After Iceland's Sigur Ros announced their official indefinite hiatus at the beginning of this year, the void was palpable. Known for the pageantry of their performances and a steady release of sweeping, orchestral albums, Sigur Ros set the bar for post-rock outfits touring with a theme in mind. So it made sense when the band's founder and front man, Jonsi Birgisson, struck out on his own, that little of the spellbinding beauty that characterizes Sigur Ros' best known work would be sacrificed. When Jonsi came through D.C. to the 9:30 Club for a two-night stand this week, longtime fans of Sigur Ros and newcomers to Jonsi's sound could not have been disappointed. more ›

Meh-NAH-meh-nuh? Meh-NOH-meh-nuh? Meh-noh-MEE-nuh? A nonsense word, an inside joke, or derived from that fantastic old school Muppet Show sketch? Whatever it is, it's not much of a telling name for a band with such a wide array of musical backgrounds and interests. Their debut I Am the Fun Blame Monster! was characteristically all-over-the-map in its creativity, but erred on the side of goofy and even a little obtuse. Then came Under an Hour, a score... more ›

Photo and review by DCist contributor Valerie Paschall more ›

Along with lilac and hyacinth, the sweet sweet smell of summer concerts is in the air. Here's a breakdown of some exciting dates so far. >> Belle & Sebastian, Broken Social Scene & Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Merriweather, July 8. If you're interested, the belle tix presale started today. Tickets go on sale en masse this Saturday at 10 a.m., via Ticketmaster or the Merriweather or 9:30 Club box offices. >> Wolfmother's been doing their... more ›

DCist had a very tough choice to make last night. We were definitely going to a concert, but which one? Icelandic mood rockers Sigur Ros in Baltimore? Sweet singing Canadian chanteuse Feist at the Birchmere? Scottish indie rockers Idlewild at the Black Cat? We were in quite the predicament so we had to check our concert going guidelines which clearly state, whenever in doubt, go see the band with the Scottish accent. So Idlewild it was. more ›

We here at DCist realize that living in such an information-saturated age has its disadvantages. On one hand, there are about a million great things out there; on the other hand, how are you supposed to wade through the dreck of internet to find out about them or keep tabs? With that in mind, we present a list of great, upcoming shows on sale this week that we hope will allow you to plan your concert-going schedule with a bit more foresight and ease. (And yes, we wish that so many shows weren't on sale through Ticketmaster either; those ridiculous service charges are eating away at money we'd rather reserve for little things like, you know, food and shelter. You can find info about how to buy tickets in person at the 9:30 Club here, and the Black Cat box office is open from 8 p.m. to midnight. Other suggestions for how to avoid service charges?) more ›