Just before taking the stage at the House of Blues on Friday, METRIC ran over to the Hard Rock in Boston to perform a quick unplugged set for an intimate, fans-only unplugged set. The surprise of the bunch was an acoustic rendition of their version of the Strokes' "The End Has No End."

You may already be getting sick of reading the obligatory Top Albums of the Decade list that every music editor, blogger, and social networker has been ordered to shove down your throat. Pitchfork's got 200. Paste's got 50, and so does NPR.

If these lists have anything in common, it's that they leave us wanting to throw in our own two cents.

Sure, MATT & KIM are confirmed Brooklynites, but they're also native New Englanders -- and, as Matt told a packed crowd at the 500-capacity Lansdowne across from Fenway Park last night, "this is the only place I feel at home." Sure, he probably says that everywhere. But it's also true that he grew up going to shows in Boston, and hell, you know us -- we'll claim anyone for this town.

We've been racking our brain but have yet to find an analogue for OWL CITY, the only rock band we can recall to perform live without use of a single amplifier. (Someone only half in jest suggested that perhaps they don't travel with amps because they can't physically lift them.) In their defense, rock accoutrements are completely superfluous to OC's brand of pristine, frictionless digi-pop.

Phoenix, "1901" (live at the Paradise)

More to come on Phoenix's blowout at the Paradise last night. Until then, we have a ton of video of these guys, starting with their last song of the night, "1901," which is fast becoming their big hit. After the jump, enjoy another song from the Paradise, and another version of "1901," this one from their visit with the Sandbox at the WFNX studios at One Financial Center recorded just this morning. 

And as a bonus corporate synergy reminder, if you listen to WFNX's Sandbox morning show, you could potentially win tickets to see these guys in NYC (with Passion Pit opening, no less). Details to be found here.

Oh, and by the way, you can vote for "1901" as Best Song in our Best Music Poll right now:

Ida Maria, "Oh My God" (live at the Paradise)

Two nights ago, Ida Maria and Glasvegas, two of the more buzzed-about acts these days, packed the Paradise Rock Club. Ida Maria was probably the more impressive of the two; though she was both charismatic and energetic, her onstage antics didn't overshadow her voice, which was strong enough to carry stretches of the performance completely on its own. Glasvegas, on the other hand, sounded good, but after their first handful of songs it all started blending together in a sea of reverb and strobe lights. 

Before the show, both bands stopped by to visit with our friends at WFNX at their studio at One Financial Center to perform acoustically. After the jump, we've got video of both bands acoustic at FNX and electric at the Paradise; you can decide for yourself which you prefer.

No, not the typical joint for a punk gig. But judging from down-the-block lines outside Hurricane O'Reilly's -- and from the raucous sing-alongs inside -- WFNX's invite-only GASLIGHT ANTHEM gig drew far more fans than yahoos. Jersey's Bosscore heroes brought the full band and played for an hour, then stuck around to hang out for at least that long afterwards. And security didn't kick out the stage divers, so there's that. The big surprise was a Replacements cover, which we'll be posting some quality video of later in the week. For now we've got the Flipcam take of "Patient Ferris Wheel" and a bunch more photos, all after the jump. 

Having given a few cursory listens to the new U2 record, No Line On the Horizon, we feel confident in concluding that it is not a masterpiece. We'll hold off on calling it a dud until we've given the record the chance to do that odd thing which records tend to do even in the age of instant interweb leaks: grow on you.

Our dudes over at WFNX are throwing a members-only gig at Church on December 10 featuring TING TINGS, whom you came to know and love thanks to an iPod commercial, but whom our six-year-old knows as the "That's Not My Name" band. There is something a little Kidz-Boppish about 'em -- we'd describe their album as M.

On night one of the sold-out WFNX "Miracle on Tremont Street," the OTD cams were lodged alongside the Sandbox dudes in what felt like the hottest, tinyest dressing room in Boston. Fletcher managed not to puke anybody, Special Ed spilled our Red Bull, and we met Rush's manager -- not to mention Geddy Lee's nephew. More on him and his band in a few, as well as a dispatch from the Airborne Toxic Event kids.