If you ever need a reminder of how incredibly valuable location and hype are to a band's success, take a look at Vivian Girls. When the New York City-based outfit bubbled up in the Indie Rock world in late 2007, they were greeted with buzz and excitement. That early positive push was crucial to giving them a solid fan base as they got used to being a band.  

Let The Black Lips off their leashes, set them on an unsuspecting audience and witness the confluence of public nudity, various bodily fluids, remote control car races, indoor fireworks, animal parts and blazing instruments (literally) and turn up their guitars and amps to a concussive, eardrum-shattering level. That’s entertainment.  

We're reviewing now, boys and girls. Look at these Tuesday release sheets filled with fabulous prizes. The titles are beginning to stack up like cordwood and I'm going to be humping like I'm going to be humping like Hugh Hefner at a sorority mixer to keep up. Lots of new releases, plus a tribute to Rory Gallagher.  

The members of Cincinnati-bred/ Brooklyn-based Indie rockers The National did their part to help Barack Obama become president last year with a big concert on Fountain Square, and the band's Bryce Dessner organizes the popular annual Indie/Chamber music MusicNow festival in his hometown each year. The local boys done good have done good again, this time by putting together a major CD compilation featuring some of the biggest names in the Indie world.