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2007 is just around the corner, and we've got a little tip sheet on where to be when the clock strikes midnight. MUSIC + PARTY • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will help ring in the new year with their guests the Bob Mould Band and Final Fantasy at Hammerstein Ballroom. Our friends at Stereogum are sponsoring the show, and tickets are still available here. Clap's second album, Some Loud Thunder, comes out in January,......

FESTIVAL: Today marks the start of the Blip Festival. The arts fest that explores the medium "of the 8-bit scene - musicians and artists who use low-bit videogame and computer hardware as their creative tools. The festival is the widest-reaching event in the history of the form, boasting a roster of over 30 international artists performing and exhibiting from places as diverse as Austria, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and across the United States."......

The Isles are: Andrew Geller, Ben Haberland, Tim McCoy and Chris Bordeaux. No, not ex-Unicorns Islands or former BOTW'ers Foreign Islands, but simply, The Isles. The local quartet has been busy this year, playing shows all over town and impressing all along the way. NME has apparently stated that "New Yorkers have never sounded as English as they do on this," which is exactly the type of brazen hyperbole we've come to expect from......

Another week begins and it's time to start penciling in some shows. Tonight, The Concretes are back! The Scandinavian 8+ person band will be playing Bowery Ballroom. While over at Sin-e King of France, Less and Dawn Landes play a more intimate gig. Tuesday night Guillemots, Levy, The Marina play Bowery. The name Guillemots has been overwhelming our inbox lately, but we've yet to give it a good listen. From what we can tell they're......

Other Passengers have been quietly floating around the New York scene for a couple years now. Their epic, sweeping music has captivated audiences everywhere they've played. It's easy to classify them as a "New York Sound" due to the dark, brooding elements of their songs, but in reality, there aren't many other groups these days doing what they do. At least not this well. They are playing the FRICTION party tomorrow night at Rothko......

There is a band playing Northsix tonight called Duran Duran Duran. We don't know anything about them, but based on their name alone we'll suggest checking them out. If you want to go with the safe bet though, head to the Delancey where Pela starts off their April residencey tonight. Art Brut is all sold out, both Tuesday and Wednesday, so if you didn't get tickets (or if you just don't like them - it's......

Foreign Islands are: Mark Ryan Dean Baltulonis James Gelini Johnny McAuliffe Andy Action It's tough not to notice a band that can get you to dance like this. There has been a bit of growing buzz around these guys of late for their angular dance-rock that draws obvious comparisons from legends such as Gang of Four to contemporaries like Thunderbirds are Now! and Bloc Party. Some may claim that this sound has already hit......

Gothamist is feeling a bit under the weather today, literally and figuratively, so we'll just get straight to it, if you don't mind: Monday it's singer-songwriter night at Bowery Ballroom, with Vic Chesnutt, David Bazan (of Pedro The Lion), Mark Eitzel, and Will Johnson (of Centro-Matic) all playing each other's songs together, as the Undertow Orchestra. That's a lot of emoting on one stage, folks. For the ultimate in lameness, check out INXS at Avery......

As the holiday countdown continues, this part of Gothamist has noticed that the number of major national touring acts has dwindled. All those midwestern indie-rockers had to get back to the Mall of America and finish up their shopping. Luckily, this is New York, where there are no malls, but there are hundreds of bands eager to play for indifferent ears no matter the season. This week, here's who should be on your list: Instrumental......