Haroula Rose‘s latest record “These Open Roads” offers many of the songstress’ graceful ballads and soothing folk, but she’s been writing with brighter color and faster tempos on her way to her forthcoming album, which is set for a release later this year. Her follow-up “So Easy” (out June 4) foreshadows a sunny retro-pop sound, and her video for the EP’s title track pays tribute to one of the biggest pop-rock acts of all-time: the Beatles. Directed by Michael R. Miller, the clip replicates fun scenes from several videos by the Fab Four. Can you guess which ones?
By the way, the Buzz Bands LA show on Moheak Radio has the week off while we upgrade some technology in the BBLA universe. Back next week with a Silver Lake Jubilee preview show.
Summer’s approaching and if you don’t feel it just yet, blast any of of Baby Monster‘s songs and that should do the job. Although they’re mostly known for their remixes of Gorillaz, Ellie Goulding and Foster the People, Daniel Sternbaum and Marty Larson Xu now have new original material to follow up their self-titled 2011 album as they get ready to release their “City of Lovers” EP on June 5. Simply ear candy and recorded by both members in different cities (one in L.A. and one in Portland), their title track makes an appropriate single. “City of Lovers” boasts grinding beats, layered vocals, falsetto harmonies and a synth sheen, not only making it a stunning listen but also a feel-good anthem.
Three years ago, Chris Price fronted a major-label band that recorded an album costing who-knows-how-much with A-list producer Tony Berg.
Next week, Price will be featured on iTunes for an album he recorded for $10.
The Florida-bred singer-guitarist made all of his solo debut “Homesick” on his iPhone, using a ten-buck application called 4 Track. No other recording gear was involved, but some shenanigans were: The 27-year-old’s “sessions” took him to far-flung locales, including the Nuart Theatre, a cabin in Pennsylvania, the Griffith Park Observatory and the Greek Theatre, where he sneaked in by jumping a fence to record vocals in the deserted amphitheater.
||| Live: Chris Price will appear at the Apple store in Santa Monica at 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss his album. He performs Friday, May 25, at the Satellite, opening for Jail Weddings.
“The whole world is my studio,” Price says. “The iPhone gives you a lot of freedom, and it gives you pretty impressive sound quality. It’s all about mic placement.”
“Homesick” showcases Price’s devotion to retro power-pop — he worked with [click to continue…]
It only took four singles for Saint Motel to finally reveal the release date and title of their forthcoming album. However, with the announcement of their latest, “1997,” — another high-energy, theatrically inclined song with a grand entrance and shiny keyboard riff — we now know that their debut record “Voyeur” is slated for a July 10 release. Talk about a long time coming. These guys have had no trouble keeping showgoers entertained with songs off of their “ForPlay” EP for the last three years, but plenty of their fans will be ready to get their hands on the full-length.
Decisions, decisions, decisions … your Friday night is full of ‘em:
► Best Coast kicks off a three-month tour by headlining the Wiltern behind its new album “The Only Place.” Jeff The Brotherhood and Abe Vigoda set the table.
► Dum Dum Girls launch a busy L.A. weekend (they’re at the Getty on Saturday) with a show at the Echoplex along with Tamaryn, Young Prisms and Sisu.
► Canadian folk-rockers Great Lake Swimmers headline the Troubadour behind their new album “New Wild Everywhere” (that’s the video for the title track, above), supported by recent Mute signees Cold Specks.
► London’s the Boxer Rebellion swings back through L.A. for a show at the El Rey Theatre. [We liked 'em last May.]
► The Gaslight Anthem, their fourth album “Handwritten” on the way in July, play an early show at the Roxy. The New Jersey punk-rockers recently released a single from the new record, “45.”
► Brooklyn’s Chappo [see our Tuesday post] brings its fun garage-pop to the Bootleg Bar, where Kitten and Red Circle Underground open.
► And Suckers zip into the Echo on the heels of their new album “Candy Salad,” supported by Vanaprasta and Young Man.
Warships arrived last fall with batch of demos [including "Haymaker"] that boasted some slippery melodies and nifty choruses. It turns out that L.A. quintet of Eric Chirco, Edson Choi, Elliot Craig, Timothy Pai, and John Ransom Tucker had plenty more where those came from. Their debut album, made with producer Raymond Richards and mixed by Darrell Thorp, recalls a less rustic Band of Horses, or a shinier Shins. Yes, there are even traces of another band Richards produced, Local Natives. There are no firm release plans yet, but considering its sunny, breezy disposition, it’d be nice to have this summer.
||| Live: Warships open for Plants and Animals on Saturday at the Satellite. They also have the residency on Tuesday nights in June at the Central SAPC.
The Troubadour experienced a Scandinavian invasion on Tuesday, but with Ane Brun at the helm of an intimate night, the venue and its patrons welcomed the event with open arms. Foreshadowing an evening of theatrically sophisticated odes to heartbreak and love, the lights dimmed before Brun, a Grammy-winning artist in her homeland Norway, walked underneath so the shadows and colors softly swirled upon her face. Although an artistic touch, it added to the emotional sweep of the avant-garde folk singer’s performance.
Going in to a set mostly featuring songs from her latest record, “It All Starts With One,” a four-piece band — consisting of two keyboardists (one of them the night’s opening act Elin Ruth Sigvardsson), a drummer and a cellist, who played bass guitar from time to time — Brun’s hands dramatically went up in the air only to fall below her face during the sparse yet heavy pulses in “These Days.”
The movement didn’t stop there; the flow in Brun traveled from her hands up to her [click to continue…]
Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer Donna Summer died this morning at the age of 63 after a long battle with both lung cancer and breast cancer. Summer reigned as the disco queen during the 1970s with hits such as “Last Dance” and “Love to Love You Baby.” Follow the L.A. Times for more.
Brooklyn’s White Rabbits, whose third album “Milk Famous” came out in March on TBD Records, head up a 25-strong lineup of bands and DJs for the 2nd Annual Hudson Block Party, a two-stage outdoor event going off Sunday in West Hollywood.
The mini-festival takes place at Crescent Heights and Santa Monica Boulevards, centered around the Hudson, the bar whose owners Beau Laughlin, Brett Cranston, and Mike Jay put together the event that serves as a fundraiser for the SOVA Community Food and Resource Program. Doors open at 11 a.m. Admission is $10 at the door before 2 p.m., and $15 after.
Last year’s block party suffered from first-year congestion and confusion, but promoters have expanded the footprint and added entrances this year.
Also on Sunday’s bill: Of Montreal (a DJ set), LP, Skeet Skeet, Saint Motel, Haim, the Neighbourhood, DWNTWN, Chris Kennedy, Adam 12, Little Hurricane, Will Crimes, Yellow Alex & the Feelings, Keith 2.0, Steven Lira, Adventure Galley, Max & the Moon, Just Jack, Animals of Kin, Miss Aubrey, Marcelle Voomz and Lola Langusta.
NEW TIME STARTING JAN. 15, 2012: Join me at 7 p.m. every Sunday night for the L.A. Buzz Bands Show on all-music, listener-supported KCSN (88.5 FM). It's an hour of music by SoCal artists, and it's streamable at KCSN.org.
NEW TIME STARTING NOV. 4, 2011: Tune into the Buzz Bands LA Show every Friday at 11 a.m. Pacific Time on Moheak Radio. It's two hours of mostly local, always-fresh music.
"Much popular music is hollow professionalism – musicians and record producers recycling ideas and styles most likely to sell records. The memorable artists redefine the boundaries, either through blinding originality or by looking with unbending honesty at their deepest fears and grandest dreams."
