Photos by Tiffany LeeI'm not going to soften the blow for any of you in Los Angeles who weren't at the Pixies show this past Saturday: It was a phenomenal. It sold out in minutes and my guilty conscience kept me from telling you about it—there was nothing I could do. I'm sorry… But really, I'm not.

As one of the most influential rock bands in the last thirty years (Kurt Cobain worked with producer Steve Albini because Albini worked with the Pixies and Kim Deal-led band the Breeders), the Pixies have been touring practically non-stop since reuniting in 2004. Their recent show at The Music Box in Los Angeles was a special off-tour date promoted just to their fan mailing list—it didn't even appear on their tour page.  The band this week just ended their "Lost Cities" tour, which was an extension of their 2009-2010 international "Doolittle" tour, where they played the entire record including b-sides. The "Cities" tour was meant to hit up lesser frequented cites like Bakersfield, CA that were not included in the original tour.

The original 'Some Girls' cover artFew Rolling Stones albums have held up as sonically, and still sound as gritty and urban and sexy and just downright cool, as their 1978 disco/punk/country/blues masterwork, Some Girls. (Seriously, is there anything as deliciously and decadently sleazy-sounding as Mick totally going OFF at the end of "Shattered," or Keef slurring his way though his bloozy rebel anthem "Before They Make Me Run"?) The album is finally getting a major reissue treatment this month, with a Super Deluxe boxed set that includes two CDs (one consisting of entirely unreleased tracks), a 7-inch vinyl single, a hardback book, a set of postcards, Helmut Newton prints, and a poster. And this is entirely appropriate repackaging for an album known for being as cool on the outside as it was on the inside, with one of the most celebrated and controversial covers of all time.

One would have to be blind, deaf & dumb to not recognize the acting talent of Hugh Laurie--the likable Brit who's become an international sensation via his role as cheerily abrasive Dr. Gregory House on Fox Television's House.

But the musical talent?

You'll be enormously surprised by Laurie's prowess as both player and singer--amply on display on his brand new album Let Them Talk, which, British though he is, joyously celebrates the best of blues and New Orleans classics.

There are a select few artists who managed to be at precisely the right place at the right time--and one of the most prominent may be Thomas Dolby, whose "She Blinded Me With Science" hit of the early '80s directly coincided with the rise of MTV as pop music's major driving force.

Fortunately for us, Thomas Dolby was actually quite good.

This guy, he should carry tissue boxes around with him. It's almost irresponsible to perform with this kind of emotion.

Andrew McMahon of rock band Jack's Mannequin came by Yahoo! to perform some new tracks off his latest album, People and Things. The kid who made his name as lead singer of the piano-driven pop punk band Something Corporate is almost unrecognizable now as a man baring his soul with the best of them. Even compared to earlier Mannequin work, he's dropped the white-knuckled angst for a reflective honesty usually saved for diaries and therapists offices.

I've always said that acoustic versions of whatever hard or upbeat song almost completely changes its meaning and gives greater depth to lyrics. McMahon with just a piano is like watching a film in slow-motion, allowing you grasp every tiny nuance--so revealing you'd think you could see his skeleton.

Watch McMahon play his stripped down versions of "Release Me," "Amy, I," and "My Racing Thoughts." Jack's Mannequin's new

Anyone who'd like to delve into the career of Australia's highly acclaimed Paul Kelly--an award-winning singer-songwriter with a massive catalog of superb songs--but does not know where to start: You're in luck.

Kelly's best work is being now being released in the States in two convenient formats: Large and Extra-Large. And it's all extraordinarily good.

In the course of more than 30 years--since his 1981 debut album Talk--Kelly has been garnering acclaim as a masterful singer and songwriter with an uncanny knack for writing catchy songs of surprising personal depth. When A&M Records released his album Gossip in the U.S. in 1987 and introduced the singer to American audiences, it started a chain reaction of critical appreciation that's never really died down since. And the albums kept on coming.

If you'd like to make sense of it all, Songs From The South (Volumes 1 & 2) may be the best place to start. A two-disc collection of many of the singer's finest songs--from early track "From

Among the year's most highly anticipated releases are the new reissues of Pink Floyd's majestic album catalog--which, from the standpoint of packaging, sound quality, and audio and video extras, rank among the most deluxe treatment any rock 'n' roll band has ever received.

That the band has sold over 200 million records worldwide since releasing their first album in 1967 may have something to do with that.

Still, the depth of the band's deep catalog--which ranges from enormously popular albums like The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973), The Wall (1979) and Wish You Were Here(1975), lesser-heard gems like the soundtracks to More (1969) and La Vallée  (Obscured By Clouds) (1972), to their classic 1967 debut The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn--means that very few Floyd albums sound ­alike, and all are worthwhile investments.

And if one cares to invest in a newly remastered version of Dark Side Of The Moon, they now can buy it as a CD, as a digital download, as a vinyl LP, in a 2-disc "Experience"