When we first spotted Chris Bowman, it was 2006 and he was playing in band called Blackout. He was playing a scuzzy power-pop original titled “I Don’t Want to Grow Up,” which seemed perfect. After all, he was 11. Fast-forward to 2013, and Bowman and pals Miles Kottak, Gavin Bennett and Ray Libby – still […]
Vanessa Long debuted her Cillie Barnes persona in late 2011 – part provocateur, part seductress, part girl next door, she unveiled songs like “Hey Hi” and “Indian Hill” that were crazy-like-a-fox spins on folk-pop and hip-hop. Long, a founding member of Family of the Year and that good woman who was hard to find on […]
[Reposting this from yesterday because of problems with the Soundcloud stream:] Flaamingos’ shadowy take on ’80s/’90s Euro-gaze conjures up dancing with an apparition in the fog – the fleeting beauty of it resides somewhere in the layers, somewhere in the dark. The L.A. band is the new venture of Jerry Narrows (vocals, drum programming) and […]
As a follow-up to last year’s album “What Kind of World,” singer-songwriter Brendan Benson has embarked on a single-per-month project that he plans to wrap with a vinyl release later this year. Benson’s January effort, “Swimming,” is one of 28 songs on a free SXSW sampler assembled by HGTV and Paste and available through Noisetrade. […]
Co-ed psych-rock quartet Spirit Vine keeps whetting appetites for a full-length album later this year, and if last fall’s “Lake of Fire” single wasn’t enough, the new song “Pluto Why” will leave the band’s fans ravenous. Over almost six woozy minutes, singer Jaquelinne Cingolani keeps things dreamy and languid – a mood that director Karri […]
The first single from new electro arrivals TheBlack&TheWhite is nothing if not colorful. On “Future,” collaborators Julio Tavarez and Justin Kaupp meld ’80s influences with contemporary production to create a brisk dancefloor-friendly outing that seems to burst with soft/loud dynamic. The band, which just debuted its live show, promises that more music is on the […]
Last March, when the Neighbourhood were still an unsigned baby band, the Newbury Park-bred quintet released a video for “Sweater Weather,” this blog’s favorite song of 2012 and the the second single off their free “I’m Sorry” EP. The Neighbourhood are still a baby, although now signed and with their debut album “I Love You” […]
L.A. roots-rock band Son Ark first perked our ears up with “Going to the Woods,” and now we finally hear a new track from the sextet’s forthcoming album “The Land of Smoke.” The first single again showcases Son Ark’s crisp harmonies, but the structure of “Clementine” has a beautiful arch that may excite listeners for […]
Anybody who’s hovered over a keyboard or stared at the frets on a guitar can relate to the protagonist in director Johnny Coffeen’s video for “Anxiété,” the new single from Inland Empire quartet Naive Thieves. In fact, Naive Thieves can probably relate the best. The foursome – Levi Audette, Jaron Eldon, Kyle Garcia and Cameron Thorne […]
Day job getting you down? Vent a little with Katherine Pawlak and her bandmates in Sad Robot. In vituperative fashion, “God Damn the Man” unloads on suffocating jobs, insensitive bosses and every other dance we have to do to earn a buck. Stephen Steelman’s video, which features Kristen Renton (Ima on “Sons of Anarchy”), evokes […]
