Over the course of three-plus years and three releases (two EPs and a single), Mere Mortals have cultivated a gritty-but-pretty take on Britpop, one that in another city and perhaps another era might earn them the keys to Madchester. Alas, L.A. tends to take bands like the Mortals for granted, seeing as they’re not chasing […]
Orange County-based garage rockers the Willowz have announced that their fourth album, “Everyone,” will come out Oct. 6 on Dim Mak (via Downtown), and the first single from the record, “Repetition,” is a two-minute stomp that’s more White Stripes than Stooges. It’s been two years since the Willowz released “Chautauqua,” but frontman Richie James Follins […]
[Let’s start Thursday by wishing Kate Bush a happy birthday …] And let’s continue it with with a song off the Sounds’ new album, “Crossing the Rubicon”: ||| Download: “Dorchester Hotel” The Swedish quintet’s Blondie-indebted rock has cast quite a spell on SoCal audiences the past couple of years. Their new album, recorded in L.A., […]
[Folky flavors for your Tuesday …] The music of Trevor Beld-Jimenez – the guy behind Tall Tales and the Silver Lining – somehow sounds as if it comes from “up the coast.” The Ventura=based singer-songwriter in June released “The Understanding” on Beehouse Records (home of the Spires), and the album showcases Beld-Jimenez’s affection for breezy […]
Who knows when the Henry Clay People are going to have time to record a follow-up to “For Cheap or For Free” – besides upcoming tour dates with the Airborne Toxic Event and a date Aug. 7 at Lollapalooza, their name is on a list of local bands slated to play the Lobsterfest on Sept. […]
[A couple full-album downloads for your Thursday:] A little synchronicity from a recent trip to my native Midwest: Stopping by the Firebird club in St. Louis to take in a solo set by Adam Franklin, I caught the opening set from St. Louis trio Glass Waves. Their languid, shoegazey rock went down like a cold […]
[New and notable from L.A. bands:] Preppy indie-poppers Princeton are gearing up for their debut release, “Cocoon of Love,” due Sept. 29 on Kanine Records. The band’s two EPs have revealed their music to be sweet and very college-educated (though its name is derived from the street in Santa Monica where the group grew up), […]
[New and notable from the L.A. scene, one in a series …] I have been remiss in keeping you updated on the exploits of Learning Music, the moniker under which John Wood releases his tunes. Back in February, I wrote about his ambitious subscription series, Learning Music Monthly, through which Wood releases one album per […]
For several years, AM has been one of the hardest-to-Google, easiest-to-listen-to singer-songwriters in L.A. Now the New Orleans-reared artist has signed to Filter US Recordings, which on Aug. 11 will release his sophomore album “Future Sons & Daughters,” the follow-up to 2007’s “Soul Variations.” AM’s music is typically something-for-everybody (or every soundtrack), weaving threads of […]
Cincinnati duo Bad Veins, a new addition to the roster at L.A.-based Dangerbird Records, release their self-titled debut today. My take on the album is that, while it’s lacking that one song you might remember in 2010, it’s catchy, clever indie-pop – imagine the Killers with much fewer resources but lots more imagination. Here’s the […]
