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; […]
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 […]
The Los Angeles underground has always been a sprawling, gnarly place, and a new collection titled “Beat L.A.” goes where few covers albums have gone before. The project – from Narnack Records and Greatmind Records – is a charity effort benefiting Doctors Without Borders and that organization’s relief efforts in earthquake-torn Haiti. The compilation (out […]
Andy Clockwise certainly knows how to close out a residency. In honor of the final night of his month-long stand at the Satellite, the L.A.-by-way-of-Australia rocker is giving away a free download of his album “The Socialite.” Like his live shows, the album wraps pop and punk rock into a bar brawl-ready concoction, with the […]
[New tracks from artists we haven’t heard from a while, give or take three, four or five years…] The Rapture, “How Deep Is Your Love” ”“”“ NYC’s the Rapture has put their fans through a very slow wait; it’s taken them five years to put out a new album. Their forthcoming album, “In The Grace […]
[Recently crossing our radar …] The Features, “Rambo” – The Nashville quartet’s fist-pumping take on indie blues has been a staple of our playlists for a long time, and its second album for Kings of Leon’s Serpents and Snakes label, “Wilderness” (out next week), does nothing to diminish our enthusiasm. Matt Pelham wails like he […]
With the way MTV and VH1 have gone down the drain in regards to purpose and integrity, it’s comforting that bands still care about the music videos they make. However, the fact that music videos have been replaced with smut reality shows hasn’t seemed to bother Australian indie folk pop group Cloud Control. Although their […]
Steffaloo has been a frequent collaborator for most of her career. Her recent ones that have made the rounds on the blogosphere include hazy electronic tunes with Blackbird Blackbird and Sun Glitters. However, Steffaloo, aka Steph Thompson, has also accrued a good number of short EPs and one album titled “Meet Me In Montauk” where […]
Dunes certainly runs in the hip circles – their iPhone video for “Tied Together” (released as a 7-inch on Teenage Teardrops) features cameos from members of No Age, Vivian Girls, Abe Vigoda, Telepathe, Shannon and the Clams and other denizens of the L.A. underground. Not unlike the metaphor in the song and the video, the […]
Mere Mortals seemed destined to be one of those bands Los Angeles overlooks – purveyors of rock-solid rock that a) isn’t made by 21-year-olds, b) isn’t fashionably disheveled or gimmicky, and c) doesn’t require an instruction manual to like. After a handful of releases and a memorable tour or two – including playing to some […]
