Tue 20 Jan – The Killers, M83

<tweet>I'm at Uic Pavilion
<tweet>Feeling M83
<tweet>The stage is being set up with palm trees and what looks like LOTS of lights!
<tweet>The Killers have some fiiine lookin' roadies

Setlist:
Spaceman
<tweet>The Killers open with Spaceman
note: I didn't realize how much this song really rocks! Must add this to my workout playlist.

Losing Touch
note: Didn't realize how JAZZY this song is… guess live horns make a big difference because I don't pick it up on the recording.

For Reasons Unknown
note: love this song on the…

Today I have been completely blown away.

Several weeks ago mentioned that they wanted to see Girl Talk at Lollapalooza. I assumed they were a band but really Girl Talk is a DJ! He is known for sampling and incredible mashups. I had a hard time finding any of his stuff to check out but today he released a new album called Feed the Animals. It is "pay whatever you want" to download.

I downloaded it this morning. I paid $0.00 and when asked why I wasn't paying I choose "because I don't really like Girl Talk"…

We got introduced to Texas Country in a big way by going to see Kevin Fowler, an Austin favorite, at Floores Country Store outside of San Antonio, Texas. (I'm not sure of the full story but Floores and Willie Nelson have some type of connection people kept talking about.) Friends of my sister rented out the patio for us so we were completely spoiled. Instead of having to be smushed down in the crowd we were able to sit and have beer served to us while we could see the entire show. There were about 30 of us all…

Wed 28 May – Langhorne Slim, The Builders & the Butchers

Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles played at Schubas which is a really intimate venue since it holds less than a hundred people. Everyone there was just hanging out, having a good time and ready to hear some good music. I went up to the front so I could take some pictures. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera after Los Campesinos! the night before so I only got a few pics which was really frustrating because there were some great shots to be had.

The Builders & The…

Tue 27 May – Los Campesinos!

I had a blast at the Los Campesinos! show at The Empty Bottle. These guys LOVE to make noise! And I can't tell you how cute they are - not cute in a "bunny rabbit" kind of way, but cute in a "hella talented and gracious" kind of way. Of course it's a bonus that they are from Cardiff, Wales (home of Doctor Who's time rift and Torchwood).

I first heard Los Campesinos! on one of my alternative music channels on Sirius. The song was "You! Me! Dancing!" and it is super…

Sat 24 May – Rilo Kiley, The Spinto Band, Nik Freitas

We went to see Rilo Kiley at The Riveria Theater. We got there around 9pm and The Spinto Band was still playing. I had never heard of them before but after seeing them perform live I definitely want to check them out a bit more.

We had such a blast when Rilo Kiley came on. The place was packed and while we weren't in the way back, it was still really hard to see. We had to shift around and try and find space between people's heads. The opened…

Thu 17 Apr – The Dodos, Woven Hand, Brendan Losch
Last week we went to see The Dodo's at The Note in Bucktown. I first read about them on one of the indie music blogs I often check out and they were mentioned as an unappreciated. I downloaded an MP3 and found out I really liked them so I got tickets when I saw they were playing in town. Woven Hand and Brendan Losch opened for them. Brendan Losch played first and his music is really mellow but really good. I bought two CDs of his and they are perfect…

Ever since they headlined Lollapalooza this past summer, I have been really into Pearl Jam. It has been kind of fun to re-discover a band I used to love. But I never understood why so many of their fans raved about Pearl Jam's cover of Love Reign O'er Me, originally performed by The Who. That was until tonight.

Tonight I watched the Adam Sandler / Don Cheadle movie "Reign Over Me". Adam Sandler's troubled character in that film uses music as a way to survive. Good music too. And it isn't until the final credit roll…

I LOVE my satellite radio. Tonight I got to hear a special that BBC Radio1 did on The White Stripes. It was super interesting to hear all sorts of artists discussing their introduction to The White Stripes and The White Stripes story. At the end there was an amazing performance from earlier this summer.

Well, I've come up with my favorite albums released this year. It's funny because these are not necessarily the albums I listened to the most this year. Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Regina Spektor, Muse and The Fratellis topped that list. But those were their albums that were released in 2006. So I wonder if the albums I have picked here that were released in 2007 I will just listen to more and more this coming year of if I will get sick of them . . .

Below are my top 20 favorite albums IN NO PARTICULAR…