We don't say this lightly, because there are really a lot of great artists coming out of the Bay Area, but we do have a current favorite: Birds & Batteries. We've been telling you about this co-ed quartet for a little while now, and our expectations for their new record were really high. Thankfully it's good news: we love I'll Never Sleep Again. It's still the B&B we met on their last release, but this time the woeful steel guitar and Mike Sempert's deep drawl are buffered by better production, including warm bursts of synth so thick you could hold them in your hand. The record starts out by making the simple, straightforward Neil Young classic "Heart of Gold" into an existential epic, and we love the song "Starclusters" so much that it's secured a solid entry in our top 10 tracks of the year. One lucky winner will get a Birds & Batteries prize pack, including two tickets to the CD release party on Wednesday night at Cafe Du Nord, a limited edition copy of the CD with silk screened artwork, plus a poster from the show. Enter to win (contest ends 6/25; winner will be notified via email).

There are a bunch of great shows to see this week, but frankly the pickins are a little slim compared to the embarrassment of riches that we're used to here in SF. Tonight Sean Hayes celebrates a CD release party at Great American. Catch The New Year and David Bazan (of Pedro The Lion and Headphones) at Bottom of the Hill, or head to Cafe Du Nord for Great Lake Swimmers and Eleni Mandell with opener Ferraby Lionheart. Noise Pop presents Rock n' Read with Dan Strachota at Beauty Bar, where writers read music-themed poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

On Friday, Tortoise takes over The Independent for two nights. Saturday serves us the Mondo Cello Fest at Great American featuring a whole lotta cello from Zoe Keating, Loop!Station and more. On Tuesday, the boys in Honeycut play with NOMO at Bottom of the Hill. See some female singer-songwriters on the rise at Hemlock with Alela Diane and Mariee Sioux. The lovely Ms. Feist commands the Fillmore for the first of two nights with opener Grizzly Bear. She's been all over the late-night talk show circuit. Watch this performance live from an LA city bus on Jimmy Kimmel.

Wednesday presents a whole array of good show choices. We'll be at the CD release party for Birds & Batteries at Cafe Du Nord. X's own John Doe plays songs from his latest CD A Year In The Wilderness at 12 Galaxies with openers Dead Rock West and Jeffrey Luck Lucas. The Independent hosts Leon Russell and Jesse DeNatale. And The National get disaffected at Bimbo's.