When I heard that Franz Ferdinand were coming back to town for a show at the Commodore December 9th, I was immediately flooded with memories. I recalled the first time I heard the tempo change in "Take Me Out", singing "Happy Birthday" to the drummer Paul Thomson at an after party, and a mediocre performance at the Pacific Coliseum that left some of their instruments in pieces. With their new album "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" on the horizon, I couldn't help being excited about the prospect of another Franz Ferdinand experience.

I was hoping that the drizzly Friday night on November 7 wasn't an indication of what I could expect from the Secret Machines and their new self-titled album. As I waited outside Richard's on Richard's for the doors to open into the dry sanctuary, people who knew the Machines (including myself) were asking one question: "Are the Secret Machines the same band without front man Benjamin Curtis?" The answer was an overwhelming YES.

Yelle didn't have to sing in English for me to understand what they're all about: dance, dance, and more dance. Hailing from France, the three-piece band consisting of Yelle, Tepr, and Grand Marnier commandeered the Commodore Ballroom on October 29th.

I wasn't expecting a lot out of this show. Lykke Li had sold out Richard's on Richard's, and the scalpers outside the Commodore foreshadowed a poor turnout. Although the show did not sell out, the crowds that arrived after the opener, Passion Pit, were instantly grabbed by Yelle's driving beats and spectacular lights.