A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:

Rick Lee of St. Cloud (retiring to Las Vegas):

1 Abundant Twin Cities music venues. Rivaling such music meccas as Nashville and Austin, the Twin Cities has a panoply of music venues — and the international, national, regional and local artists they present are amazing. Savor it.

2 The Dakota. This intimate spot is the place we'll miss the most. At the Dakota, we have enjoyed well-known artists, some acts we knew little about beforehand, and local performers. Having been there 40 to 50 times since it moved to Nicollet Mall in 2003, we found each visit thrilling. Add its farm-to-table menu and you have a gem without compare.

3 The Ledge Amphitheater. This year-old venue in Waite Park is a tremendous addition to the Minnesota music scene. About a 75-minute drive from Minneapolis, the Ledge has a large stage, a capacity of 6,000 people and a picturesque wooded, granite quarry setting. The booking folks are starting to hit their stride; we'll see Jackson Browne and Sheryl Crow before leaving for Vegas.

Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:

1 Sounds of Blackness, "Juneteenth Celebration" video. After dropping such fiery broadsides as the fierce "Sick and Tired" and the insistent "Time for Reparations" in the past couple of years, the mighty Minnesota, Grammy-winning ensemble gets unstoppably joyous with this new upbeat, horn-buoyed single. As they sing about emancipation, liberation and jubilation, it's the Sounds at their most festive — and so invigorating.

2 Sirius XM celebrates Black Music Month. There are special channels in June devoted to Whitney Houston, 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G. and Prince. Sirius has been teasing us with a Prince channel on and off for a few years; it's time to vary the playlist more and offer deeper cuts, not to mention establishing a permanent channel.

3 Sigur Ros, State Theatre. In two generous sets, the Icelandic quartet was rapturously repetitious whether playing intoxicating slow-core, post-rock psychedelia, unheavy metal, post-apocalyptic drone or blissed-out faux classical, which showed there's a fine line between eerie and pretty. Frontman Jonsi was mesmerizingly magical.

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