Friday night Athens, Georgia's Manchester Orchestra played a big, beautiful set of the sort of large, melodic rock Brit bands like Blur and Oasis do - or did, depending on how you look at it. It was also one of the best mixes I've heard in Water Street Music Hall in a long time, loud but crisp, tight, and discernable. I dug it, I dug it, I dug it.

Saturday night was twin album-release night with Hinkley at Abilene and Auld Lang Syne at The Bug Jar. Hinkley's sound full of attitude and wonder, its tunes fragile despite their power. And Auld Lang Syne's sound is getting progressively more epic and intense, a nice blend of Crazy Horse parked in Tin Pan Alley.