Pigeon John has canceled his remaining 2010 tour dates, including an appearance Dec. 16 at the Echoplex – a spokesperson cited “unforeseen health issues,” declining to elaborate further – but a digital dose of L.A. most genial hip-hop guy is always in order. In October, John released his seventh album, “Dragon Slayer” (Quannum), which has […]
Chasing Kings’ November residency at the Silverlake Lounge found the L.A. four-piece more revved up than ever – and that’s pretty amped, if you’ve ever seen frontman Matt Schwartz rage on the keyboards. Abetted by Drew Beck, Mike Goldman and Nick Sandler, Schwartz has ratcheted up the intensity of the quartet’s piano-driven indie-rock. Their crisper […]
“Eleganza,” the first EP from new L.A. quartet Blonde Summer, is a radiant blast of indie-rock done in the ’90s way – with sharp vocals, insistent rhythms and churning guitars, all slathered in irresistible hooks. The five-song debut is the brainchild of singer-guitarist Chris Pope and guitarist Matt Reid, who sequestered themselves in Joshua Tree […]
Modern Time Machines’ cocktail of fuzzed-out dissonance and cirrus melody gets sweeter with each outing, and on “Mammoth” the L.A. quartet of Ben Golomb, Chanda Dancy, Dean Estrella and Nicole Smith fashions a four-minute cloud of melancholic shoegaze that gets under your skin a little. The new video for the song features Chervine Naamani ”Žand […]
[Keeping this installment local …] ‣ Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, “40 Day Dream (iTunes session).” Been a busy year for Alex Ebert (pictured at Sunset Junction) and crew. Their new iTunes session, features five recast versions of songs from “Up From Below.” – including a particularly aching “40 Day Dream” – as well […]
What has it been – more than two years since IO Echo began mesmerizing L.A. audiences with its haunting, Goth-tinged shoegaze? The duo of Leopold Ross and Ioanna Gika took their act on the road before it was really fully formed, but they’ve spent the past year supporting the likes of Florence + the Machine, […]
You know you’re in for a long music conversation when you meet somebody who remembers being more excited about hearing “Dream All Day” on the radio in 1993 than any damn grunge song. It was the first big hit by the Posies and remains a keystone in the collection of any self-respecting power-pop geek (a […]
[Some mellow stuff in today’s three-pack. Enjoy …] ‣ Micol Cazzell, “Hollowed Out.” Young Central Valley folkie Cazzell self-released his DIY album “Spinner’s Yarn” this summer. I like this song, and some of my favorite musicians are from Modesto. Hear some more here. ‣ Fistful of Mercy, “Father’s Son.” Acoustic goodness from the triumvirate of […]
What HoneyChild’s debut album “Nearer the Earth” lacks in bulk – at eight songs over 26 minutes, it’s a value-added EP more than anything – it makes up for in heart. The L.A. six-piece [we suspect the mud and debris are hiding half the band in the photo above] are cultivating a buoyant, earnest take […]
Top 2 homecoming shows by L.A. bands who’ve been away: ‣ Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti plays the Music Box with Os Mutantes and Teen Inc. That’s Steve Hanft’s video for “Bright Lit Blue Skies,” above. ‣ Everest and He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister team up at the Echo. ||| Download: Ariel Pink, “Round and […]
