Juliette Commagere, the former front woman of Hello Stranger, sister to singer-songwriter Robert Francis and the wife of drummer-songwriter-producer Joachim Cooder, has been largely under the radar since touring behind her second solo album, 2010’s “The Procession.” Embarking on writing new material, Commagere holed up in the Arizona mining-town-turned-artist’s-colony of Jerome, almost mile high in […]
Hard rock and ’90s shoegaze have a new baby, and its name is Cobalt Cranes. The duo, whose members consist of Tim Foley and Kate Betuel, just unveiled “Head in the Clouds.” The title track of their forthcoming debut (slated for an April 9 release via Anticc Records) is a fierce grunge slice of garage-punk, which […]
Wanderhouse‘s new single came later than expected, but the wait was worth it. Like the smokey “Use Me Up,” Marie Moreshead and Dr. Rosen Rosen have hit the spot again with breathy vocals, a deliciously addictive melody and sensual synth build-up in “Sugar.” Like its title, the song is simple and sweet, but its best […]
Hands’ long-awaited debut album is titled “Synesthesia,” a condition the L.A. quartet’s fans have been known to experience during two-plus years of increasingly heated live shows. It was evident the foursome of Geoff Halliday, Ryan Sweeney, Sean Hess and Alex Staniloff had a good thing going when they leaked their first demos in late 2010; […]
A lot has happened since Twinstar last released music in 2005 – Facebook, e-books, smart phones, dumb trends, shifts in politics, changes in climates … Oh, and singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Keith Joyner got his college degree. “No wonder the LP took its leisurely time getting here,” Joyner says of Twinstar’s return, “The Sound of […]
Big Harp’s second album does not sound like Big Harp’s first album. Which is understandable, considering the husband-wife duo of Chris Senseney and Stefanie Drootin-Senseney created 2011’s “White Hat” during the quiet times after their kids had been put to bed, without having played a live show. The couple found that the piquant folk music […]
It’s been more than two years since Jake Bellows departed Omaha for L.A., and that solo album he mentioned was in the works back in 2011 is finally taking shape. Bellows fronted the indie-rock band Neva Dinova for three albums between 2002 and ’08 and collaborated with Conor Oberst on an EP (re-released in 2010 […]
Motion CNTRL calls its music “incapacitated pop,” and there’s a kernel of truth in that. The stylish production, lovelorn girl/boy vocals and oozing melodies in the L.A. duo’s first three songs may induce binge-sipping (whatever you were using to wash down “Violator” in 1990, please) and serial hand-holding in the corners of clubs where everyone […]
At this stage of their career, the Little Ones couldn’t be blamed for being grumpy old men – well, at least middle-aged ones, by indie-rock standards. They’ve been signed to two labels and dropped by two labels and watched while bands with similar aesthetics (and lesser songs, in some opinions) became indie darlings. But damned […]
There’s something at once playful and sexy in the electro of L.A. quartet Hot As Sun – you don’t just dance to theirs beat, you dahnce. It’s an affectation to be sure, but a sweet one, and by the end of “Dahnce to the Beat” you’re liable to be obeying every instruction Deborah Stoll is […]
