This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.

Sounds like: Ulrich Schnauss, Caribou

What’s so good?

As I exited Hollywood’s Music Box last Tuesday night after being blown away by Girls, a smiley dude approached with a handful of flyers for an upcoming show. “Tycho, at the Echo?” he said with a grin, half-expecting me to blow him off on the unusually chilly evening as show goers quickly walked by. “What?! Yes. I’ll take one!” I tucked the flyer neatly into my handbag, gingerly placing it on my desk the next morning like a newborn baby owl. Not only in a semi-reverent state of a recently neglected lifeline for live music, but to also serve as a reminder to buy tickets, dammit!

I was eager to get lost in the live setting that only Tycho’s signature stylings can provide. Tycho is an artist in every sense of the word: a musician, a virtuoso, a creator, and an artistic treasure of our generation. A thoughtful sea of his gentle and expansive electronic beats can heal even the crustiest of curmudgeons from the inside out!

And I also had two drink tokens burning a hole in my pocket, leftover from aspeaking engagement at The Echo a few weeks back!

Tycho, known in the design world as ISO50, is the one-person prodigy of Scott Hansen. Hailing from San Francisco, the West Coast inspiration is absolutely evident in his work. His sound matches to pictures through his video installation work and invokes visuals of endless coastlines, waves moving in a rhythmic slow motion, and the warm feeling of sunshine on the back of your neck. The soaring ambient rhythms are beautiful in any setting. Paired alongside a backing band and live video projections, his dreamlike landscape truly comes to life.

As I listen to it now while nursing coffee and avoiding doing “real world things,” I can’t help but notice how the album sounds somewhat bottled in comparison to the full, sonic soundscapes appropriate to music of the electronic genre, particularly when a full band is involved. Not only a treat but circumstanced evidence that the live music experience will never die.

Tycho’s new album Dive is out now on Ghostly International.

Excerpts Syndicated from Yahoo! Music Blog: As Heard On…

Known as the center for consumer technology, the Consumer Electronics Show happens annually in Las Vegas and is undoubtedly the largest of it’s kind–it’s the ultimate place to be for those who crave the latest and greatest in gadgetry! The 2011 show was no exception. It drew around 2,700 technology companies with over 140,000 industry folks in attendance.

This year, we saw lots of 3-D in the form of TV sets, cameras, and game consoles. We saw many many tablets, from the Motorola XOOM to the BlackBerry Playbook.

Perhaps the most buzzworthy debut was made by none other than Lady Gaga, Creative Director to Polaroid’s Grey Label lineThe new line, announced by Gaga in person at CES, includes an Instant Mobile Printer, the GL30 Instant Digital Camera, and most strikingly, the GL20 Camera Glasses. Users of the goggle-like specs can instantly capture or upload photos–then display the images on the glasses’ LCD screens for others to see.

We also saw streaming devices, portable players, and lots and lots of headphones. Following the success of Beats by Dre, both 50 Cent and Ludacris debuted headphones of their own. Luda unveiled the 5-model line Soul by Ludacris, while 50 debuted wireless ‘phones dubbed Sleek by 50 Cent.

From the mobile arena–literally, a huge arena-like space at the Las Vegas Convention Center–came the newest developments in smart phone gadgetry. Notably, many developers took advantage of the open-source ANDROID platform  (as opposed to the DROID, the actual phone by Motorola– thanks A.S.!) to build products of their own.

And while the future of Internet TV depends on whether the cable and satellite distributors can get along, we came one step closer this year. Samsung has made strides through recent partnerships with Adobe, Comcast, and Time Warner in an effort to bring more streaming content to the ‘tube. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the day when I can stream S.N.L. in glorious 1080p perfection–and simultaneously live-snark with friends!

Is 3-D just a passing trend?  Will Internet TV be the next big thing? Which gadgets are you most excited to see in 2011? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!

When it comes to holiday shopping, many of us freeze at the mere prospect of trolling a mall with hundreds of others in search of that perfect and unique holiday gift. Particularly when it comes to tech toys, why scour the shelves when we can make our purchases online at the last minute instead? I don’t know about you, but I love shopping in my PJs – and have the items delivered directly to my doorstep!

Whether you’re shopping at home or in the mall, for yourself or someone else, here are five ideas guaranteed to satisfy the music lover in all of us.

1. The Portable Player, a.k.a. The Boombox

If you’re looking for a dock for your iPod or iPhone, the On Stage IV from JBL is your match. The portable speaker system plays music from your device while simultaneously charging it. It travels easily and packs a punch for it’s small size.

If you can hold out until January, TDK is back in the game with the TDK Boombox, an excellent reinvention of the classic ghetto blaster. Both a two and three-speaker option will be available (the third speaker hosts a dedicated sub-woofer!). The boombox comes with USB support including input for a USB stick, AM/FM radio, and RCA, minijack, and ¼ inch inputs. Settings have illuminated touch controls with two oversized aluminum knobs for volume and radio tuning support. How cool is that!?

However, if you prefer to keep it real with an authentic ghetto blaster, never fear! EBay has an excellent selection spanning different styles and decades.

For some, it’s more important to ditch those bulky D batteries and play it green. The recycled boombox makes an excellent stocking stuffer or gift exchange item (and it ain’t too shabby at $18 a pop).

2. USB Turntable

These days, it seems that turntables are on the up or out depending on how you look at it. Before you call sacrilege, check it out: the Crosley turntable features wireless streaming, a radio transmitter, and a USB hookup for easy analog-to-digital transfer. The tiny platter and wireless transmitter make it a great candidate for spinning your vinyl on the go.

Crosley CR6002A-BK Revolution Portable USB Turntable

3. Panasonic AV Room Headphones

Because everyone needs a fun and funky pair of ‘phones.

Headphones from Urban Outfitters

4.  Apple iPod Touch (4th Gen with Camera)

The ultimate in portable multimedia players. The latest iteration of the iPod Touch makes it a snap to stream online or terrestrial radio, sync your music library, and watch music videos.

While it is a splurge (starting at $229), this is probably one of the best portable media players you can buy.

For those who’d like to save their hard-earned scratch, Sandisk’s Sansa Fuse plays music and video and even has a built-in FM radio.

For more, check out PC Mag’s guide on finding the best MP3 player.

5.   The Sonos S5

The Sonos S5 is the big kahuna for in-home music entertainment. The system comes with five integrated speakers powered by separate digital amps, allowing you to play different songs in different rooms of your house. The system wirelessly streams music from your iTunes library, in addition to Internet radio stations like Pandora.