“Campanas,” the third solo album from John Isaac Watters, is like getting a musical bear hug from an old friend. The folk singer’s solemnity and his songs’ intimacy are starkly conveyed in the new video for “Outside the Bar in Winter,” which was directed by Brian Covalt and features Katie Covalt, Jeff Newburg, Molly Burgess, […]
Austin Hartley-Leonard, aka Broken Anchor, has always been heavy on the melodies no matter which instrument he may be playing. When his debut album “Fresh Lemonade” was finally officially released in September, those accessible anthems that made it on their way to several T.V. shows, also got a little more breathing room. The latest song […]
Science, meet art. Science and art, meet music. The video for Wages’ song “Pull Through” sprouted from songwriter Nick Campbell’s involvement with HATCH, a community of cross-discipline creatives who foster education and collaboration. “Pull Through’s” colorful, inky tale was part of the HATCH 10 installation, filmed by Yarrow Kraner along with Sean McDonald, Andy George, […]
During a four-plus-year run in the band War Tapes, Neil Popkin traded in dark, brooding rock influenced by the ’80s post-punk greats. With War Tapes on haitus, Popkin is getting out in the sunshine more, if the early songs from his new project Dreamland are any indication. The trio – Popkin, Andrea Wasse and Pablo […]
If you adore husband-wife duos, then Rory Partin and Alexa James – who call themselves the Roamies – may be your next favorite musical couple. Playful and charming, the Roamies color their combination of soul, folk and pop with their Nashville background in songs such as the sweet “Come Running to Me” and “1, 2, 3, […]
This is sure to happen with certain seasonal music in the next month: You’ll have That One Song Stuck in Your Head. The new L.A. duo De Lux has a contender in their first single “Better at Making at Time,” thanks to its sticky synth line. For the protagonist in director Cameron Dutra’s new video […]
Brothers Giovan Polanco and Mario Polanco have been making music together for the last 14 years but have only recently begun drawing crowds to shows they perform under the moniker Moons of Mars. Groups like Disclosure could possibly be slowly influencing more brother duos to come out of the woodwork, but no matter the actual reason. […]
Highland Park quartet Black Hi-Lighter makes you feel like you’re caught between T. Rex and a hard place. The foursome of James Poulos, Eric Liljestrand, Mark Reback and David Wright are loud and proud and brash without resorting to Xeroxing bands whose ghosts haunt those 1970s videos uploaded to YouTube. In March, Black Hi-Lighter released […]
Hot on the heels of this year’s “Sell Your Memories,” husband-and-wife duo Fonda have already announced that they’ve recorded enough material this summer for a release in 2014 – and we’re not complaining. Their shoegaze dreampop has been known to give BBLA HQ warm fuzzies every time they strike those Britpop chords and sing those […]
If you’re sick of the t.A.T.u’s and Icona Pops of the world, then Clues and Codes may be the solution to your noise pollution. Instead of hitting you over the head with bombastic production and large choruses, the duo comprised of friends Alex Aleco and Natalie White offers minimalist dream-pop with a surprising dark undertone, despite […]
