Múm is the latest in what seems to be a global trend of acts that believe the bigger the band, and the more unusual the instrumentation, the better. Though only two original members of the group remain, Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar óreyjarson Smárason, there were seven musicians on stage during last night's concert at the historic 6th and I Synagogue. The ensemble employed the following instruments over the course of the show: guitar, bass,......

The pairing seems a little odd at first glance...and even at second glance. Raleigh's artsy Annuals project an Animal Collective meets Arcade Fire sound, whereas Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra feels more like an emo band in Whiskeytown clothing. They certainly didn't attract the same group of fans and in between sets there was a visible changing of the guard in the area right in front of the stage. Still, the co-headliners actually have a lot in......

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and......

Photo and review by DCist contributor Valerie Paschall Providence, RI’s Get Him Eat Him has their fair share of influential friends. They’ve opened tours for behemoths such as Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire, and Beirut’s Zach Condon plays on their latest album, Arms Down, produced by former Plan axe-man Jason Caddell. Despite all of this, they have released pockets of blog-love, but have essentially flown under the radar. Last night’s show at The......

Maybe it’s always been this way, but it seems the latest trends in indie bands are to either go really big or pare everything down. Examples: The two-person, girl-boy pop duo has exploded, not to mention the two person blues combo. Power trios seem on the rise — run-of-the-mill rhythm guitarists need not apply. On the other side of the spectrum, The Arcade Fire gains a member every time they tour, collectives like Broken Social......

While the opening song was the same, not much else was. After all, the last time The National came to town (as headliners), they played a sold-out show at the Black Cat. This time, they doubled their audience and packed the 9:30 Club. They even had the entire show simultaneously broadcast on NPR. What changed? Their most recent effort, Boxer, was released to rave reviews, following up on the heels of the well-received Alligator......

LAist is experimenting with blogging dates from J-Date, but finds the best men are found offline. Some date vicariously online and that is one reason why porn is big -- really freaking big -- so they ask if they should cover XXX since the heart of it lays in the city's San Fernando Valley. A writer grapples with her food porn photography obsession, another gets censored on Flickr, one gets scooped by the LA......

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get......

We love D.C., but we know it's not perfect. Is there something you think we're missing? Let us know. I don't want quibble to with Graham's review of last Friday's Arcade Fire show, or the generally positive blogospheric reaction to the concert. I was in attendance, too, and thought the band put on a solid performance of its impressively powerful catalog. I left satisfied, if a little disappointed that the night hadn't been as awe-inspiring......

I’m struggling to remember from point A to point B: I first saw Arcade Fire in a Midwestern college town, right on the heels of the release of Funeral, before their official anointment by every critic in North America. The show had to move from a smaller café to a bigger bar because of ticket demand, but, even still, no more than 70 people showed up. The next time I saw them, in a sold......

FRIDAY: >> At 11 a.m. today or noon tomorrow, grab the kids and a box or twelve of tissues and head down to the National Archives for a screening of An American Tail. Part of their celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, they're sharing the story of Fivel and his cheese-paved streets with the next generation. We can only assume they'll watch it over and over like we did, each time hoping Fivel doesn't go......

We're still getting over the amazing Big Band Jam and next week we'll tell you all about the Kennedy Center's annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. In the mean time, there's plenty of great jazz to be had in our fair city. >> Trumpet player Sean Jones, a young lion who was recently chosen to be a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, brings his group to Blues Alley. Jones is touring......

>> After bitching about extreme lack of tickets to Friday's sold out Arcade Fire show, our friends at Washingtonian Magazine alerted us to their ticket giveaway. Only one seat is up for grabs, you didn't want to bring your girlfriend anyway, right? Contest ends Thursday at noon. >> Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora Internet radio, hosts a meet up tonight at Be Bar. Open to listeners and non-listeners alike, guests can chat about the......

>> University of Maryland students continue to protest on-campus housing cutbacks. Today the school's Board of Regents met, with residents of a growing tent city looking on. [The Diamondback] >> One of the best variations on D.C.'s endless tourist season is the junior high field trip. Metroblogging DC has some tips for students and residents. >> The National, who confirmed to DCist last year that they don't hate our city, will join Arcade Fire......

Let's get right to it: The Dismemberment Plan is reuniting for one night only, and tickets are going on sale tomorrow at 5 p.m. (via TicketMaster and the Black Cat). It's been announced on the band's website, and both Pitchfork and the City Paper are reporting the news (the CP is helping to organize the concert, in fact). In other words: don't take getting a ticket for granted. This show might give last Saturday's Arcade......

> > If we know you, the DCist reader, you are no doubt feverishly caught up in DC's celebration of the life and works of William Shakespeare. Feel like delving deeper? Get on board with Wordfest's Shakespeare Reading Group at Chapters one week from today at 6pm, and get a guided tour of Richard III from University of Connecticut Professor Emeritus Arnold Orza. If you ask us, Richard got mad swift-boated by the Bard, but,......

Okay, okay — we know, this is a Nats town now. But it'd be churlish not to congratulate Cal Ripken Jr. on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many Washingtonians regularly made the trek to Camden Yards during his streak, and to them Cal felt as much like a hometown hero as any athlete. So it's good (if unsurprising) to see Ripken receive the nod. And he did it in style: Ripken's name......

So really there’s not much of a story to last week’s triple bill at the Rock and Roll Hotel in NE. One of our first visits to the club started with the City Goats, a local modern rock band with a Southern Californian punk feel, who played loud and aggressively, if not…you know…well. Part of the blame was certainly on the sound system at RnR (a recurring theme), but if either nuance, discernible vocal melodies,......

The weeks starts out right when a sucker punch on the field lands Chicagoist in the middle of a Sox/Cubs throwdown and the fists continue to fly in the comments. Despite suburban resident Ms. Pinney's best little try no books will be banned anytime soon and the El is really really gross. Houstonist is there to start compiling the punditry when when the guilty, guilty Enron verdict comes down. This guy seems to be able......

Shanghaiist probably knows a little more about China than the Chicago Sun-Times. Giving them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The city does to have a music scene. Don't even front like they don't. They also have Dorito bananas and white guys shopping for wives. What they don't have is any more tolerance for jaywalkers. Bostonist sees Boston and Somerville each whip out their art and face off. A plagiarized novel is the......

As we all know, Canadian bands are so hot right now. Whether it's the soaring arrangements of the Arcade Fire, the art pop of Stars or the hope-inducing rock of Wolf Parade, everyone's got a little love for our neighbors to the north. Tonight, the lesser-hyped but equally Canadian Kiss Me Deadly visits DC. They've made some adjustments to their math-rock roots and are transitioning into a more danceable sound that's garnering plenty of praise......

What's new(est) with Wolf Parade? These brothers of Brock, peers of Pitchfork and travelers on the Arcade Fire turnpike are going strong. Yet they also maintain that aura of youthful poverty and subsequent spiritual wealth that's critical to their frenetic, idealism-tinged sound. Their EP drew buzz and their debut long player, Apologies to the Queen Mary, confirmed it. The group’s got almost as many side projects as members, with Arlen's AIDS Wolf and Krug's Thunder......

Anybody living in the city with a couple of kids knows how hard it is to maintain any sort of indie cred. You can hardly be showing up at the Black Cat every night when little Sam or Sue needs a bottle and a viewing of Sesame Street. Well, lucky for you, here comes Pancake Mountain to the rescue! The offbeat local cable channel that hosts musical performances that both parents and kids can enjoy......

Brooklyn's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have spent the bulk of 2005 as this year's model of the Indie Rock Critical Darling. Their self-titled debut album -- itself a lean and mean platter of exuberant pop -- found its way into the marketplace with backing from several of the more respected MP3 blogs and critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, who put them on their Hot List earlier this year. From there, the raves were amplified......

A few local blogs have recently pointed us toward what we think is the greatest idea for parents since the Diaper Genie was invented: Rock-N-Romp, a family-friendly series of concerts in Silver Spring backyard featuring fantastic local bands. The season runs May through October, one Saturday afternoon a month. Shows are free for the little tykes, a mere $4 donation is requested for adults, and you can view the schedule here. E-mail the enterprising Debbie......

Don't forget to check out DCist's Arts Agenda and Weekly Music Picks for additional entertainment events, including gallery crawls and gypsy punk band Gogol Bardello Saturday at the Black Cat. FRIDAY: >> Everyone is buzzing about The Music/Kasabian show at the 9:30 Club tonight, but if you miss it, you can head to DC9 afterwards for the official Kasabian afterparty -- just show your handstamp from the 9:30 Club and you can get in free......

The buzz at Arlington's IOTA Club and Café on Saturday afternoon was palpable. A half hour before the doors opened for the big show, the line stretched down the block to Whitlow's on Wilson. Was it a special Arcade Fire show? Nope. A closer look at the line revealed a number of attendees who were still many years from IOTA's usual 21-and-over age limit. Ralph's World had come to Arlington. IOTA's regular weekend afternoon......

Now that the Arcade Fire afterglow is starting to wear off, we here at DCist have begun to think about other music. (No, and not just Interpol. Ok, perhaps a little.) The Washington Area Music Association's annual awards show, the "Wammies," is coming up, and they were nice enough to throw some free tickets in our direction. After all, nothing is more fun than attending an event co-sponsored by the 18th Street Lounge and the......

Truth be told, we're still coming down off our high from Sunday's Arcade Fire show. And if you are, too, make sure to set your Tivo tonight - they'll be playing on the Conan O'Brien show. In other news, February's actually got a rather great line up of shows to see. As always, we don't know jack about anything beyond annoying shoegazing indie pop rock, so make sure to check out the Post's recommendations for......

Image © Kyle Gustafson It's probably not too much of a stretch to say that in D.C., the hipster crowd has been gazing towards Canada longingly a bit more than usual lately. They've got health care, clean cities, a lack of Texan presidents and goddammit, now they've got The Arcade Fire, the most buzzed about band in recent memory. We've never been to Canada, so we can't say with any certainty whether it lives......