It's a big month for shows. As festie season revs up, more and more large acts are stopping through the Bay Area on their journeys. Considering the ridiculous amount of shows to behold, this month we're highlighting our faves. Take your pick.

5/1 - Broken Social Scene @ The Fillmore: Their brand spanking new record comes out May 4th, so preview this gigantic collective and their rotating cast of indie phenoms. Past and present roster members include: Feist, Evan Cranley of Stars, James Shaw and Emily Haines of Metric, Charles Spearin of Do Make Say Think, members of Raising the Fawn, and The Dears etc. It's pretty much a must-see.

5/1 - Antlers & Phantogram @ The Independent: Once a solo project, now a three-piece, The Antlers have been through the gamut of testing their own musical limitations. The collective Brooklyn-based vets are keeping their creativity very much alive. One of our absolute favorite new break-outs, Phantogram is what one can only compare to as an indie version of a retro psychedelic rock band with some heavy electro and street-beat influences. If you haven't checked out their debut album Eyelid Movies, we suggest you do so immediately.

5/19 - Frightened Rabbit @ The Fillmore: Opening for this five-piece seems to be a good luck charm. A strange phenomenon of smaller bands have risen to fame after schlepping on tour with Frightened Rabbit. We're hoping the same is true for Maps & Atlases. The amazing prog tech-rock four-piece has come a long way since their early years, their newest album Perch Patchwork is much more accessible and folk-ish, and we like it. Combine Frightened Rabbit with Maps & Atlases and pure genius is at stake here folks.

5/21- Broken Bells @ The Regency: We're sure you've heard about them. The unlikely coupling of The Shins' James Mercer and Danger Mouse collide for a music mash-up that somehow makes perfect sense. Danger Mouse is a member of Gnarls Barkley and the respected producer for artists from the likes of Beck, Gorillaz, The Rapture and The Black Keys.

5/25 & 5/26 - Massive Attack @ The Warfield: Pretty much single-handedly responsible for the rise of trip-hop, Massive Attack was one of the most influential bands of the '90s. From the early '80s Wild Bunch era to now, they've retained a consistent and steadfast hold on the future directions of their genre. Definitely worth a peek on one or both nights. (Oh, and we have three pairs of tickets on our hands to give away to newsletter subscribers. We'll choose three subscribers at random to win tickets to the May 26th show. So if you haven't signed up, get in there! Just enter your email address on 7x7.com's homepage.)

5/26 - The National @ The Fox: You love The National right? Doesn't everyone? The New York-by-way-of-Ohio five-piece has had pretty much a cult following since their self-titled debut in 2001. And apparently that hasn't changed a bit. Added by popular demand, The National will now be doing a 2-night stint at The Fox.

5/27 - Edward Sharpe + The Magnetic Zeroes @ Fillmore, Nada Surf @ Great American Music Hall, The National @ The Fox, Band of Horses @ UC Davis, Yacht @ The Independent: Why on Earth did these bookers decide to plan five equally talented bands on the very same night? It's cruel and unusual punishment if you ask us. Assuming you're seeing The National on 5/26, and Band of Horses will be at The Greek Theatre in September, we'd say Nada Surf will definitely be winning us over for our attendance this evening.

5/29 - She & Him @ The Fox: Because who can resist the absolute cute-ness of Zooey Deschanel? And M. Ward ain't bad either...