Pitchfork

Like those bratty girls with the rich daddies on the MTV, Noise Pop is getting what it wants for its 16th birthday. Lucky for us, the annual San Francisco festival possesses far better taste in tunes than most of those young ladies, and for its 16th edition-- popping off February 26-March 2 at a bevy of Bay Area venues-- organizers have already lined up a winner.

The Mountain Goats, the Magnetic Fields, Cursive, and the relatively new Gutter Twins (aka Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan) will be joined by several dozen unnamed others over the festival's nearly week-long run, along with music-themed films, art, panels, vendors, and the like. You'll know more when we do.