Try as I might to make the most of Labor Day weekend, it never quite feels right. Summer's last gasp is always a bitter sweet, if not completely depressing, moment in time...especially if taking stock in all those things you meant to accomplish, but never quite did over the last few months is a regular Labor Day activity. And yet, this weekend - this time of year, actually - always instills a sense of urgency. There is just no ignoring the need to get out there and grab what you can, while you can.

All of which makes Oren Lavie the perfect musical candidate to set the official end of summer to.

Obviously, we can't be at every show. Burger King has more staff than our editorial department. That's why we're hiring some new recruits: you, loyal readers. And we're paying you in free concert tickets and Baeble concert DVDs. We're happy to announce a new weekly picture contest starting now where you send us your concert pics: "fan-pic-contest" Or maybe "you-capture," or how about "show and tell?" Maybe we need a contest for naming the contest. Suggestions?

British intergalactic dance-kids The Klaxons have sent word of their new record... through it's producer, James Ford. Ford is one half of Simian Mobile Disco, as well as gaining notoriety through his work with Alex Turner's The Last Shadow Puppets. The band that the Mercury judging panel called "ecstatic musical adventure" plans to stick to it's melodic strengths, but also to move in a new direction. Ford told BBC Newsbeat, "I think they're still trying to push forward so I don't think it's going to sound too much like the last record."

"The Globe" is certainly just a small fraction of what indie dreamers The Silent years are looking to reach with their third studio; far-off dimensions and the nether-regions of space and time seem more appropriate a goal for the intricate crafts of this album. Lead singer Josh Epstein must say "everybody" like thirty times... the target audience is obvious, and the glam of the sound is certainly universally appealing. The songs all reach for epic status, with some hitting and some missing; all ultimately averaging out for an enjoyable, if not legendary experience.

A double dose of new shows today, this time from Brooklyn's blissed out globe trekking trio Chairlift, and the weird, wild, and insanely unpredictable Baltimore MD band, Ponytail. Shot on location at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, the performances offered here highlight just why both bands are some of the most interesting to cross our path this summer. Check both performances from the After the Jump Festival.

I suppose there are those who will tell you that the Verve are as important as any band to bust out of Britain in the mid nineties - though I can only suppose as I have personally never met such a person. But they're out there, and again - I can only suppose here - are most certainly excited about Forth; the first album from Richard Ashcroft and co. in eleven years. But if the band had any desire to pick up new converts, or impress those who know them only as the band that ripped off the Stones (effectively making their biggest single a massive wash) they may want to consider casting a penny into the nearest fountain they can find. Their wish? One that will allow them to give their comeback album another go. Because this baby is a bit of a bore...one that makes Coldplays latest seem like a walk on the wild side.

Internet radio giant Pandora has been a music-lovers dream for several years, providing a stream of content based on likes and dislikes, built on the Music Genome Project. It's 100% free. But now the company, founded by former acoustic rocker Tim Westergren, will most likely be forced to shut down due to increasing royalty fees affecting web streaming services.

A month before the new album from super-hip-hopper T.I. drops, one of the star-studded tracks has leaked all over the internet. It features Jay-Z, Kanye, Lil' Wayne, and a sample of one of the fastest heat-seekers of the summer, the now-retired M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes." Unfortunately, "Swagger Like Us" is just more proof that Hip-Hop is treading dangerously close to generic waters.

Chopped up, simmered and stewed is how the tried and true, hit-and-miss brits Bloc Party are sounding. The instant classic Silent Alarm and the less-than-intergalatic A Weekend in the City are on the same plate, smooshed together, ushering the band into a gray area of electronic blip rock. Then again, this record oscillates from an uncertain future to the typical Kele Okereke and the boys. There is a little something for everyone... the question is, is it enough of anything to please?

Once again, the infectious, androgynous soprano of Joel Thibodeau comes alive in a rambling, sprawling, genre-splitting noise machine. Expectations are as stripped down as the honest instrumentation, as Thibodeau beckons us to wake in his lush, high pitched blues. But it's also folk, alt-folk, jazz, and at times, indescribable in it's eccentricity. Actually, the only thing certain on this record is a general sense of anything but the lackadaisical. This is a well whittled piece of wood, crafted with care.

In 1936, McCarren Park was built in the midst of a depressed country. It was closed in 1984 (presumably because you couldn't swim with your perm/wearing parachute pants). In 2005 it was reopened as a performance space, and now averages about 6,000 people a week, with 45,000 a season turning up for shows at the most infamous band shell in New York City. Some might even ironically refer to it, as a "pool party." Unfortunatly, the masses also ironically chose not to show up to the community board meetings to decide the fate of the McCarren Park Pool.

Any chance to work with Shara Worden is a good one. Ryan Foregger, video guru and official Baeble crew-member just finished up directing the new My Brightest Diamond video for "Top of the World." The video consists of a ton of puppets, paper, and voyages through various worlds (created by Tim Fite!).

Minimalism, percussive focus, and crooning vocal prowess all find a home on Youth Novels, fourteen chapters of nomadic chanting, with a Swedish heart. Newcomer, globetrotter, and New York City poseur Lykke Li once masqueraded the big apple karaoke dives as a Swedish superstar (she was not). Her debut shows serious swagger... so much so, she may no longer need such a mask.

James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem front-man and co-founder of DFA Records took a chance on YACHT as an opening act last year on their North American tour, which sprouted a track called "Summer Song," a subtle tribute (slash love letter?) to LCD. Murphy must have been charmed, because a year later, DFA caught up with YACHT and asked if they could release "Summer Song" on the label. Now the forthcoming See Mystery Lights will also be released on DFA.

If you're like us, you loved Dog Problems like a son, and cried like a four-year old girl when The Format broke up. Luckily for all of us, the prince of indie-pop Nate Reuss has likened himself to a guitar toting Brett Farve. He's not throwing in the towel; instead he's joining forces with some new (well, not really that new to him) faces: Jack Antonoff (Steel Train) and Andrew Dost (Anathallo). Together, they are determined to make fun, have fun, and be fun. The band, naturally, is called Fun.

When Ra Ra Riot lost their original drummer, 23 year old John Pike, to an accidental drowning back in June of '07, somehow, the band picked up the emotional pieces and mustered enough strength to forge ahead. Not too long after the accident, the band was back on the road, following their spunky, collegiate brand of indie pop wherever it could take them...so quickly in fact, one might forgive anyone who presumed Pike's passing hadn't quite sunk in. But on their brilliantly crafted debut disc The Rhumb Line, any doubts concerning how these co-eds coped with such an ultimate loss, are quickly invalidated. Pike's death must have ripped them apart, making The Rhumb Line (Barsuk) a very touching tribute to a legacy snuffed painfully too short.

After the success of new festivals like All Points West, we're thinking recent efforts at annual music gatherings are going to sprout and blow up left and right in the coming year. Even if they are relatively unknown or small. Especially if they are trying to take a stab at "the establishment." However, the goal here is clear: have fun, fun, fun. Austin is proud to bring back an underdog in the festival landscape, called Fun Fun Fun Fest. in early November.

photos by Stefanie Giglio. See more photos HERE.
One of reggae's preeminent, modern acts, John Brown's Body let the good vibes flow last Thursday, stirring an eager crowd into an absolute tizzy over the course of their hour and a half long set. Previewing material from their upcoming album Amplify, JBB proved they're an absolute force; one we're sure you'll be hard pressed to ignore once they drop their new record this September.

Please don't let keyboardist/guitarist/general tweaker Danny Saville fool you...When his crew of electro rocking comrades, The Whip, took the stage, it was blazing. How he pulled that "clouted, man of mystery" look in 90 degree heat, we'll never know. The rest of us with the good fortune of witnessing the pulsating piece of sonic delight he and band mates Bruce Carter, Nathan Sudders, and Lil Fee were busy "whipping" up were doing so with bulky beads of sweat stinging the eyes. And all the moovin' and groovin' didn't exactly do us any favors either. Of course, that is kind of what a Sunday afternoon at the McCarren Park Pool is all about. It's hot, but the bands are hotter.

What's in a name? If you're indie rock's most emo-centric pusher of pouty, acoustic poetry, plenty...especially considering this release marks the first time in thirteen years Conor Oberst hasn't hid behind any trusty monikers (Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, Commander Venus). Free of pseudonyms, this self titled affair should, by definition, come detached from the puppet masters strings. Honest, stripped down, a piece of meat ready for your consumption; Oberst tears the doors off the closet here. Except, he's always done that with his various projects, so what exactly is the point?

Photos by Jackson Williams
We're reaching the end of the lazy summer, just another reminder that we need to catch all the shows we can before winter hits. Some of us love the heat of August, but for the people who make up Port O'Brien, Summer means hard work. Last year, it was in the frigid confines of Larsen Bay, Alaska. This year, we find them hard at work touring in support of their debut album, All We Could Do Was Sing.

Somehow, Oasis still gets me excited. To be perfectly honest though, I'm not exactly sure why. Really, the appeal should be nothing more than an ill-informed, high school infatuation with mostly mediocre Brit rock, neatly tucked away under the bands more prominent facade of pedigree looks, rude attitudes, and sibling rivalries. Yet, those Gallaghers still do it for me...those Gallaghers still make for excellent rock stars. Ask any Brit, and you're bound to hear the same thing: Oasis is top notch. All others wilt in comparison. I'm just not prepared to argue with an entire nations logic...mostly because, I too, fall for it...for some reason.

If I had to summarize the Dandy Warhols' career in a single word, "evolution" isn't the one that comes to mind. Most bands that survive past an album or two evolve, but the word implies too linear a course, as though some ultimate goal exists, whereas I'm not convinced that even the Dandy Warhols know exactly where the Dandy Warhols are heading. "Migration" might be a better fit. Like a rocking tribe of homosapiens, the Portland band have been criss-crossing the musical landscape since 1995's Dandy Rule, OK?, and their latest release is no exception. Earth To The Dandy Warhols (BTW), the Dandys' most sprawling record to date, seems to take a retrospective view of the groups' journey until this point -- surveys the wilderness, so to speak -- but the Dandys remain anything but sedentary.

photos by Elana Yakubov
Lykke Li: she is a sassy Swedish performer who derives her infectiously cool pop treatments from sometimes minimalist, occasionally odd, yet always catchy musical elements. A simple, back alley percussive rhythm here, a 60s girl group chorus there, a few do-wopping saxophone lines thrown in to boot; a fine comb through her music reveals just how patchwork it really is. But listeners will also discover just how deliberate, and meticulously pieced together (all conceived under the watchful eye of Peter, Bjorn, and Johns Bjrn Yttling) it is as well. This is perfect pop fit for mass consumption. So, please, by all means, consume away.

Here's a bit of news we're sure will incline you to clap your hands and say Yeasayer! It seems our favorite baby band from Baltimore is growing on up. Yes, weve been fortunate enough to witness the infancy of a group of musicians we absolutely adore. CMJ festivities, small club engagements, a rather splendid tour with Man Man, a soon to be Summer Stage date with The National; it's been a perfect trajectory thus far for Yeasayer.

Nostalgia can sometimes be a good thing, especially for an era of happiness, harmony and love. Certainly a good reference point for a band to point to, especially one as well versed in pyschedelics and near-comical throwback songwriting. Thus Apollo Sunshine succeed and fail at the same time: here is an album of music we already knew we loved, but don't need to survive. It's good music and well written, it's fun to listen to, but it's nothing that the children of the 60's didn't already dream about.

Minus The Bear plan to leave their Planet of Ice for a headlining US tour with supporting acts like Raleigh's septet Annuals. The trek includes a performance at Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival. See updated dates below.

photos by Elana Yakubov
We'll never see another Jeff Buckley. Talent of that virtue cycles through but once a generation. But what's clearly evident since his untimely departure from this world is a certain breed of songwriter nurtured in the apparitional shadow Buckley continues to cast. Such is the case with Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg. Flaunting an incredibly dynamic voice, Meiburg is a dead ringer to Buckley's lasting legacy. From a calming breeze, to a temperamental gale, Meiburg navigates the broadest possibilities his pipes will allow. Such talent is fantastic on record. In person, it's astonishing.

What happens to a person when his mother is diagnosed with lung cancer, he himself is diagnosed with a genetic autoimmune disease and comes down with pneumonia while sitting at his mother's death bed going through nicotine withdrawl from quitting his two pack a day habit cold turkey and then his long-term girlfriend breaks up with him? Because if it's anything like this album, then I'm going to be wishing ill on a lot more people.

Being from Brooklyn seems to be origin enough to warrant at least a little buzz. However, while some acts don't quite deserve it, Crystal Stilts are shaking things up with new music, and a groovy vibe we actually like.

Photos by Lyndsey Matthews
Amidst beautiful views of the New York skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and the Waterfalls, NYC Rocks Off put on another swank cruise filled with music lovers. Besides a fully stocked bar and incredible views and weather, we were treated to performances from Drug Rug, Sam Champion, and Apollo Sunshine, two of who have new albums (DR and AS). Material old and new were crowd pleasers, and everyone left the boat a little happier that they'd cruised. Check out the pics below.

Oklahoma City is not typically thought of as a music city, but we've got a group that proves we should be turning stones everywhere. They come to us with sunflowers in their eyes and spirit lifting piano/guitar sunshine pop. Don't be fooled by the name, the music is quite pretty. Meet The Ugly Suit.

When "Like the Rest of Us", the first track on Atmosphere's latest release When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold (Rhymesayers), arrives at your eardrums, you expect to hear the very articulate and highly emotional intensity that Slug and Ant are known for. Instead you get resignation. The stories about broken people, down on their luck, and Slug's personal struggles are all still there. However, this time they're told from the perspective of people who have accepted their position in life and have stopped dreaming of a better future for themselves.

Blues band The Black Crowes, off the heels of their latest release, have accused country lady Gretchen Wilson of infringing their copyright. The songs in question are "Jealous Again" and "Work Hard, Play Harder," recently featured in a TNT/TBS spot for the show Saving Grace. Upon further listening, they may be right.

Pictures by Melissa Rosenthal

Constant bickering over who is the best (Spencer? Dan?) continued at Terminal 5, where Wolf Parade played Thursday and Friday last week. Vocalists Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner traded off as fans got excited about favorites old and new... but not too excited.

Want a new Ben Kweller record? How about a fall tour in small venues? You got it.

Photos by Melissa Rosenthal
See more pictures here, here and here.
Is anyone else wondering if these pool parties are continually trying to outdo themselves? Atlanta's finest destroyed most of our notions of decency yesterday, with a performance (and we mean performance) from King Khan and the Shrines, Deerhunter, Black Lips. There was plenty of throwing things, and that was certainly not limited to "hands-in-the-air."

Photos by Jackson Williams
So the 28 members of Margot and the Nuclear So & So's rocked the Bowery last Monday, regardless of drunken taunts from fans with supposedly ridiculous requests like "play broadripple!" Margot really didn't like that, but despite threats to strike anything from the set that people requested, Broadripple went on burning. And so did my love for the bearded king of pretention. Yes, I know his name isn't actually Margot. But for simplicities sake, deal with it.

I never know what to expect from Cansei de Ser Sexy. An album named after a burro? Artwork featuring a giant glass animal head? Songs like "Jager Yoga?" What you can expect is more double time hand clapping, more Lovefoxxx, and more of the same pop-lectro dizzying São Paulo rock music. Except this time, CSS is setting their guns to stun, with little result: it's not stunning, and we're not stunned. But hey, we're still dancing.

The most anticipated New York event of the summer isn't even in New York. But hey, we all love irony, don't we? And now we can carefully map out our days at All Points West, according to the set times posted today.

Photos by Stefanie Giglio
We've got our hands busy here, runnning around with our video cameras in tow as we venture to the far corners of the tri-state. Last Sunday brought us out to the country-side scenery of Connecticut, where we saw kyaking for a cause, pleasant weather, and a set from soul rocker Ryan Shaw. Then it was back to the big city for a more traditional, yet equally as exciting stint at The Knitting Factory with world music's Extra Golden.