The second half of April could be described as “the reign of the unconventionals” as Barcelona welcomes three unique and unexpected musical talents. Two of them are celebrating important birthdays this year and have decided to share the occasion with their fans. Daniel Johnston turned 50 and is on the road playing concerts throughout America and Europe. Philip Glass is turning 75 and touring with a new production of his 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach. And of Montreal... well, the band is turning 16, which in light of today's fleeting-fame music world is pretty impressive too.

Read on for more info on these concerts as well as a sneak peek at what's happening in May as the music festival season kicks off with a very promising edition of Primavera Sound...

Let me take a moment to describe what might be one of my favourite concert scenarios: a small space, good music - preferably something a little unusual or unexpected - and a bar that serves interesting wines and knows how to mix a decent cocktail. Sounds pretty straightforward, but it's surprising how often these things don't coincide.

Although its name might make you think otherwise, Houston Party is one of Barcelona's most consistently interesting concert promoters. They bring people like Andrew Bird, Chuck Prophet, Mark Lanegan, Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Deer Tick to town. They really know and love music so when they announced a new event called El Decantador that would bring an eclectic mix of artists to a small and most unusual stage, I checked it out right away.

The days are getting longer and warmer, the light is starting to have that spring shimmer, and everyone is itching for some fun. Good news: there's so many great bands and artists playing the city this month that you could pretty much go out every night and catch some amazing music.

Looking at the list of March concerts, I felt so overwhelmed, I had to seek help from my friends. Andrea got all giddy when she heard Summer Camp was playing the Razzmatazz. Alejandro stopped at a poster of Tinariwen and launched into the band's entire – and admittedly amazing – biography. Finally, as a big Sonic Youth fan, I'm particularly excited about Thurston Moore playing at the Sala Apolo's [2]. And that's just the highlights...

Keep reading to find out more about our three concert picks as well as a list of other exciting concerts!

Chilly evenings are a great time to squeeze into a dark, warm club and shake off the winter doldrums to some seriously invigorating music. February is a great month for music in Barcelona, with three great little festivals and several stellar concerts. Both In-somni Festival at the Sala Bikini and Emergencia! at the CCCB offer an exciting look at what's happening in independent music, both locally and abroad, whereas MicroMUTEK brings us an amalgamation of electronic music and digital art. As for concerts, my top picks for the month are The Sounds, CW Stoneking and Megafaun...

Welcome to 2012 and what promises to be a great year of concerts in Barcelona! Looking ahead, artists like Megafaun, God is an Astronaut, Magnetic Fields, Kina Grannis and Tindersticks are all coming to town to warm up our winter nights. There's plenty of music to get excited about this month too, starting with a trio of concerts best described as winter dreaming - Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Boreals, Papercuts and Emmy the Great. After these melodic souls have melted the ice, John Doe and Slim Cessna turn up the heat before Diplo sets the whole house on fire.