The rapturously catchy jangle-pop of L.A.-based Strange Babes is informed by several dualities. The songs were co-written by Sam McCarthy and Jaden Parkes, onetime bandmates in New Zealand’s Goodnight Nurse – whose lead singer, Joel Little, went on to produce and write for McCarthy’s next band, Kids of 88, and Lorde. Half the songs were […]
“Little Earthquakes,” the new single from songwriting couple Imperial Mammoth, seems especially timely, with all the modest temblors that have rattled southern California recently. Its creators, Leonard Jackson and Laura Jane Scott, know a thing or two about being shaken. Says Jackson: “We wrote it about our childhood experience with major earthquakes (Loma Prieta for me […]
Los Angeles alt-R&B singer-songwriter Jarell Perry released his “White†EP in the fall, full of hazy soundscapes, moody lyrics, and soulful vocals. He has gained some attention since then amid the budding young generation of modern-day neo-soul, and began his headlining Monday night residency at the Bootleg this week. In the past month, he has […]
As frontman of San Francisco’s Birds & Batteries, Mike Sempert dealt in music that straddled the line between contemporary Americana and electro-tinged indie pop, all of it notable for his weighty vocals, weightier lyrics and tasteful orchestrations. Sempert’s solo debut, “Mid Dream” (out this week via Orange County-based Velvet Blue Music), was made in northern […]
File under: Roots rock with a visual twist. “God’s Name in Vain,” from Jason Heath & the Greedy Souls’ latest album “Packed for Exile,” gets a striking video treatment from animator Alli Sadegiani, who has done work for Dreamworks and Disney, among others. It’s a epic story told mostly in black, white and shades of […]
Now that the mundane strumminess of Vivian Girls is in the rear-view mirror, Katy Goodman is focusing energy on her solo project La Sera. And she has a lot of it, judging from the new La Sera album “Hour of the Dawn” (out next week via Hardly Art and streaming in full here). The new album […]
The latest old-school volley from Toy Bombs aspires to a spot on any mixtape of paeans to the radio, and rock’s sometimes-dicey relationship with the medium. (Let’s see … “Rock and Roll Radio” by the Ramones, “Top of the Pops” by the Kinks, “Radio Song” by R.E.M., “Radio Radio” by Elvis Costello … Oh, there’s […]
On May 27, Stones Throw Records will release an anthology boxed set spanning four LPs devoted to the works of the late MC Charizma. The collection is called “Circa 1990-1993†and commemorates the 20th anniversary of his passing, shot dead at the age of 20 during a mugging in December 1993. His partner and producer, […]
Seahaven, the Torrance-based quartet of Kyle Soto, Michael Craver, Mike DeBartolo and James Phillips, has gained quite the following since their tour with Touché Amoré earlier this year. Now that they’ve released their sophomore album “Reverie Lagoon: Music For Escapism Only,” however, they’re out on the road as the headlining band this time around. With […]
It’s been 10 years since Gina Villalobos broke through as one of most distinctive voices in alt-country with her debut “Rock ’N’ Roll Pony,” an album she followed with three more collections of smart, nuanced songs that fit like a wool sweater against the chilly drafts of duplicity. After 2009’s rapturous “Days on Their Side […]
