Happy new year, and ...

A bit stultified from New Year's activities? Me too. I prescribe a beautiful pop song with a driving beat, so here's the video for Minipop's "Like I Do." Tangentially, the song is on the year-end mix CD I made for some friends, and no song on the disc has elicited more reaction than this one. As far as I'm concerned, the San Francisco quartet can't get back to L.A. on tour soon enough.

Recommendation for tonight, Jan. 3

Double-dose of goodness tonight at Tangier, where Azure Ray vocalist Maria Taylor breaks loose with her solo material and young L.A.'s Robert Francis offers up his spellbinding folk.