Mercury Rev’s “Deserter’s Songs” was one of the best albums of the late 1990s, its songwriting, production and execution – right down to Jonathan Donahue’s elfin vocals – creating a sort of sonic snowglobe you didn’t want to leave. Along with the album that followed, 2001’s “All Is Dream,” the band and producer Dave Fridmann […]
This installment of our intermittent mixtapes, The Buzzsicle, Vol. 13, is devoted to the weekend’s second annual Silverlake Jubilee, which gives you a lot of bang for 5 bucks. I’ve compiled an hour’s worth of music from 18 of the artists playing the festival. Enjoy. ||| Download: The Buzzsicle 13 (84 MB) After the jump, […]
The second annual Silverlake Jubilee goes off this weekend, highlighted by a musical lineup featuring Baths side project Geotic, Ximena Sariñana, Summer Darling, Lady Danville, Mia Doi Todd and Ceci Bastida (all on Saturday), and Races, We Are the World, Crystal Antlers and the Little Ones (on Sunday). The $5 admission benefits the Los Angeles […]
‣ Austin dream-pop trio Love Inks, who just released their debut “E.S.P.” this month, visit the Echo, along with Black Elephant and Sister Crayon. ‣ Lavender Diamond is resurfacing – Becky Stark says the band has all new songs – and will be playing at the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock. ‣ Citizen […]
Barbie Hatch may sound familiar if you’re a fan of the hip-hop group N.A.S.A., which consists of members Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon. She’s mostly known for her vocals on the duo’s track “Way Down,” which also featured Wu-Tang’s RZA and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. Her contributions also led to the […]
As Buffalo Tom adjusted the furniture at the beginning of their set Wednesday night at the Troubadour, frontman Bill Janovitz strummed and sang a verse from an Oasis hit. The stunt got a laugh but was notable for two other reasons: It marked the show as a loose, friends-and-family affair, and, in a manner, it […]
Perhaps the only album in recent years to approximate the meditative poesy of the National is “Tamer Animals,” the new album from Other Lives. Where the National’s haunting melancholy carries the aura of urban noir, the Stillwater, Okla., quintet operates on more pastoral topography, its lush orchestrations suggesting songwriter Jesse Tabish has frozen a moment […]
Whether they are unleashing dancefloor nuggets, carving holes in your ears with sharp indie rock or embarking on seemingly interplanetary psychedelic excursions, Vanaprasta are exhilarating. The L.A. quintet’s no-holds-barred approach works onstage, where Steven Wilkin’s arena-ready voice cuts through wicked guitar work from Cameron Dmytryk and Collin Desha and the rhythms of Taylor Brown and […]
‣ Vieux Farka Touré, the son of Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Touré, visits the Satellite behind “The Secret,” his third album, due next Tuesday. The album was made with Eric Krasno of Soulive and features a collaboration with his late father, as well as contributions from Derek Trucks, John Scofield, Dave Matthews and Ivan […]
[Scrumptious new tracks from artists we like:] Ladytron, “White Elephant” – If you didn’t score a copy of this spring’s “Best of Ladytron: 00-10,” you should; it’s ample evidence why the U.K. quartet has prevailed for a decade-plus while other electro acts have fallen by the wayside. The band recently announced its fifth album, “Gravity […]
