Midway through “XLO,” the album from the artist going by the name Dzang, a spoken-word sample at the beginning of the song “Human Nature” asks: “Is this music denying human nature? Is the human ear equipped to take it all in? If the human ear can take it in, will the heart be moved?” It’s […]
It’s been three years since a synchronicitous dressing-room jam led to the formation of Little Brutes, the side project featuring the twin talents of Rachael Cantu and Harlan Silverman. Since releasing that initial self-titled EP, the principals have been busy independently and collaboratively, racking up a host of TV and film credits and working as […]
Last year, the Icarus Line released one of the most deliciously uncompromising rock records of the year, “Slave Vows,” which was widely regarded a the L.A. rockers’ best release since 2004’s “Penance Soiree.” This year, the band – Joe Cardamone along with guitarist John Bennett, bassist Alvin DeGuzman, drummer Ben Hallett and keyboardist/saxophonist Jeremy Gill […]
Compared to their 2013 maiden voyage, Cobalt Cranes’ new album “Days in the Sun” sounds world-wary (though not quite -weary). The young noisemeisters – Tim Foley and Kate Betuel are the core duo – started with a bright bit of shoegazing worthy of its album title, “Head in the Clouds.” Their sophomore effort, made with Eastside guru […]
TÜLIPS call their bristling, in-your-face music “riotgaze,” an apt term for their marriage of punk-rock and shoegazing. It’s funny, though, how such genre-mashing often nudges artists toward the past and not the future (Editor’s Note: Whatever that is). TÜLIPS – singer-guitarist Angie Bloom and Taleen Kali, along with bassist Miles Marsico and drummer Travis Barnes – […]
At age 19, San Francisco’s Andrew St. James has released his album “The Shakes,” and this wasn’t his debut. He’s already garnered accolades for his first release “Doldrums,” which was recorded when he was just 17. With bands like the Orwells, Cherry Glazerr, the Bots and Kitten, young’uns continue to make their rounds in the […]
Magic Giant is just what you would expect when you hear they hail from Venice Beach. Upright bass? Check. Fiddle? Check. Banjo? Yep, they’ve got that, too. The high-energy folk-pop quartet, who did the October residency at the Bootleg HiFi, don’t just want to move your body, they want to move your soul, finding inspiration […]
I feel as if I’m not conversant enough in emojis to discuss the new single from Holychild. Is there a scrunched-up face for Liz Nistico’s chirpy vocals? Is there an “OK” sign for Louie Diller’s robot-kid production? Is there a man running and screaming as if he just walked into a junior high cheerleading camp? […]
Back in 2009, when then-emerging producer Richard Swift was recording Kissing Cousins’ debut full-length “Pillar of Salt,” he described the L.A. quintet as “the Shangri-Las meets Black Sabbath.” It’s still rather appropos. The band – frontwoman Heather Heywood, singer-guitarist Amanda Paganini, bassist Melissa Pleckham, keyboardist Alexis Martin Woodall and drummer Beth Ziegler – are still busy turning […]
KP is the nom de tune of singer-songwriter Brittany Mullen, and she renders it “kp,” thank you very much. There’s nothing lowercase about her voice, though, a sonorous, evocative instrument that compares favorably to any number of A-list pop-soul divas. Earlier this year, she took over vocal duties for arty orchestral rockers Kan Wakan, and, […]
