We hope all of you electronauts enjoyed the first night of Decibel Fest (and don't forget, there's plenty of good stuff coming up tonight). Electronica wizard Matthew Romein is back to recommend some of his favorite acts from tomorrow's line-up more ›

One of the things we like best about Thao and Mirah is their light-hearted, fun attitude toward everything. I was lucky enough, earlier on in the day, to be at their KEXP in-studio session as well as the Crocodile show on Saturday night. Throughout the day, even though touring and seeing city after city must be exhausting, they're happy to be wherever they were and play the music that they love. What incredible voices they have as well, you can bet there's no auto-tune used on their albums; their harmonies sound beautiful. Our very own Led to Sea had a fantastic set of their own. Having never seen them before, it was a special treat for us to see them as the supporting act on Thao and Mirah's tour. Marisa Anderson also lent her incredible guitar stylings to the evening's lineup. She may just play instrumental guitar, but it's truly a show to see. She's got talent in spades and quietly sits in a chair while the audience is in awe of her music. We grabbed a few shots at the show in the hopes of capturing even a small slice of the overall aesthetic (both aural and visual) of the show. more ›

Joe Purdy is a force in and of himself. He's an American singer/songwriter that has released ten albums in eight years. Without having done this myself, I can only imagine how incredibly difficult and painstaking that must have been. How is it that he's done this and toured throughout the states, as well as internationally? We'll never know, but we're glad he's made it to play in Seattle tonight. more ›

“Gloss Drop,” the long-awaited second full-length album from Battles, is set for release next month. Fans needn't wait, though, to get their fix of the experimental outfit from Brooklyn. Battles play the Crocodile tonight. more ›

Don't Mondays just make you want to traverse the universe's time holes? Ugh...we hear you. But don't worry--Sarah J. has good news on what's good to do. more ›

Tuesday night at the Crocodile was, simply put, a full house of smiles. more ›

Criss crossing the United States, Welsh band The Joy Formidable (TJF) park it in Seattle on Tuesday night at the Crocodile with the help of Anacortes favorite The Lonely Forest. Up until South by Southwest TJF was only getting light radio play on local stations. During SXSW they performed at KEXP’s make-shift studio in Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop on air where KEXP also captured them on video. The chemistry between Ritzy Bryan (vocals, guitar) and Rhydian Dafydd (bass, vocals) is what you’d expect between two people who grew up together: childish, playful and expressive the entire time. If songs like Cradle & Austere are anything like the rest of their catalog, we will be excited for the show. Ritzy Bryan seems to command the microphone and has quite a stage presence with her voice and massive guitar shredding abilities. more ›

It's a fact: the internet loves Toro Y Moi, aka Chazwick Bundick, and we have a hunch that he loves it just as much. We dare you to try to find an indie fashion or culture blog that doesn't mention him at least once. For example, it was Urban Outfitters that debuted a first listen to early 2011's Underneath the Pines. Paper Magazine included him in their 'Beautiful People of 2010' feature. He recently played live at the American Apparel factory via Viva Radio. Oh and, um, his music is actually really good. more ›

Loch Lomond and Viva Voice opened up the night and it was already packed early on in the evening. We managed to scootch our way up to the front for the headliner and he was incredible. That was evidenced by the completely silent house during every one of his heartfelt songs. He's headed out on tour now with stops in San Francisco, Little Rock, SXSW and Phoenix. We'll be happy when he makes his way home to Seattle though. more ›

Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro play at the Crocodile on Saturday night in support of their 5th album, “Only Revolutions”. We can’t wait for them to bring their Foo Fighter-influenced sounds to a venue entirely too small for Foo, but could channel Nirvana-era Dave Grohl in an instant. Biffy is popular in their native UK but it’s been difficult cracking into the American market; their last tour in the States was four years ago. During the first US tour they had the pleasure of opening for Bon Jovi while this time around there are headlining, albeit in smaller venues, but headlining none the less. After scouring YouTube for live performances, we couldn’t help but be eager to see them at the Crocodile this Saturday as they engage the crowd as any band should. more ›

DON'T MESS: You may remember us talking a while back about local drum crew Titanium Sporkestra raising money to travel to Austin for HonkTx. Congratulations are due, because they made their nut and then some. This Saturday, they give their thanks with a BBQ cook-out and performance buffet of Seattle's best warped entertainers. God's Favorite Beefcake. The Mongrel Jews. The Harlequin Hipsters. And, for taste, San Fran's Esmerelda Strange. It's going to be a wondrous evening of temptation. Go ahead and fill your plate. Saturday 8 p.m. // Underground Event Center in Belltown // $10-$20 Sliding Scale Donation (21+) more ›

If your schedule’s been anything like ours, this has been a big week for highly anticipated musical outings. more ›

Seattlest will be counting down to 2011 with a series of posts on our highlights of this year and what we're looking forward to in the next. Got a list to suggest? Send it our way. See the entire series here. more ›

Manged to grab some shots from the Fitz show on Tuesday at the Crocodile. You can also check out our review posted yesterday and the full flickr collection. more ›

Yesterday we wrote up a preview of the Fitz and the Tantrums with BGP show. There was a lot of tentative speculation based on what we could find out about them. Honestly, there were no diehard fans to consult at the time so we took what we could get. We now know that all the negative speculation was bullcrap. more ›

LA-based neo-Motown group Fitz and the Tantrums is hitting up the Crocodile tonight with its unique style. After listening to quite a bit of the group's music and hearing what others have to say, it's pretty much a mixed bag. Some people feel like they could be a bit more inventive and their melodies need a little more variety. Soul music can be heart-wrenching or inspirational and setting the vocals aside, the backing music is where at least half of that emotional power comes from. Songs like "Shout", "Please Mr. Postman", and "Honeybee" all have the same swinging upbeat tempo but very different emotional context. Some reviewers, like over at the Onion AV club, don't feel like the music rings true because it's sung by a white guy. That doesn't necessarily make a difference, what really matters if it feels like it rings true to the singer... no matter who he/she is. Honestly Fitz has a great sound with quality musicians to back him up, so we're looking forward to the show. It's supposed to be pretty lively and no doubt hands will be clapping. more ›

By now you're anxiously awaiting the first night of mind-blowing shows that kick off City Arts Music Festival day one. It's so close you can practically taste the delicious melodies yet to come. Our buzz here at Seattlest is like a five-hour energy shot in a triple espresso, but the fun doesn't stop after today. Oh no, it just keeps getting better and we're here to guide you through the musical madness and on to what's coming up on Thursday. Keep an eye out for some post-show galleries, they'll be up soon enough to keep your festival memories alive that much longer.
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Looking for a way to fill in that anticipatory Friday evening before Bumbershoot? You know, that time when you're practically vibrating with excitement for the impending magical music goodness? We have a suggestion that will leave you satisfied, at least until the next morning. The FunOfficial Bumbershoot kickoff party at the High Dive is filled with great local music acts and you can win stuff too. What could be better? more ›

When the clock shows 12:00 a.m. on August 15, India rings in its 64th year as a sovereign nation, commemorating the anniversary of the termination of British rule and the end of hundreds of years of European colonization. After centuries of struggle and occupation, one of the oldest and most culturally rich regions in the world finally won its independence. more ›

COUNTRY CURES ALL: Monday blues are the worst. But what better way to fight them than with a healthy dose of country? Guitarist, songwriter and front man for Widower Kevin Large likes to spend his Monday evenings DJing at Hazelwood in Ballard. Stop in for some bourbon and classic country swooning! more ›

When Grandaddy reached the end of the road in 2006 after 14 years as a band, we were admittedly a bit distraught. Without frontman Jason Lytle’s brilliantly-crafted pop that explored the anxieties around modern life and lost connections, we traveled down many musical paths in an attempt to fill the void. Fast forward to the present and we’re delighted to recommend a trip to the Croc tonight to check out Admiral Radley, the new side-project between Lytle and Aaron Burtch of Grandaddy along with Ariana Murray and Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart. As you might guess, the result is a sonic pop oddity filled with beautiful “mopey” numbers rounded out by upbeat, and uncompromisingly poppy tunes like the less-than-sincere “I Heart California.” If you're anything like us, you'll greatly enjoy the evening of Lytle and his old friends warding off proclaimed modern day anxieties with brilliant pop music, complete with a toy-piano or two for good measure. more ›

She is perhaps France's most-beloved daughter, an award-winning actress and international musical star: Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of the iconic Serge, who inspired a pub in Greenwood that Seattlest wrote about shortly after it opened at the end of 2008. Point being, she's in town toay and will stop by the Alliance Française of Seattle offices at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford tonight at 7. She's on tour, promoting her latest album, IRM, on which she collaborated with Beck. (Digital download here.) more ›

MUSIC FROM THE CUTEST NAME EVER: ...Pepi Ginsberg! Are ya kidding? Adorable squared. Tonight the singer songwriter stops by The Crocodile in support of her new album East is East. She's been called the love child of Bob Dylan and Deerhoof; basically another way of saying awesome. more ›

This juicy bit of miraculous music news was posted on the Sasquatch Music Festival website a few days ago: more ›

Don’t forget to grab a copy of GIVE, a new compilation featuring local and national musicians, including Ben Gibbard, Fleet Foxes, The Cave Singers, D. Black, David Bazan, Le Loup, and plenty more. The album, out today, costs $7 and is available online, in Caffe Vita shops, Easy Street Records,
 Sonic Boom Records, University Book Store, The Crocodile, Sorrento Hotel, and
 Neumos. 100% of the proceeds go toward Art Corps and Seattle area food banks. And if this rings your bell, keep your eyes open for the benefit concert on December 3 at The Crocodile. more ›

CALL IT GOOF-HOP Kid Koala plays Nectar tonight. The Vancouver-born DJ makes relaxing hiphop/glitch-flavored songs. He’s one of those people whom it seems unfair to call a "DJ" because his records are more than remixes: his music is uniquely, goofily relaxing. His first record, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, sounds like a dance club on Sesame Street. Kid Koala is a rare thing: a DJ who just wants to make you smile. With Adira. more ›

Dirty Three play depressing but somehow uplifting songs. The group instrumental music takes elements from jazz, folk, chamber music, and traditional rock. They’re led by Nick Cave’s favorite violinist--fans of Cave’s brand of Australian literary post-punk rock will enjoy this. more ›

John Vanderslice is such a nice guy that his niceness sometimes overshadows his skill as a songwriter. Vanderslice tours tirelessly, gives interview time to anyone who wants to talk to him, and promotes fellow musicians with the selfless dedication of a sidekick in a romantic comedy. That level of nice makes it easy to forget that he’s also one of the most interesting songwriters touring today. more ›

• This morning, one lady driving her Mini Cooper wasn't feeling super-duper after she crashed into a parked car on Madison, and flipped her car on its side.
• Talk about a tough day on the job for Department of Ecology workers: today they received word that two trains cars collided, spilling nearly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the train tracks in SoDo.
• Could more changes be coming to the Crocodile/Via Tribunali space at Second and Blanchard? Hideous Belltown snapped a few pictures of the missing wall and found more breezy cha-cha-changes are currently taking place. Because every bar needs a garage door?