Up and coming singer/songwriter Alice Smith [pictured] is scheduled to perform on the Ellen DeGeneres show this week. Monday -ABC, 11:05pm: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maroon 5 Tuesday -CBS, 10:35p: Late Show with David Letterman, Lenny Kravitz -NBC, 10:35pm: Tonight Show with Jay Leno, John Fogerty Wednesday -CBS, 12:05am: Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Collective Soul -NBC, 2:05am: Last Call with Carson Daly, A Fine Frenzy -CBS, 10:35p: Late Show with David Letterman, Ayo -NBC,......

Artists from both coasts duke it out on the charts this week. We’ve been fans of the Helio Sequence's ambient sound for some time now, and today the band releases their fourth album, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. -Download some songs at CNET -Aversion interviewed Helio singer Brandon Summers -Read an album review at Billboard.com -Buy Keep Your Eyes Ahead So if you visit the Mars Volta’s website, you can read a very elaborate story about......

A few months ago, we ran a contest to win-them-before-you-can-buy them on tickets to see The Killers. Two lucky winners won a pair of tickets to the show (and they're probably scrambling around their house right now trying to remember where the put those tickets). If you weren't one of those two, we have another chance for you. The Killers are coming to the Reliant Arena this Saturday night, supporting their sophomore album Sam’s Town.......

On the heels of last week's performance on David Letterman, Atlanta-based indie-rock outfit Manchester Orchestra arrives at Warehouse Live tomorrow night. If you'd like to hear a man with a fantastic voice, check out former Mavericks lead vocalist Raul Malo Thursday night (also at Warehouse Live). Friday night, check out some local indie rock -- .belville at Rudyard's. Saturday is a tough call: The Killers with Louis XIV are at Reliant Arena and Reverend......

Houstonist loves music, and we love sharing good music with you — that right there sounds like a '70s love ballad. We all got together to structure a list of our favorite albums of 2005. After lots of debating and a few bloody noses (OK, OK, Arcade Fire’s album was technically released last year, so we won’t include it — geesh!), we finally settled on our favorite albums of the year, in no particular order:......