I have to admit, I don't listen to The Faint that much. I do have 3 albums, but I keep them on a random rotation rather than picking out something from their catalog. A friend told me I should not miss them live because they put on a great live show, which could be expected from hearing The Faint's recordings. The band was touring in support of their new album, Fasciination.

Their style is most often referred to as dance-punk-wave. They've got beats and rhythm that is similar to something you'd find at an Eastern European dance club that pumps the latest techno. Their guitars sounds are gritty and the keyboards and synths add aural candy. The lead singer has a geeky mad scientist look and sound.

The Wiltern was completely packed when The Faint took the stage and I was one of the lucky people who had pit tickets. Their show started and everyone in the crowd was bouncing up and down and actually *gasp* dancing *gasp*. That doesn't happen in L.A. This was the first time in years that I've seen wild and crazy movement at a "hipsterish" show in L.A. It was great.

The Faint rocked about 15 songs, and then came out for an encore after raucous applause. The show was great, and as soon as Chris uploads his camera footage, I'll have some cool pics and vids here.

I can't believe that ended 7 hours ago and I'm already at work.

On Wednesday I saw one of my favorite bands, The Notwist. This German group who releases intricate albums full of various sounds was touring the USA to promote their new album, The Devil, You + Me. Their albums are a bit on the subdued side but as Keith can attest, their shows are incredible.

One notable part of the band was their use of technology and ability to improvise on the spot. In the past one of the instruments used by a member was a macbook. On this new tour, the macbook was still there, but IT WAS CONTROLLED BY A GUY USING HACKED NINTENDO WII CONTROLLERS!! I could not keep my eyes off that. His gestures, twists, and flicks of the wrist added sound effects all night and it was amazing.

The drummer also had a touchscreen that he banged on all night, but I couldn't quite tell exactly what it was. A wide array of songs were played that covered all the albums and the crowd was into it. I noticed a lot of people singing along the simple but resounding English lyrics. The songs Gloomy Planet, Neon Golden, Boneless, On Planet Off, Different Cars and Trains, and Pilot were amazing. The Notwist always put on an amazing show and I quickly remembered why I promised myself the last time I saw them to never miss them when they visit again.

I think my musical entertainment for the rest of the year is looking pretty good.

Oct 29 - Wed - Notwists - Always put on a surreal folk-tronic show
Nov 05 - Wed - The Faint - never seen em, but heard good things
Nov 22 - Sat - VHS or Beta - so fun
Nov 24 - Mon - Decemberists - should be awesome
Dec 02 - Tue - Smashing Pumpkins - I'm going backstage and in the pit!!
Dec 03 - Wed - Smashing Pumpkins - Sitting a little farther back
Dec 04 - Thr - Oasis - why not? who wants to go?

My Morning Jacket is the best American Rock Band right now.

I've been a fan for a handful of years, and Sunday was my first time seeing them live. They blew everyone away and melted faces with their incredible show. I'm certain that everyone who expected a great rock show feels that MMJ went beyond the hype.

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Last Night I saw Radiohead at the Hollywood Bowl.

I've wanted to see them live forever, and I've missed out on tickets the last 3 times they've been in LA. I actually missed out on them again this time, but my friend Scott came through and I was the lucky recipient of his second ticket. I really suck at Ticketmaster.

I'm a big fan of The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A. I never kept the albums after those (Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows) on my playlist very long, but I do realize they're pretty good.

The setlist, as stolen from Variety was:

Reckoner/Optimistic/There There/15 Step/All I Need/Pyramid Song/Weird Fishes/Arpeggi/The Gloaming/Videotape/Talk Show Host/Faust Arp/Tell Me Why*/No Surprises/Jigsaw Falling Into Place/The Bends/The National Anthem/Nude/Bodysnatchers/Encore: House of Cards/Planet Telex/Go Slowly/Fake Plastic Trees/True Love Waits Intro/Everything In Its Right Place** Encore 2: Cymbal Rush/Karma Police/Idioteque

* = Neil Young cover featuring Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke on acoustic guitars
** = Thom sings two minutes of "True Love Waits" on a sustained dark organ before launching into "Everything In Its Right Place"

There were some great moments. Fake Plastic Trees was really good, and gave me goosebumps. Idioteque was an amazing closing performance with a light show unlike any other I've ever seen. Pyramid Song and The Bends were really good too. Talk Show Host was terrific as well and really got the crowd pumped despite not being a hugely popular song. Radiohead had a great mix of their quieter songs and their post-modern stuff. The crowd really enjoyed it, even though it's cool not to show it in L.A. Great night, great venue, great performance.

Here's most of the closer, Idioteque. It was the only song I recorded on my camera.

I have some uninteresting photos here. My camera couldn't capture a close-up of the band.

Last month my friend Scott was lucky enough to snag some tickets for Death Cab for Cutie, and I was lucky enough to get his extra ticket. I've been a fan for a while and saw them at the Glass House in Pomona way back around 1999 or 2000. They have a new album that's getting a lot of airplay so life is good for them. The venue for the concert was the newly built and still fresh LA Live Theater in downtown L.A.

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A lot of interesting things happened last night and I'll recap it chronologically. I'll just say these elements are involved: tequila, bikini models, & MGMT.

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You either love The Fiery Furnaces or hate them. They are rock and roll, but they're free form and setup their songs like jazz pieces. I saw they were playing at Club Spaceland on Friday so I called up Scott and went to check them out.

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