Landon Marcus has graduated from house parties to a stylish lounge in the video for his new song “Love Shield.” When we met Marcus last October, the L.A.-based singer, songwriter and theatrical force was out of his mind, thanks to “The Drugs,” the song itself a raging rocker that screamed neurosis with every note. In […]
Back in 2011, singer-multi-instrumentalist Robert Fleming was dealing in wine and song, in that order. Juggling a day job servicing oenophiles with his passion for songwriting, Fleming – working under the name Victory – released an EP called “Demonstrations” that demonstrated he knew his way around a pop song. This week, Fleming released his debut […]
As noted last August, singer Tracy Marcellino and multi-instrumentalist Hanford Pittman raised the bar in both emotional intensity and electronic complexity when they debuted their new venture Oh Boy Les Mecs. Their newly released “Nurture Nature” EP wraps up their knob-twiddling experiments and world-wary (though not necessarily world-weary) meditations into five dreamy songs, with Marcellino […]
Whimsy begat more whimsy on Thursday night at the Skirball Cultural Center. The occasion was “Gary Baseman’s House Party” – the gala opening of the fiftysomething artist’s exhibition “Gary Baseman: The Door Is Always Open” – and it had all the trappings of a house party, maybe the kind your parents might kabosh. Local rockers […]
The storyline in director Joey Sinko’s video for “Love Jam” is pretty compelling – ambitious waitress solicits audition from club owner, hijinks ensue – but it’s not quite as dramatic as this question: Who are those fellows in the dark glasses? They are twins Jordan and Adam Sabolick, Richard Thiessen, Johnny Wilson and Tony Tancredi, […]
Considering their resumés, it is no surprise that Alex Lilly and Bram Inscore – collaborating as Touché – have transcended garden-variety electro on their first album “It’s Fate.” Inscore has played with the likes of Beck, Thurston Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg and, most recently, Twin Shadow (his solo album shouldn’t have been overlooked, either). And Lilly, […]
Yellow Red Sparks’ self-titled debut, which came out in January, is not what you’d call dark. In fact, it’s kind of a ray of sunshine in an arena populated by floppy-hatted faux folkies – an album built on meticulous songcraft and orchestration that make music’s well-worn melancholic-to-hopeful mood swings seem fresh. Director Claire Marie Vogel […]
When Luke Messimer first resurfaced as Northern Youth after the demise of Mississippi Man, we were smitten by the open-hearted, full-throated folk he displayed on such songs as “She’s in the Wild.” Messimer has been hard at work on a self-titled full-length debut, and it’ll see the light of day on June 18. “Hide You […]
On it’s 2011 full-length “Moon/Mirror,” L.A. trio Derde Verde displayed an idiosyncratic mix of influences characterized by warm textures, shape-shifting rhythms and oddly compelling song structures. The restrained, almost inscrutable indie rock made by Jon Schwarz, Dylan McKenzie and Matthias Wagner adds another chapter with their “Let Me Be a Light” EP, which for all […]
The Reflections, the L.A.-based duo comprised of Darian Zahedi and Jon Safley (who you may recognize as the drummer for Bleached), first beckoned us with their summery dream-pop in “Summer Days.” Since then, the Reflections have established their ability to straddle the line between romantic haze and the roar of anthemic Brit-rock. Their new single […]
