As we indicated back in June, melancholic popgazers Mezzanine Owls are not going quietly into the night. The fractured L.A. quartet, dormant almost three years now, is releasing a couple of archival recordings (made in August 2008) from bassist Dan Horne’s Lone Palm Studio – “Obstacles” and “Tethered to a Fountain” – as a limited-edition […]
When the Big Pink blasted onto the scene in 2009 with the industrial-strength electro on “A Brief History of Love,” a whole bunch of shoegazer hearts fell like “Dominos.” It’s taken a while, but the U.K. duo of Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell are returning with a second album, “Future This,” which will come out […]
With her recent solo releases and collaborations, Steph Thompson, aka Steffaloo, has emerged as the latest in a (chill) wave of vocalists whose featherweight cooing seems an exercise in seduction by reverb. Her latest outing in Toy Camera sees her teaming up with Drew Harris of Germany Germany, maker of Postal Service-inspired pop. The glitchy […]
The downloads have spoken – or, at least, the fans who clicked “download” have. Four L.A.-area artists – alternative rockers Starving for Gravity, singer-composer Lucas Thanos and songstresses Stacy Clark and Marina V have advanced to the semifinals of the Pop Up Live program, a project from SPIN, the snack company popchips and Reverbnation to […]
When we first heard the first single from Connecticut trio the Stepkids, their soul-drenched psychedelia, which blurs the lines between past, present and future, left us craving more. Come Sept. 27, their self-titled debut will finally be available via Stones Throw, a label already home to nostalgic provocateurs such as Aloe Blacc, Mayer Hawthorne and […]
The new SoCal five-piece Warships set sail about a year ago, after Eric Chirco and Edson Choi – both of the dearly departed Dusty Rhodes & the River Band – teamed up with Satellite Crush’s Elliot Craig and Timothy Pai, and John Ransom Tucker. Theirs is an expansive and exuberant take on indie-rock, with big […]
Devon Williams has come along way from his days as a teenager who played in the infamous punk band Osker. Since then, the L.A.-based musician has found his voice playing in various bands, including Lavender Diamond and his former band Fingers-cut Megamachine. However, it’s the 29-year-old’s lush psych-pop that has catapulted his name as a […]
You have to love synchronicity. While on tour supporting B.B. King last year, Los Angeles songstress Rachael Cantu had a little dressing-room jam with guitarist Harlan Silverman (the Alex in Alex and Sam, as well as the gifted guy who plays with the Belle Brigade and Mayer Hawthorne). The more Silverman tickled the strings, and […]
“F*ck it dog, life’s a risk.” It’s a statement that truly sums up the music of FIDLAR and one which has given birth to their acronym band name. The surf-cum-garage rock made by Zac Carper and friends seems fueled by cheap beer and youthful anger – longtime staples in both good punk rock and excellent […]
“It says it’s a pie chart; it’s shaped like a square. Who did that?” It sounds (and looks) like Carrie Brownstein’s work in her quirky sketch show “Portlandia” with Fred Armisen has influenced a bit of Wild Flag‘s new video for “Romance.” The supergroup of former riot grrrls, who have all played in bands such […]
