[Any corporate sponsors out there interested in underwriting a blog? I mean, I don’t write songs, but I write about them. Just sayin’ …] Ryan Bingham has a new, T Bone Burnett-assisted album coming out on Aug. 31 that figures to certify him as a roots-rock star – as if his Grammy win for “The […]
Perfume Genius is the alias of Mike Hadreas, whose debut album “Learning,” out now on Matador, is garnering increasing attention for its emotion and fragility. Home-recorded in his mother’s basement in Seattle and using only various combinations of voice and keys, “Learning” is a collection of stark memoirs, so honest they’re haunting, so wistful they’re […]
Cary Brothers’ sophomore album “Under Control” has some gems on it – knowing his resumé, they’re probably coming to a prime-time TV show near you – but no song quite like the über-ballad “Ghost Town.” First-time director Kyle Eaton takes some of the concepts from the song and runs with them in the video, with […]
[Sunset Junction, other Junction functions, shows by legends and a show by Legend, shows in massive amphitheatres and shows by people with egos the size of amphitheatres – what a weekend. When am I going to find time to celebrate Serj Tankian’s birthday?] Once through the weekend, real … slow … like: Friday highlights: ‣ […]
It’s Sunset Junction weekend, and this year’s street offers a very diverse music lineup and a strong L.A. bands presence in exchange for your $20-per-day ticket price. Since I last posted on the Junction, Everest and Dawes have been added to the lineup, and some set times have been tweaked. Oh, and to prepare for […]
Pepper Rabbit’s orchestral indie-pop overflows with exuberance, especially when the duo of Xander Singh and Luc Laurent plays it live – Singh is like a neighbor who shows up on your doorstep with a bag of goodies and heart full of largesse. His back of tricks, of course, includes horns, woodwinds, keys, guitar, ukulele and […]
I’ll start this item with full disclosure: I’ve been friends with John Girgus since I wrote this piece about Aberdeen’s “Homesick and Happy to Be Here” for my former employer over eight years ago. The album has held up well, and with bands such as the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the Radio […]
Top 4 ways to keep that summertime adrenaline pumping: ‣ Jets Overhead have jetted in from Canada – that’s their new video for “I Should Be Born,” above – and since I’ve advocated for them before, I’ll do it again. They play the Roxy on a KROQ Locals Only bill (hmm, KROQ now reaches all […]
My iTunes library categorizes “Home” – the first single from Glasser’s forthcoming debut “Ring” – as “post pop.” Let’s hope it’s not post-anything. The warm beats, complex instrumentation and soaring vocals seem to immediately fulfill the promise of 2009’s EP “Apply,” which introduced one-woman orchestra Cameron Mesirow to the world. The album, out Sept. 28 […]
Indie mockumentary “The Scenesters” seems to have all the makings of a Buzz Bands favorite – lots of music by familiar people (the Airborne Toxic Event, the Cribs, Le Switch, the Franks are among those populating the soundtrack), plenty of laughs, a little mystery and some dead hipsters. Yes, it’s only a ceremonial burning of […]
