Highlands like things big and mysterious, dark like the Black Angels, strange like A Place to Bury Strangers. The Long Beach quartet of Scott Holmes, Chris Figlewicz, Beau Balek and Travis Cheney, bonding over a mutual of love My Bloody Valentine (of course), pile on layers of guitar, distortion and reverb in the best shoegazer […]
If the orchestral sweep at the beginning of “Forever Found” doesn’t make your heart skip, the rest of the song’s labyrinthine 4 1/2 minutes – with its restless rhythms, arching strings and ascensive vocals – will send it into overdrive. The song is the first outing for the L.A. sextet Oren Lyons (ostensibly named for […]
Oh, those thorny power chords from the 1990s. They roar on in the music of L.A.’s Diamonds Under Fire, the collaboration between singer-guitarist Vanessa Silberman and drummer Jessica Goodwin. Diamonds Under Fire surfaced with a full-length album last year that recalled myriad favorites from that decade, in all its angst-y glory, and their post-grunge pop, […]
Robert DeLong, the newest whiz kid at molding electronic music into danceable pop, pulled out all the stops at his first headlining show Wednesday night at the Troubadour. There was a face-painting station – maybe a first for the legendary venue – but the young fans who slathered on the fluorescent stuff weren’t concerned with […]
Lesands have never been shy about their embrace of synth-pop. Early songs such as “Pretenders” to “Easy To Please” revealed Austin Taylor Tirado’s effervescent fascination for ’80s dance music. But it’s been over a year since the trio (which also includes Joel Plotnik and Michael Lee) released their “Sweet Skin” EP, and a few things […]
The title track from Kitten’s forthcoming “Cut It Out” EP (due Aug. 28) revealed the L.A. quartet’s dreamy, sensual side. On “Japanese Eyes,” though, singer Chloe Chaidez and crew rock out, with the teenaged siren channeling all the New Wave frontwomen who were carving their legacies before Chaidez was born. For her part, Chaidez says […]
Any fan of legendary 1970s psychedelic cartoon “The Point” will appreciate AM‘s first offering from his forthcoming album. The L.A. singer-songwriter adds his own brushstrokes to the Harry Nilsson classic, “Me and My Arrow,” with his signature beat-driven folk – and speeds it up just a tad for a modern flourish. AM’s soaring falsetto is […]
Frequent Echo Park visitors may recognize the settings for the new Rainbow Jackson music video. In the Justin Bell-shot clip for “Rings” off of the band’s recently released “Rippin’ Off the Rails” EP, you get a glimpse into its real-life abode as well as the neighborhood record store Origami Vinyl. The only thing is, most […]
The Blank Tapes describe their sound as “beach party,” and who are we to throw sand in their faces when the San Francisco quartet led by Matt Adams are providing sunny tunes such as their new 7-inch single “I’m Back” (out now on 20 Sided Records). Currently fleshing out the live band with Pearl Charles, […]
Lord Huron, the local indie-rock band fronted by Michigan native Ben Schneider, has signed to L.A.-based IAMSOUND Records. Lord Huron’s debut album “Lonesome Dreams” will be out Oct. 9. No music is available yet, but the record figures to surprise (in a very good way) fans of the band’s first two EPs. Along with that […]
