We're stepping back, setting aside our personal music taste and passing on the choice to you. We've put together some samples of music that have graced our inbox recently for you to hear, without our influence or opinion. What do you think? Do they suck? Is one of them the best stuff you've ever heard? Throw us a comment. more ›

Seattle’s reality TV lovers are loving life right now. Along with Blayne on Project Runway, we can add a hopeful on America's Next Top Model to our cadre of locals to root for (or laugh at, depending on your feelings for Blayne): Elina. more ›

• Gothamist found that an explosive set off outside the Times Square army recruiting center may be similar to five past bombings in New York City.
• Seattlest worried when severed right feet and bottles of rat poison started washing up on local beaches.
• Shanghaiist was surprised by Bjork's rooting for Tibetan independence at her concert (see video), and the political fallout has only just begun.
• SFist debated the merits of new bronze plaques that will be placed in locations where San Francisco's homeless have died.
• DCist was obliged to respond to the worst Washington Post Outlook column ever published, in which conservative writer Charlotte Allen tried to make the case that women are dumb.
• LAist found Satan's ice cream truck trolling the streets, and they recorded the music.
• Some crafty Torontoist readers didn't like the dearth of ski hills in downtown Toronto, so they just built one of their own on their deck and (of course) recorded a video of them all taking turns on it.
• Bostonist knows the city's subway and bus system, the MBTA, has problems. So does this 17-year-old who submitted a report and told the MBTA brass how to fix it.
• Phillyist explored the possibility of an Ivy League prostitute, while their commenters debated the most ethical approach to proving or debunking the story.
• Londonist spent a little too much time looking at airbrushed operatic private parts, and enjoyed an enlightening comment from someone who was there. more ›

Just this weekend, we were declaring that we would never set foot in the new Showbox SoDo. That the Fenix has always been a terrible venue, regardless of name, owner, or minor renovations. That it would take some big name to get us to attend a show there, say, Bjork, Sufjan, maybe Broken Social Scene.... more ›

Meeting Jesca Hoop before a recent opening-slot gig at the Showbox, we weren't entirely sure what to make of her. With her debut LP not out for two months and only a few songs available streaming on the net, we labored--mistakenly--under the impression that this waifish Jack Mormon who'd spent several years homesteading was really just another singer-songwriter strumming an acoustic guitar. more ›

The NME refers to British five-piece The Horrors as "big-haired, squid-flinging art school ghouls causing goth-garage chaos across the UK." Yes indeed. If you're a mite confused by the "squid-flinging" bit, the reference is to the above video, "Sheena is a Parasite," directed by auteur Chris Cunningham (he of Aphex Twin/Bjork/Squarepusher twisted vid fame), and starring Samantha Morton as the titular intestinal-spewing character. The video ended up being banned by MTV UK, not because of the gore (really just pounds and pounds of cephalopod carcasses), but because of the potential for seizures due to all that damn strobe. more ›

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For once, it was actually nice weather at the Gorge for Sasquatch. Last year was all sturm und drang and the year previous was approximately the temperature of the sun, but the gods smiled down on all gathered in George, Washington yesterday afternoon, as it was a pleasant 80 degrees under partly cloudy skies. more ›

We saw it first in this month's Seattle Sound magazine, but then we misplaced it somewhere, so we grabbed the current Stranger and -- ah, there they are: The stage times for all the performers at this weekend's Sasquatch Festival along with the inevitable, unavoidable conflicts that occur at all festivals. They did a pretty good job of staggering the times, but there are still some "What do we do?!" moments. more ›

We’ve all heard it. Many of us have even said it. A “religious experience.” As in, “Seeing Tool at the Paramount was just amazing – like a religious experience.” It’s different for everyone. For some, it’s all about the environment of the show – the venue, the crowd, maybe the mushrooms you ate about an hour before the lights went down. For others, it’s all about the band. Maybe it’s Tool at the Paramount. Maybe it’s Phish’s 2004 final show in Vermont. more ›

Under Byen (meaning "under the city" and pronounced "Oh-nah Boon") is a pack of wild Danes who makes orchestral post-rock chockful of unfamiliar sounds, distorted vocals, effects pedals, and heavy feedback. The eight-piece has been together since the mid-90s, but it's their latest release Samme Stof Som Stof that has won them fans on this side of the pond. Part of it is due to their elaborate orchestration and sonic heft, and part of it is due to their blonde bombshell of a lead singer. Henriette Sennenvaldt is smoking hot, with quirky vocals in the vein of Bjork--case in point: the album's title track [mp3]--that serves to complement the band's deep sound. Under Byen headlines tonight's Euro-leaning show at Chop Suey, also featuring Au Revior Simone and Frida Hyvonen. We've been told all three bands are solid, a rare occurrence indeed. more ›

Last year's Sasquatch line up was good, but not good enough to get us to spend three days at the Gorge. We still prefer the festival in its one-day, all-in-one-fell-swoop form, but with the lineup that's been announced for this year's two-day fest, we may just have to make the trip. Out of the two days, it was Saturday that really made us coo. Bjork *and* Arcade Fire? Consider us sold. There are still bands to be announced, but here's how things stand as of right now: more ›

This is the all-geek edition of Get Out. If you're a normal person with friends and fully-functional social skills you may want to stay in this first Monday in December. more ›

SIFF runs a tight ship. Even though their Face the Music party at Neumo's last night had a bajillion bands on the bill---all of whom were doing ~20 minute sets chockful of covers, as a tribute to musicians featured in films at the festival--- somehow they were actually running ahead of schedule. How often does that happen at a regular rock show, let alone one with eleven musical acts? Somebody must've been cracking the whip. Truly, this slavedriver should be commended. more ›

The final full week of SIFF is upon us. It's time to get some last few films before the sun sets on this year's fest. This week's got a couple great music events as well: Friday night, Portastatic will be on hand to perform a specially-commissioned live score accompanying circus freakshow-themed silent film The Unknown (more about that in a few days). more ›

One week of SIFF down, only three more to go. Starting yesterday, the fest moved on up, to the Eastside. Now through next Wednesday, films will be shown in Bellevue at the Lincoln Square Cinemas. From the looks of it, they've got a strong Friday lined up, with the final screenings of The Giant Buddhas, Prairie Home Companion, and Conversations with Other Women. more ›

We've been to better parties, let's just say that. For one thing, there was no cake. And our first-ever (that's a singular "our" the rest of the Seattlest club rats want you to know) trip to Chop Suey left us making invidious comparisons to San Francisco club decor. The parade-length Chinese dragon hung from the ceiling is appealing but what's with the huge splotches of peeling paint on the walls, the cheap plywood ramp to the main floor, and the grimly unpainted concrete floor? Most importantly, what's with that muddy sound coming out of your speakers? It might be time for some spring improvements, Chop Suey! However, kudos for the Guinness on tap. You're loved. more ›

Hooray for excess! After yesterday's gluttony, and today's celebrations of consumerism, it just wouldn't seem right to go out for something low-key. So rather than even considering a night at home mourning the loss of a meat-market, why not head out for a night with not one, but two house music heavyweights? more ›