Was 2008 a ground-breaking year for music? Probably not. But the past 365 days did bring us many sonic surprises, some good and some bad. Here are a few highlights, as well as our Top 3 Bands of the Year (all, incidentally, from New York). more ›

Every time theatrical glam-prog rockers Apes and Androids take the stage, it feels like Halloween. You can always count on a Busby Berkeley-size supporting cast of costumed dancers, massive paper mache demon heads, neon boats sailing through the crowd, stilt-walkers, confetti, balloons and vast mountains of glitter. And their shows that actually coincide with Halloween—in '06 at The Annex when they recreated Michael Jackson's Thriller in 3D, and last year at an obscure Williamsburg loft—have cemented their reputation as New York's ultimate spook night party band. more ›

When Apes & Androids announce a show, it is not just another concert. It's an event. Whereas most bands will settle for going on stage, playing the music and taking the audience's money -- A&A treat each show as a new frontier. A unique experience that everyone in attendance can look back on and specifically remember years from now. Last Friday night was just about as unforgettable as concerts get these days. For a local band with no real representation, just a die hard fan base and infinite imagination, this felt truly like a do-it-yourself epic. The amount of time and effort that must have gone into preparing for a show like this, from building the costumes and set pieces to recruiting the chorus who joined them on stage for the finale, is just staggering. And the final production, all coming together in front of a sold out Bowery Ballroom, was a truly remarkable feat. It's almost unfair to hold other bands to the standard Apes & Androids have set for what can be done at a live show, but they manage to make nearly everything else seem underwhelming. We highly recommend checking out Steph Goralnick's photos from the night. more ›

No "Lost" spoilers in this post. Stephen Merritt doesn't bring the band around too often, so it's always a treat when The Magnetic Fields take the stage in town. Despite the band hailing from Brooklyn, this is the first local show they've played in quite a few years, and the sold-out 4 night run at Town Hall did not disappoint the anxious fans. While their latest album, Distortion, casts a fuzzy haze over the otherwise deliberate, straight forward folk/pop tunes; the live show stripped them down completely, leaving nothing but acoustic instruments and voices. Every song comes across sharp, witty and with complete confidence, and manage to sound universally better then they ever do on record. (pic via coeur-sang's flickr) more ›