The Mother Hips‘ trippy power-pop has aged awfully well. On the Bay-area outfit’s seventh album, “Pacific Dust,” singer-guitarist Tim Bluhm and crew avoid the pratfalls of many of their psych-pop brethren – they’re heartfelt but not sappy, amiable but not goofy, expansive but not indulgent, with songs that exude a 1970s warmth without feeling microwaved. […]
So the story of Lucy Schwartz’s big break is that her father was jogging past the house of KCRW’s Chris Douridas and hand-delivered Lucy’s demo to the DJ. Which led to airplay on KCRW. Which led to Schwartz – as an 18-year-old senior at Palisades High – writing songs for the opening and closing credits […]
[Birthday greetings this weekend to Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs. Here’s an abbreviated roundup of shows – hit up You Set the Scene for a more comprehensive list …] Tonight: Local blues-rockers Night Horse are starting the new year by getting to work on their sophomore album with producer Matt Bayles (who’s worked with […]
Since self-releasing a homemade disc in late 2008, Los Angeles’ Spirit Vine has been sharpening its licks and putting teeth into its desert sun-blistered brand of psychedelia. The results, so far, are “Golden.” The quintet’s new EP by that name offers three bone-rattlers that lean toward the brashest of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s material, and […]
[Birthday holler goes out to Dave Grohl today. Meanwhile, here’s your rather skimpy show slate for tonight:] The music of Portland quintet the Builders and the Butchers [pictured] has been described as “punkgrass,” and whatever the label says, the band’s album “Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well” is fiery and twangy and intense like whack […]
Rock drummer Brian Keitz (often credited as Keats) died Tuesday after a battle with liver cancer. He was 46. The L.A.-based musician played with myriad artists, including Jason Falkner, Dave Vanian, Sylvain Sylvain, Susanna Hoffs, Teddy Thompson and AM, and manned the skins for the bands Wink, 3 Day Wheely, Low Pop Suicide, Princess Pang, […]
[Happy Wednesday, and happy birthday Wayne Coyne …] The Phenomenal Handclap Band are one of those acts you have to suspend your disbelief to like. When I saw them at the El Rey Theatre last year, I couldn’t get past their preening hippiedom, let alone dial in to their mish-mosh of disco-folk. Some people seem […]
[I will let the rest of the Internets fill you in on the new albums by OK Go (recommended) and Vampire Weekend (not). Here are some releases of L.A. interest, some of which I’m late to catch up to:] Jason Boesel, “Hustler’s Son” (Team Love) – The last of his Rilo Kiley bandmates to bust […]
[Oh, the difficult choices – lots of very good local shows going head-to-head tonight:] The Parson Red Heads, who’ve been working on a new album, surface to play a little music from it as they headline the Bootleg Theater, where Seven Saturdays – who we liked when they were called Firs – celebrates the release […]
In a way, the title of the sophomore album by Year Long Disaster makes a promise it can’t keep. “Black Magic; All Mysteries Revealed” – oh, really? Forty-two minutes with one of Los Angeles’ best power trios is going to settle this whole good vs. evil thing for me? Maybe fill in the blanks on […]
