielsen SoundScan released word that album sales for the first half of 2011 were up 1 percent over the same period last year, the first such up ... More >>

Today Reverb Recommends Adding 20 Free Songs to Your iTunes to Celebrate Lollapalooza

Les Claypool of Primus. Moby never stood a chance.​Ninety-nine percent of the time, free things come with a "catch," but Spin magazine has bypassed all the asterisks to offer a legitimately no-cost mix of the best songs during Lollapalooza's last 20 years. The album can be downloaded for the ... More >>

Facts and Figures

1,192 Seattleites are waiting for Adele, but Flint, Mich., still doesn't get Shabazz Palaces.

Jeez Not Everything is Balearic, Guys, or: Cut Copy Remix Death Cab For Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie - Doors Unlocked And Open [Cut Copy Remix] by deathcabforcutie Some remix combos just should not work at all--they look terrible on paper, catch in your mouth like vom, etc.--and I would slot "Death Cab for Cutie Cut Copy" squarely in that category. On top billing, you ... More >>

Here's Hoping the Next Band of Horses Record Is Heavy On the Tyler Ramsey

Laurie PearmanTyler Ramsey, seen here at the Tractor in 2008, brings his new solo album, The Valley Wind, to the Fremont Abbey on October 25.​Tyler Ramsey is a self-taught guitar-picker who kicked his classical training when he couldn't, or wouldn't, keep up with his homework. "At the time," h ... More >>

Seapony's Danny Rowland on Seattle Magazine Gender-Bending Flub: "Get With It! I'm a Boy!"

Pretty pretty princesses.​The October issue of Seattle Magazine puts the spotlight on the upcoming Built to Spill concert at the Moore this Friday, October 21, which is part of City Arts Fest and which one of Reverb's favorite local bands, Seapony, will be opening. Established indie band Buil ... More >>

Today Reverb Recommends Catching Band of Horses Guitarist Tyler Ramsey at Fremont Abbey

​ Singer-songwriter and Band of Horses lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey is playing the Fremont Abbey Arts Center tonight in support of his new solo album, The Valley Wind. According to Chris Kornelis in this week's Short List, Ramsey was also responsible for some of the best moments on Band of Hor ... More >>

$10-$14

​ Singer-songwriter and Band of Horses lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey is playing the Fremont Abbey Arts Center tonight in support of his new solo album, The Valley Wind. According to Chris Kornelis in this week's Short List, Ramsey was also responsible for some of the best moments on Band of Hor ... More >>

This Week's Recommended Shows

From Chick Corea to Dan Deacon.

It's Fleet Foxes Vs. Eddie Vedder In the Fauxlk Folk Album of the Year Fight at the Grammys

Laura MusselmanFleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold looks into the ring before his bout with Eddie Vedder.​If there was any doubt that Seattle is the NEW EPICENTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOLK SCENE naysayers were silenced last night when the Grammy brass announced that both Fleet Foxes' Helplessn ... More >>

Ganglians

Laura MusselmanFleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold looks into the ring before his bout with Eddie Vedder.​If there was any doubt that Seattle is the NEW EPICENTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOLK SCENE naysayers were silenced last night when the Grammy brass announced that both Fleet Foxes' Helplessn ... More >>

Beck Jack White are the Most Exciting Sasquatch! Headliners Since ... Beck, 2006

Renee McMahonBeck!​Yes, yes, yes, your favorite mid-level indie band is playing Sasquatch! 2012 (full lineup after the jump), but when the lineup was announced tonight at the Neptune during the Sasquatch! launch party, I got most excited about the headliners at the top of the bill. Jack White, ... More >>

Sasquatch 2012: The Year Indie Adult-Contemporary Broke

The NPR-pledging "Tumblr whites" of Sasquatch 2011​The first thing I thought when I heard the line-up announcement last night was: man, Sasquatch is never going to be Coachella. That's fine--Sasquatch is smaller, prettier, more chill. And it's not just the gorgeous natural scenery, either. In ... More >>