Arts & Culture

LITERATURE / POETRY

The American Bach Soloists will perform Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 at the Mondavi Center on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. Student tickets start at $18 and rush tickets for $5 beginning 30 minutes before the performance.

West Palm Beach quintet, Surfer Blood, released their debut LP Astro Coast earlier this week. Their first single, "Swim (To Reach the End)," (somewhat of an intersection of Animal Collective and Weezer's Blue Album) was released through Pitchfork Media late last year and has since experienced an eruption of viral buzz.

The stark black and white cover art of Grouper's split EP with Roy Montgomery perfectly embodies the track listings in its entirety; it is billowing and beautiful in every way. The EP is a hauntingly hypnotic pleasure to the ears if you are a fan of late-night ambience and avant-garde experimentalism. In Grouper's "Vessel," Liz Harris uses a gently distorted organ to combine with her own aerial vocals - forming an ethereal and static equation. Montgomery's portion of the EP exists in the form of a live recording from their show in his hometown, Christchurch, New Zealand. The track is a revolving, raga-like cycle of folk guitars and lo-fi lovin'. This five5-track EP is a brilliant collaboration: Roy Montgomery offers the warm-sounding yin to Grouper's icy-cold yang. Listen to it and pretend you're floating on mountaintops - or just allow yourself to dissolve in the foggy drone.

Fifteen-year-old Canadian Justin Bieber is arguably well on his way to being the biggest teen pop sensation since the Jonas Brothers, and the title isn't totally undeserved. Every song in My World, a compilation of Bieber's eight singles, is pleasant enough to listen to. Bieber has a good voice and the age-appropriate material he's been given has a nice pop vibe.

Following up their 2008 release of Devotion, Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House released their third album, Teen Dream, on Tuesday. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally evolve from the spidery, sparse tones of their first two albums to procure brighter and more upbeat sounds while maintaining the delicately flowing musicalities of Beach House and Devotion.

On Monday, the Department of Justice officially approved the merger of Ticketmaster, the world's largest ticketing company, and Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter.

The Mondavi Center is releasing pre-sale tickets for the upcoming Apr. 7 Elvis Costello performance. Tickets went on sale yesterday, and are available until Sunday. Tickets will be available starting at a minimum $17.50 per ticket.

Though the Sacramento area is known for a substantial electronic music scene, the past few years have seen performers splitting or moving to different areas.

Whether or not you've ever been to, heard of or performed at an Open Mic night in Davis, the scene certainly has a lot to offer in the way of creativity and eclectic performance. MUSE profiles SickSpits Open Mic and Poetry Night at Bistro 33.

ART / GALLERY

Looking for a lively outlet that will break the monotony of a typical Tuesday evening? Birdstrike's production of "Birdstrike + Princeton = Nirvana?" takes place at 8 p.m. this Tuesday, January 26 in 1001 Giedt, and it may be the answer you seek.

Spoon's latest Transference is like the return of an old friend. At times robotic, the album airs on the side of experimental - seemingly forgetting its quirky Austin roots. Yet a certain element of dysfunction defines Spoon, and is entirely characteristic of the band's ability to regenerate while remaining familiar with its garage birth 15 years ago. Traditionally jagged and free-flowing songs are sandwiched between the more digitized and clean beats. The transitions between the two Spoon-isms are smooth though. Each song is the last's bizarre step-brother.

SoCal natives Cold War Kids have done it again. Their new EP Behave Yourself is sure to bring another wave of half-hearted reviews of the bluesy punk band. Is the EP particularly good in the sense that it's nothing that you have never heard before? Not really; every song sounds like their previously released music. But after what feels like 10 of the same Cold War Kids songs for the past four years, it feels like a fresh start for the band.

If you thought Heidi Montag was annoying on MTV's show "The Hills," she is simply obnoxious as she attempts to sing. Although the fans of pop are admittedly lax about the quality of songs today, this is simply no excuse for what occurred here. Unlike the reigning Princess of Pop Britney Spears, Heidi Montag has neither the history nor the popularity to carry her through the attempt at creating music.