Person walking through my office, a bit surprised: “You listening to the radio?” Me, turning down the volume slightly on “Rootless” by L.A.’s Youngblood Hawke: “No, but this song could be there soon enough.” And it’s true. “Rootless,” like a lot of songs on the quintet’s first EP, insists on being memorable, thanks to its […]
Alela Diane has been known to have an old soul. The Portland, Ore.-based singer-songwriter’s maturity has mirrored the wisdom of Vashti Bunyan while rivaling the appeal of today’s popular country music on her last two releases. However, her influences from her two musician parents and origins in northern California come through clearer than ever on […]
[Recent arrivals that have crept into our personal playlist …] Sondre Lerche, “Domino” – The 28-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter’s new self-titled album (just out on Mona Records, an imprint ostensibly named for his model/actress wife Mona Fastvold) is a bit rougher around edges than his previous five records, but the songwriting is still meticulous and sharp. […]
Tuesday’s fine fare: ‣ Strokes-y NYC quartet the Postelles hit town behind their self-titled debut album [previewed here], playing the Echo with support from Kitten – that’s the L.A. band’s new video for “Chinatown,” above – Pagaents and Pan Am. ‣ Moheak Radio is throwing a big rock show at the Satellite – the Moheak […]
Los Angeles native John Gold crafts introspective but largely feel-good tunes that seem to twinkle like sunlight off waves. It’s taken the “writer-songsinger” (as he calls himself) a couple of albums to get noticed; his 2002 and ’05 records were DIY affairs that yielded a film placement here and a TV commercial there, along with […]
The Troubadour was the least jaded place this side of Disneyland on Thursday night. Yes, the Kooks have a way of turning a room into the happiest place on earth, full of rosy-cheeked female admirers and shrieks right out of Beatles 1964. All you had to do was check your cynicism at the door, never […]
British folk-pop duo Slow Club returns with a follow-up to 2009’s highly-regarded debut “Yeah, So” this fall. The sophomore release is titled “Paradise” (out Sept. 13 via Moshi Moshi), and indications are that Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson’s quirky influences, ranging from Destiny’s Child to noise-pop, have borne fresh fruit of the bittersweet variety. The […]
Your Monday embarrassment of riches: ‣ Scorching night ahead at the Troubadour, where Mexican garage-rockers Le Butcherettes headline, supported by Adebisi Shank and Tera Melos. ‣ Rickie Lee Jones (pictured), with her “Live In Stockholm” DVD coming out next week, is back on tour. She plays It’s a School Night at Bardot, joined by young […]
Sunday’s shortlist: ‣ Peter Murphy hits SoCal behind his first solo album in seven years, “Ninth.” Check out the hand-painted sets in his video for “I Spit Roses.” Murphy plays the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa tonight, with a date Wednesday at the Troubadour in the offing. ‣ Big noise at the Wiltern tonight, where […]
L.A. singer-songwriter Terra Naomi has been giving her fans easy access to her music since 2006 when she launched her innovative “Virtual Summer Tour” from her Hollywood apartment and scored a viral hit with her song “Say It’s Possible.” Long before Justin Bieber came along with his feathery haircut, Naomi was the first one to […]
