Choirboy-turned-indie magician Pat Grossi arrived early last year as something of an angel from outer space, his bedroom pop under the name Active Child marrying his arching falsetto and twinkling harp to electronic textures seemingly concocted by Hal. Now he’s following up his “Curtis Lane” EP with an album, “You Are All I See,” due […]
Any conversation with Mike Mancillas, aka Malcom Sosa, is liable to touch on the roller-coaster fortunes of his band (Rademacher), long commutes between their dual “homes” of Fresno and Silver Lake, post-modernism, Kurt Vonnegut, the merits of philosophizing over large cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and the seemingly utter futility of life inside indie-rock’s bubble. […]
Back in the day, Sebu Simonian was lending his vocals to the anthemic rock band Aviatic, whose songs were so expansive they’d fill festival grounds. But Capital Cities – Simonian’s new project with Ryan Merchant – is content just fill dancefloors. Their new “Safe and Sound” EP offers up shiny, happy electro-pop with infectious bounce […]
Rival Sons, “Pressure and Time” – When Jay Buchanan first surfaced, he was a pop songsmith trading in “middle-of-the-road adult alternative” (iTunes’ description), and he did it better than most. Whatever Kool-Aid he drank with new bandmates Scott Holiday, Robin Everhart and Michael Miley … well, bottle it. The L.A. quartet’s debut album “Pressure and […]
The first time I heard an advance of Cold War Kids’ third album “Mine Is Yours” last fall, “Skip the Charades” stood out as its thematic core. A simple plea for emotional truth, deftly executed, spiked with Jonnie Russell’s pinprick guitars and soaring on Nathan Willett’s aching vocals. Willett has not been a married man […]
In 2007, Trevor Beld-Jimenez had a handful of melodies, but didn’t have any other place besides his head to keep them until the Ventura-based multi-instrumentalist was offered some studio time at Beehouse Records. Fast forward to four years later, and his resumé under the moniker Tall Tales and the Silver Lining has racked up on-stage […]
A couple years ago, Django James & the Midnight Squires – a young band fronted by Django Stewart – made some noise around Hollywood with their Bowie-inspired rock. Not long after, Django’s older brother Samuel Stewart perked some ears himself with the elastic pop on his EP “The Beginner.” Now they are brothers in arms […]
What better way to mark the official beginning of summer than to share Crystal Antlers’ new video for “Summer Solstice?” The Long Beach noiseniks are bouncing back after the meltdown of their first label home, Tough and Go Records, and releasing their new album “Two-Way Mirror” via their own Recreation Ltd. imprint. The album, mixed […]
Downtown Pasadena took on a different life this past Saturday as the city became part of Make Music Pasadena. Music flowed in and out of alleys, off the rooftops, throughout the open patios and, of course, from the outdoor main stage. A diverse lineup that included a good number of local bands also attracted big […]
If the stars would have aligned, Castledoor would be touring on its second album about now, building on the momentum they had back in 2007. Instead the band bade farewell early last year, its members scattering and its songs echoing (still lovingly, it should be pointed out) in the iPods of veteran Silver Lakers. As […]
