Top of the Thursday to you: ‣ The 2011 edition of Also I Like to Rock at the Hammer Museum closes with a bang tonight, with sets from the Henry Clay People and Lady Danville. The Henry Clays are working on material for their next album after this spring’s very strong “This Is a Desert” […]
There’s a console full of slick production tricks on “The Fall,” the new album from L.A. electro duo Public Jones – so many, in fact, that the debut (out Aug. 2) from the team of Asghar Husain and Peter Kerekes gets lost in the ether somewhere between the synth-rock of today and techno-rock of the […]
L.A. quartet Superhumanoids have a slightly off-kilter name, so it’s fitting in a way that the visual accompaniment to their song “Malta” be abnormal as well. The song, which is off of their recent “Parasite Parade” EP, offers lyrics that focus on the fear of a friendship falling apart. To represent this questionable relationship, director […]
First as a solo artist on Sony and now fronting the rock quintet Of Verona, Toronto-born Mandi Perkins plays the vulnerable/steely strong rocker-grrl game to the hilt, packing plenty of emotional punch into the band’s radio-ready rock. The project began after Perkins – a former literature major at UC Berkeley with a thing for the […]
[Happy birthday to Pete Yorn, 37 years old today. Here’s what’s up tonight …] Your midweek mix: ‣ It’s a homecoming of sorts for Richie James Follin, the O.C. native who fronts (fronted?) the Willowz for four albums and now lives on the other coast making doo wop-meets-Kinks music as Guards. Guards have more substance […]
Long before Gothenberg, Sweden’s Little Dragon landed features on two high profile tracks from Gorillaz’ “Plastic Beach,” singer Yukimi Nagano, drummer Erik Bodin and bassist Fredrik Wallin had initially burst onto the scene with their patchwork of neo-soul and electro-pop showcased on their self-titled debut in 2007. Now with additional member and keyboardist HÃ¥kan Wirenstrand, […]
Anybody who checked out Joseph Arthur’s remarkable residency in February at the Bootleg Theater knows the 39-year-old artist is more than just a songwriter. You could get as lost in the Bootleg’s auxiliary rooms – which, during the residency, were turned into a Museum of Modern Arthur to display his paintings and prints – as […]
Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore has been keeping busy with plenty of tour dates since the release of his third solo studio album. Produced by Beck (who also provided synths and drumming on the record), “Demolished Thoughts” is surprisingly a bit more acoustic and folk-oriented. However, the energy within these tracks should not be underestimated; […]
Too much Tuesday: ‣ Canadian hardcore punks F*cked Up, their new album “David Comes to Life” (out in June) getting a lot of deserved accolades, visit the El Rey Theatre, with L.A.’s own Fidlar and Sacramento’s Trash Talk opening. That’s F*cked Up’s video for “Queens of Hearts,” above. ‣ WU LYF, the Manchester up-and-comers whose […]
Mack Winston and the Reflections’ sleek, soulful rock seems excerpted from a 1980 romance movie – it’s the cathartic electro in which your heartbroken protagonist would immerse himself after an unsuccessful night at the disco. Winston’s “Shake It All Night” EP, with its Cars-ready keys and Camaro-worthy licks, doesn’t fool around with trying to update […]
