Let’s call the new single from L.A. trio Mini Mansions insurrectionist new wave – “Death Is a Girl” treats the ’80s as the distant memory they are rather than the here and now. A little bit dark, a little bit psychedelic and plenty propulsive, the song is the first taste of Mini Mansions’ much-anticipated sophomore […]
’ One-man show Mystery Skulls, aka Luis Dubuc, will release his debut album “Forever” on Oct. 27 via Warner, and there are several reasons to check it out. Following up his collaboration with Gavin Turek on the electro-disco gem “Pride,” Dubuc has revealed another pop number which features R&B singer Brandy and, naturally, the renowned Nile […]
Miami-bred, L.A.-based Rachel Goodrich has released two albums and an EP of retro-flavored pop bricolage, mining the guitar and piano licks of the ’60s and ’70s to make smart, stylish songs. She has now joined up with drummer Nabedi Osorio and bassist Eliana Athayde to form Rachel Goodrich & the Grrrls – a new album […]
By John Girgus To call me [and this blog**] a fan of Kitchens Of Distinction would be a massive understatement. Infinitely deeper than the “shoegaze” and “dream-pop” mirages that led me their way, they remain at the very foundation of my musical influence. When songwriter and singer Patrick Fitzgerald recently opened the floor to a […]
Ryan Pollie is a modest man with a bold moniker. His self-titled debut “Los Angeles Police Department” (out now via Forged Artifacts and Chill Mega) was simple and unpretentious but warm and wonderfully emotional. The video for “Enough is Enough” and its hazy, lazy, sunny combination of Pollie peeking through some tree branches, picking some […]
Our fever had hardly worn off from last fall’s debut “Call Yourself a Lover” when Pr0files released a follow-up single “Luxury” this summer. The duo of singer-keyboardist Lauren Pardini and producer-guitarist Danny Sternbaum keep the vibe dark and sexy with third outing “Forgive,” released today. The smoldering track sounds like a lost ’80s classic, boasting […]
Don’t let the title of We Were Promised Jetpacks’ new album “Unravelling†fool you. The album, the Scottish rockers’ third, and out this month via FatCat Records, brings a wealth of indie hooks, punchy guitars, emotive vocals and a booming rhythm section, all tightly packaged for maximum effect. The band started as a group of […]
Deep into the Luxembourg Signal’s self-titled album is the song “We Go On,” a dreamy four minutes of popgazing that evokes the sweet melancholy of Sarah Records bands and all the contemporary indie-poppers who have followed. There’s a literal truth to “We Go On” too – the Luxembourg Signal is comprised of members who were […]
L.A. agitators Spaceships graduate from lo-fi to a-little-more-fi on their new self-titled EP, coming Nov. 4 via New Professor Music. Oh, the duo of singer-guitarist Jessie Waite and drummer Kevin La Rose still sound like they’re making power-pop with power tools, but that’s the charm, with Waite sounding only moderately interested when she sings, “I […]
Sleater-Kinney has reunited, because … well, they could. And should. And because Coachella probably needed a strong show-the-kids-how-it’s-done band for April in the desert. (Pure speculation, of course, based in this tour itinerary.) A lot of the riot has been missing from the grrrls since the trio of Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss […]
