The new L.A. quintet Owenstone is the vision of singer-guitarist Nathan Owen, whose crooning vocals and theatricality are the calling cards of the band’s straight-ahead rock. Owen – joined by guitarist-keyboardist Anthony Marks, bassist Erik Halsey, multi-purpose player Adriano Martin and drummer Gerry Doot – has been recording with producer Mick Smiley (he of the […]
Bootie LA fanatics may recognize Jason Arnold as ShyBoy, the resident DJ and vocal mashup artist, but they may be surprised by Arnold’s ability to go beyond Top 40 hits and electronic riffs. As ShyBoy, the musician who just released his debut “Water on Mars,” Arnold taps into his musical side that enjoys Nick Drake […]
If you close your eyes and forget for a moment that this is the Internet, you can almost imagine the new Warpaint song “Biggy” taking shape in a cloud of who-knows-what in Joshua Tree. The L.A. quartet’s desert vision has everything except an alien landing – fever-dream vocals, a mysterious synth line and a simple […]
The new trio going by the name Levels (not to be confused with the Seattle outfit or the NYC guys going by the same name) is the latest in a flannel jacket full of L.A. bands partying like it’s 1996. The band – singer-guitar Cody Wilson along with bassist/keyboardist Roxor Evensen and drummer Mikey Rollingchild […]
Maybe it’s the preponderance of rosey-cheeked synth-pop that’s come out of Sweden the past couple of years, but I confess that I almost forgotten about Division of Laura Lee. The brash quartet – think Primal Scream on a post-punk bender crashing a local skate park – blasted its way onto the scene in 2002 with “Black City,” […]
Brendan Canning‘s solo material is quite different from the complex, sprawling indie rock his main band Broken Social Scene creates. His first debut “Something For All Of Us” was much more delicate, and his sophomore solo album “You Gots 2 Chill” is executed in a similar vein. The only differences here are warm, homey feelings […]
The Entrance Band – guitarist Guy Blakeslee, bassist Paz Lenchantin and drummer Derek James – has returned from what the trio has admitted was a dark place, “a long tunnel of addiction, anxiety, sorrow and sadness,” they told Consequence of Sound. Their first album in four years, “Face the Sun,” harbors none of the stoner-rock muddle […]
For Dexy Valentine, her new album as Bonfire Beach is not moonlighting; it’s more of taking care of unfinished business. Fronting the dream-pop outfit Magic Wands, Valentine plays an engaging romantic space queen. Now, along with some friends including bassist Bryan Nope, she’s revisited some music she conceived in her early days in Los Angeles […]
“Campanas,” the third solo album from John Isaac Watters, is like getting a musical bear hug from an old friend. The folk singer’s solemnity and his songs’ intimacy are starkly conveyed in the new video for “Outside the Bar in Winter,” which was directed by Brian Covalt and features Katie Covalt, Jeff Newburg, Molly Burgess, […]
Austin Hartley-Leonard, aka Broken Anchor, has always been heavy on the melodies no matter which instrument he may be playing. When his debut album “Fresh Lemonade” was finally officially released in September, those accessible anthems that made it on their way to several T.V. shows, also got a little more breathing room. The latest song […]
