Our friends over at Chicago music blog Simplesinger have been raving about the hometown gents in Eiffel Tower for months, but until recently we didn't grasp the true genius behind the haphazard production and deftly constructed, contagious melodies. Audiophiles won't get the obviously basement-quality recording of their recent self-titled EP, but that's part of the charm. Anyone looking for refuge from the overly self-indulgent "indie rock" that's been oozing out of the Near West Side for far too long will surely find themselves clapping along to jaunty, irreverent tunes like "Billy Joel" and "Vicky." more ›

Between fake terrorist alerts and scandals big and small, this just might be the best Best of the -ists ever. We're exhausted just thinking about it. First up, SFist, who saw their little 'ole site be the center of what was a nice little scandal (even getting their editor on TV) only to find their scandal dwarfed by the even bigger scandal caused by their Mayor boffing one of his aides' wife. We're not... more ›