Like indie rock itself, the Matador Records birthday party with Yo La Tengo started beautifully and devolved into a self-reflexive in-joke.

As Helium singer Mary Timony tells it, fans helped open a floodgate of memories

Sex, violence, passion and death come to a raging boil in Almodovar's paean to romantic kitsch.

New on Salon Audio: Free Music MP3s! A sneak preview of Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus' new solo album.

Twenty Salon critics pick the year's best albums.

Immigration activists have launched a truth-seeking mission

The former Helium frontwoman invites you into the dark, fantastical landscape of her mind on her second solo album, "The Golden Dove."

This stylish New York foursome effectively evokes the ghost of Joy Division and other heroes of 1980s new wave. Listen in.

The perfect cinematic antidote to holiday cheer, and a batch of DVD gift ideas for last-minute shoppers. Plus: Do Brosnan and Kinnear really go gay in "The Matador"?

New music from the reigning power-pop aristocracy.

More from the clever duo behind Matmos

Seduce your ear buds with the songs from the winning playlist.

A new reality show on VH1 educates would-be Romeos on the fine art of psychological manipulation.

Listen to the Kit Clayton remix of "Danelectro 3," a track from Yo La Tengo's recent EP release "Danelectro."

After a sub-par solo debut, Malkmus the Irreverent returns to form, effortlessly spanning the gap between quirky pop and hard rock.