MUSIC: The question of the day is whether to hear Jens Lekman at Neumos or a re-formed The Cult. It's six of one, half-dozen of the other, isn't it? But since The Cult show is sold out, you're better off dropping by Neumos for Swedish indie pop. His new album, says Pitchfork, spans "the baroque pop of Scott Walker, the upbeat rhythms and bright harmonies of Northern soul, and the beach-party disco of fellow......

True confessions time: We've never set foot in 826 Seattle. We think we might have seen the building once, at night, while driving somewhere else. We'd turn in our hipster license, but as Seattlest Jeremy notes, "parenthood remains the antidote to hipness." We've never been all that hip, but we are writers, we (used to) read McSweeney's, and we've been aware of Seattle's hippest educational center, 826 Seattle, since before it opened. We just chose......

The third annual 826 Seattle benefit People Talking and Singing will fill the seats at Town Hall next Thursday. Comedian Patton Oswalt had to cancel, but the event still features host John Roderick of the Long Winters, Dave Eggers, comedians Todd Barry and Eugene Mirman, New Yorker music critic (and current blogosphere gadfly) Sasha Frere-Jones, local songstress Rosie Thomas, and Geologic of the Blue Scholars. People Talking and Singing has become the must-see annual......

Bumbershoot 2005 hosted the inaugural People Talking and Singing show, where 2,800 festival attendees packed McCaw Hall to see Dave Eggers, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Mike Doughty, Sarah Vowell, and Death Cab for Cutie, all the while raising $18K for 826 Seattle, the youth writing center in Greenwood. Last year's event, also at Bumbershoot, was hosted by Daily Show Resident Expert™ John Hodgman and singer Jonathan Coulton. Eggers, Handler, Gibbard, and Vowell were back......

The Triple Door continues to be the Venue Most Likely To Book Bands We'd Like To Sleep With. Ah, metaphorically, right -- bands that create an instant, itchy lust to hear more. Now while we cool down a bit, here's a coming-up-next announcement: Wednesday, 7:30pm: Rosie Thomas w/Denison Witmer & Sheila Saputo. A folksy singer/songwriter with a fabulous voice, Thomas has a charmingly off-beat stage presence. Sunday/Monday, 8pm: Rufus Wainwright is in town for......

Before we get into the review, let's draw your attention to the Kristin Hersh show this Tuesday, and Patricia Barber next Tuesday and Wednesday. TIME says Patricia Barber is what you get when you "cross Diana Krall with Susan Sontag." Who can pass that up? Rosie Thomas/Lambchop: 9/28 We had never heard Sub Pop's Rosie Thomas [myspace] before and were delighted to discover a terrific folk-pop vocalist and lyricist in one package. While endearingly kooky......