Sometimes all the knobs, switches, levers and keys collectively yield a sound just as complicated as the set-up. Not so with Oakland-based band James & Evander, who transform typically staccato keys and pedals into a warm, shimmering melodicism that’s a little reminiscent of Dntel/the Postal Service or the One AM Radio without being as twitchy. […]
L.A.’s Carl Jordan, who releases music under the moniker The Western States Motel, offers another indie pop gem of a single that intertwines a bit of twang, a magnitude of synthesizers and simple but poignant melodies. However, like the rest tracks off of his new album “Freeway Freeway Riverbed,” the charming intricacies of “All the […]
With artists such as Guineafowl, Gotye and the Bleeding Knees Club recently coming through town, it’s been somewhat of an Australian invasion for L.A., but we don’t mind when rock bands like the Jezabels swing by again. Even after we caught the quartet at SXSW, songs such as “Mace Spray” and “Endless Summer” still have […]
Riding the wave of giddy, falsetto-addled electronica created by the likes of Foster the People, MGMT and Passion Pit, Athens, Ga.-based Reptar injects off-kilter elements, and that weird X-factor works for them. Synthesizers forward, Ryan Engelberger, William Kennedy, Andrew McFarland, Graham Ulicny and latest member Poof Daunghty have no shame in focusing on indie dance […]
Phantogram first burst on to the scene in 2009 with two EPs that eventually led to their seductive debut album “Eyelid Movies,” and they’re finally back with some new material after two long years of touring. Although the new batch of songs on “Nightlife” (out now via Barsuk Records) don’t stray too far from their […]
Others really have no say in what anyone chooses to do in his or her spare time, and if you happen to be wealthy and successful, there are more (albeit sometimes unnecessary) options for passing the time. In Foster the People‘s new Ace Norton-directed video, we see the L.A. electro pop band lying around a […]
Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg, aka First Aid Kit, return with a follow-up to 2010’s “The Big Black & Blue” with the track “The Lion’s Roar.” The signature close-knit harmonies, which earned them tour spots with artists such as Lykke Li in the past, are still present in the title track off of their […]
Tennessee’s Those Darlins bring a lot of ’tude with the punk-rock twang on their sophomore album “Screws Get Loose,” but it turns out Jessi, Kelley and Nikki Darlin (who conspire with their long-ago rock ’n’ roll camp counselor Linwood Regensburg) have a fascination with all things mystical too, in a Spector sort of way. “Mystic […]
Gorgeous and gentle atmospheric pop music is always a guarantee from L.A. artist Michael Orendy, aka Frankel. He’s intoxicated us with sweetly swelling orchestrations on his two previous albums “Lullabys for the Passersby” and “Anonymity Is the New Fame,” and he’s preparing to offer his latest collection of gems in form of “Sugar Twists Like […]
The Black Keys are getting ready for their “Back to Black” campaign in support of their forthcoming album “El Camino.” The rock duo follows up their Grammy-winning album “Brothers” by reuniting with Danger Mouse for production, and “El Camino” will arrive Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records. Although December may seem a long time from now, […]
