The New Pornographers, the effervescent Canadian pop gang led by red headed-songwriter AC Newman and red headed-chanteuse Neko Case, strolled into town last weekend for headlining shows at Terminal 5 and Bell House. They played a generous 24 song set before a packed crowd at the former Saturday night, barely pausing as they jumped from song to song, each stuffed with dementedly catchy hooks upon hooks. It was as sugary as a Snapple, but Newman is a tricky songwriter, always finding ways to subvert expectations and throw in the surrealist lyrics imaginable. The band played the bulk of new album Together, along with raging highlights from their whole discography, including "The Electric Version," "The Laws Have Changed," "Myriad Harbour," and five songs from their masterpiece, Twin Cinema. The night ended with a rendition of "Testament To Youth In Verse," with an extended audience singalong of "no's" led by the ever compelling Dan Bejar. If you enjoy pop music in any of its wild forms, you'd be remiss in missing The New Pornographers next time they're in town: their jelly donuts are filled with substance. more ›

Click through for more Band of Horses and Blitzen Trapper more ›

Click through for more on Broken Bells and Morning Benders live, Spin's 25th anniversary concerts, and My Morning Jacket's five night residency at Terminal 5. more ›

It's been nearly four years since we last saw or heard from them, but Belle and Sebastian, Glasgow's finest twee-glam band, announced their return this week. They're in the "final stages" of recording a new album in LA, the follow-up to 2006's The Life Pursuit, which saw the band scaling back on their artfully delicate indie roots and fully embracing their inner T. Rex and Felt. The band plan to spend the second half of 2010 touring around the US, Asia and Europe, which will include a show at the spacious Williamsburg Waterfront (which will also host shows by Pavement, Modest Mouse, Nas and Faith No More during the summer) with jangly early-90's rockers Teenage Fanclub (who also have a new album coming out). Tickets are available here. more ›

Despite the wishy washy weather, you can really tell Summer has begun by the new jamz that have begun to leak this week. And foremost among those leaks are new tracks from heavyweights Kanye West and Arcade Fire. Kanye began working on upcoming new album Good Ass Job almost two years ago, right after Graduation, but instead took a detour route into the world of auto-tune and self-pity on 808's and Heartbreak. "Power," the first single from the September-bound album, appeared online today (and features a King Crimson sample to boot!). Also this week, Arcade Fire announced their third album, The Suburbs, due out August 3rd, and released a double-sided single featuring the Kinks-influenced title track, and scuzzy rockabilly "Month of May" to whet appetites. more ›

There are some classic indie bands all of us take for granted, bands who've been around so long they seem like institutions. Maybe it's because they don't put out records very often anymore, and they've fallen off the what's-in blog radar, or maybe it's because some of them are more consistently excellent than they are challenging at times. They're still some of the best bands performing today, bands such as Yo La Tengo, Lambchop, Super Furry Animals, and especially, Superchunk. more ›

Click through for more on New Zealand's greatest rock band, Jonsi's swelling Icelandic music, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's return. more ›

Click through for more on cinematic music from The Album Leaf, the "Rites of Spring" Haiti Benefit, and summer concert series announcements. more ›

"We'll never be this raw again," Jamie Lidell said before the encore at his Tuesday night performance at Bowery Ballroom. It was the first show of their summer tour, behind the release of his newest Beck-produced album, Compass. And though it was a slightly more toned-down performance than some of his previous tours, the rawness didn't take anything away from his superhuman vocal chops and vinyl suit. more ›

Click through to read more about Snoop Dogg in Brooklyn, The Tallest Man on Earth at the Highline Ballroom, and The Thermals at Brooklyn Bowl. more ›

Click through for more on Xiu Xiu and tUnE-yArDs co-headlining at the Bowery, folk singer Sam Amidon, and infectious indie rockers Plants and Animals. more ›

Click through for more on Thom Yorke's supergroup, Webster Hall-headlining Girls, a Rites of Spring Benefit featuring Bjork, and Columbia University's spring Bacchanal. more ›

Click through for more on Spoon's big Radio City show, The Walkmen at Bell House, She and Him at Bowery Ballroom, and the return of Celebrate Brooklyn! more ›

Click through for more on MtyMx, the Black Lips at Bowery, and LCD Soundsystem news. more ›

Click through for more on Henry Wolfe, Passion Pit, Joanna Newsom and the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. more ›

Click through for more on last night's intimate National show at the Bell House. more ›

Click through for a look at Animal Collective at the Guggenheim; The Tibet House Benefit at Carnegie Hall; Akron/Family at the Music Hall of Williamsburg; and NY's newest festival, the Truck America Fest; and two "secret" shows by The National next week! more ›

Acrassicauda, who Vice magazine once called the "hardest band in Baghdad," played their first public show in the U.S. Tuesday night at Europa in Greenpoint. It was a long-time coming for the four members of the band, who a few years ago were carrying guns to band practice, and later became the subjects of Vice's documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad. Tuesday night's show was an affirmation of the end to their harrowing journey, surrounded by a pumped-up, air-guitaring crowd. more ›

Click through for more on Magnetic Fields, this year's ATP Festival in New York, and the Pope! Also This Week:

• Yoko Ono and her Plastic Ono Band (including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, and others) rocked BAM
• An Interview with Stew
• New bands are running out of ideas for band-names
• Guns 'n Roses played an impromptu, 3 a.m. gig during Fashion Week (also, Sebastian Bach saved Axl's life)

Click through for more photos from It Came From Brooklyn, and a review of They Might Be Giants, who played a benefit in town earlier this week. more ›

Once again CMJ is upon us, and our show (which we're co-hosting with the lovely people at Brooklyn Based) is next Thursday, the 22nd at the Bell House [149 7th Street in Gowanus]. The show is FREE, and no CMJ badge is required. You can RSVP right here, and the details are below: more ›

Click through to read about Pavement's reunion show in Central Park, Deerhoof's show at Le Poisson Rouge, and Pela's break-up. more ›

Click through the gallery for more on Shudder to Think, Sound Fix, TV on the Radio, and Jay-Z. more ›

This just in: an employee over at Pianos on Ludlow Street has just informed us that the venue suffered some damages from a fire earlier this morning. He tells us, "There was a small electrical fire at Pianos this morning—the sprinklers went off and soaked everything, so we're going to have to close the club tonight. Things will resume as normal tomorrow for the Unisex Salon/Vulture Whale show." more ›

TV on the Radio were meant to be seen live. While they might seem like a fussy studio band with their loops and samples and intricate noises, they captivated the crowd Tuesday night in Prospect Park for Celebrate Brooklyn. Tunde Adebimpe led the crowd in a dance fest, slithering across the stage, his hips hula-ing and arms ejecting from his body in sinusoidal jolts and waves to favorites like “Golden Age” and “Playhouses.” Movements seemed to come easily to all, especially since most of their songs seemed about 50% faster (making “Dancing Choose” almost punk rock in speed). Their show is refreshingly organic, and proved that nobody in Brooklyn is too cool to dance. — Jaya Harrover Saxena more ›

Click on the images for more about this Week in Rock; this week features Kanye at Webster Hallt, Spank Rock at Siren and on the Williamsburg Bridge, and a Gothamist House (at CMJ) announcement! more ›

Click on the images for more about this Week in Rock; this week features Dirty Projectors at the Williamsburg Waterfront, Andrew Bird at Green-Wood Cemetery, and Ted Leo at Pier 54. more ›

Also this week: more ›

Also this week:

• The King of Pop, Michael Jackson died at age 50
• JetBlue announced a live music series at their new T5 terminal
• We interviewed Dr. Dog (who play a free Celebrate Brooklyn! show tonight)
• We also talked to Thurston Moore
• Lou Reed got angry
• Sound Fix will be moving and bringing back live music (but not with the alcohol)
• Nightlife apparently needs to be saved more ›

Also this week: more ›