Some of the new songs from L.A. quintet Vanaprasta are liable to make you come out of your shoes, if recent live performances are any indication. Promise. But “Flash Flood Warning” is not among them. Like the previously teased “NYF,” “Flash Flood Warning” is lush and dreamy, its meticulously layered psychedelia suggesting the band has […]
Following the release of a collaborative EP each of the last three years (“Shame,†“Thuggin’†and “Deeper,” chronologically), Freddie Gibbs and Madlib are set to put out their long-anticipated full-length album “Piñata†next week, with 17 tracks featuring guest verses from a plethora of talent, including Ab-Soul, BJ The Chicago Kid, Casey Veggies, Danny Brown, […]
If you’re in Austin for all the official South by Southwest Music Festival business, you’re invited to enjoy some unofficial fun Wednesday afternoon. Buzz Bands LA’s sixth annual day party – and the third year in a row with our “Dear Austin, Love L.A.” theme – goes off at the Chuggin’ Monkey, 219 E. 6th […]
With nods to Magritte and the Echo Park neighborhood that birthed the band, local sextet NO unveiled the video today for its dramatic single “Leave the Door Wide Open.” We begin at Origami Vinyl (happy fifth birthday to that record shop, by the way) and cross Sunset to El Prado, the craft beer and […]
Alt-R&B, if that’s what we’re calling it these days – instead of alternative soul, Alt&B, Emo&B, indie R&B or the rather offensive and reductive PBR&B – seems to retain a few distinct qualities: electronic beats (exquisite and/or brooding), vocals (in the high-to-angelically high range) and echo (from mild to drowning in reverb). When that trifecta […]
Nicky Blitz is the nom de tune of San Fernando Valley-bred, Miami-based Nick Scapa, a songwriter/producer whose credits include Icona Pop’s “Light Me Up.” Like a lot of commercial songwriters, he can sound like just about anybody he wants to, and on his new single he’s a banjo player trapped in the software, building a […]
Somewhere behind all that studied weirdness, steeped in the audacity that saw them famously crash Wayne Coyne’s house, is an artistic fearlessness that makes HOTT MT one of the most unique bands around. The quintet – whose acronym stands for Hour of the Time, Majesty Twelve and who go by names like Ashi Dala, Spooky […]
Nick Waterhouse music videos never fail to entertain. His old-school soul plays a big part of his storytelling, but the L.A. artist also knows how to heighten the drama of his songs with some suspension. The Matt Spicer-directed video for “This Is a Game” – you may have heard the song in the most recent […]
As if the lineup of OFF! weren’t star-studded enough, the veteran punk-rockers recruited two guys with long resumés themselves to star in the new video for “Hypnotized.” Which, by the way, is a hoot. Chris Grismer directs the tale of a drug-addled man (David Yow of the Jesus Lizard) dressing up as a superhero on […]
Morality, reality and “working for a salary” – on their first single (and anthem to perseverance) “Johnny Kiss,” the new L.A. duo Okapi Sun sets the bar high for its massively hooky disco. It’s dance-pop that could very well set your brain in motion, not just your behind, right down to the winking title of […]
