“I won’t lie; it’s heart on sleeve,” writes Kristin Gundred, aka Dee Dee, of her new Dum Dum Girls single “Coming Down,” which was written shortly after the death of her mother. “Have you ever numbed yourself to avoid pain only to oscillate between the subconscious and conscious? Ever felt compelled to address Life itself?” […]
There’s no doubt that 2 Hearts and Chemicals share vital organs and musical chemistry. What they don’t share is proximity – the band is a collaboration between Pennsylvania boyhood pals Eli Lhymn (who lives in Los Angeles) and Stephen Biebel (who lives in New York City). Their new EP, “Coming Home,” was made long-distance, in […]
Not unlike the songs on Foster the People’s hit-laden debut album “Torches,” director Ace Norton’s video for the single “Helena Beat” takes a little of this, a little of that and a little of something else, and runs very far with it, in a “Mad Max”/”Lost Boys” sort of way. What, the label’s video budget […]
Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the double-barreled purveyors of Americana who announced their intentions as the Milk Carton Kids by releasing a live album this spring, today unveiled their first proper studio recording. It’s titled “Prologue,” an exceedingly tender and unassumingly spellbinding collection of tunes the L.A. duo – wielding just two acoustic guitars and […]
Geoff Geis‘ quirky baritone is familiar if you’ve ever attended any Pizza! or Big Whup shows around town. His spastic dance moves while playing guitar (reminiscent of Alec Ounsworth) have endeared him to many a fan. But for the last half of 2010, Geis funneled his enthusiasm into an album’s worth of solo material. The […]
Mark Sovel (aka Mr. Shovel) is back in business of premiering new tunes – the former music director of the dearly departed Los Angeles FM station Indie 103.1 (2003-’09) has launched an online video series. Residing on his new website MrShovel.com and on Vimeo, Sovel’s series takes the name of his old local music show […]
Xander Singh vowed last November that Pepper Rabbit, his collaboration with Luc Laurent, was ready to make a second album, and only weeks after “Beauregard,” their debut for Kanine Records, was released. Promise kept. Pepper Rabbit’s “Red Velvet Snow Ball” will be out Aug. 9 on Kanine, and the first single, “Murder Room,” reveals Singh […]
Here’s one for the kids: Ukulele-toting songstress Elina makes bright, chipper pop songs that don’t seem to have a cynical bone in their body. The new video for the title track off her recent album “Mesmerized,” released in April, feels like recess (and we could all use that once in a while), with director David […]
Singer-guitarist Johnny Ruby was reared in Los Angeles and educated in London, and his music as the Sister Ruby Band straddles both worlds – oozing the gauzy snarl of British shoegazers and the stoned mysticism of the West Coast psych-rock elite. Last spring, the 22-year-old made some noise with an EP titled “A Shot in […]
Derek Thomas’ name may already be familiar if you’re a 60 Watt Kid fan. The trio, who called it quits last year, was known for their experimental sound textured with synths, heavy reverb, looped guitars and almost incantation-like vocals. However, Thomas recently kick-started a new project called Skyline Drive that cultivates softer, folk rock tones. […]
