Every once in a while, I get a blast from Buzz Bands’ past. So it was when I checked out the Remainers, a new (and not-so-new) quartet trading in polished, straight-head pop-rock that’s gotten some love on KROQ. Turns out the Remainers are three-quarters of Big City Rock, who arrived from the Midwest with a […]
Eleanor Friedberger is better known as one half of the Chicago-based band the Fiery Furnaces, with the other half being her brother Matthew. But for the moment, she’s taking some time to present her first solo record, “Last Summer” (out last week via Merge). This news does not imply that the Fiery Furnaces are throwing […]
M83, “Midnight City” – Popgazer extraordinaire Anthony Gonzalez spent a lot of time in L.A. working on the follow-up to “Saturdays=Youth,” and the first taste of M83’s “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” only stokes the fires of anticipation for the new album. Oh my. “Like” M83 on Facebook and get a free download of the song. […]
“I won’t lie; it’s heart on sleeve,” writes Kristin Gundred, aka Dee Dee, of her new Dum Dum Girls single “Coming Down,” which was written shortly after the death of her mother. “Have you ever numbed yourself to avoid pain only to oscillate between the subconscious and conscious? Ever felt compelled to address Life itself?” […]
There’s no doubt that 2 Hearts and Chemicals share vital organs and musical chemistry. What they don’t share is proximity – the band is a collaboration between Pennsylvania boyhood pals Eli Lhymn (who lives in Los Angeles) and Stephen Biebel (who lives in New York City). Their new EP, “Coming Home,” was made long-distance, in […]
Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the double-barreled purveyors of Americana who announced their intentions as the Milk Carton Kids by releasing a live album this spring, today unveiled their first proper studio recording. It’s titled “Prologue,” an exceedingly tender and unassumingly spellbinding collection of tunes the L.A. duo – wielding just two acoustic guitars and […]
Geoff Geis‘ quirky baritone is familiar if you’ve ever attended any Pizza! or Big Whup shows around town. His spastic dance moves while playing guitar (reminiscent of Alec Ounsworth) have endeared him to many a fan. But for the last half of 2010, Geis funneled his enthusiasm into an album’s worth of solo material. The […]
Xander Singh vowed last November that Pepper Rabbit, his collaboration with Luc Laurent, was ready to make a second album, and only weeks after “Beauregard,” their debut for Kanine Records, was released. Promise kept. Pepper Rabbit’s “Red Velvet Snow Ball” will be out Aug. 9 on Kanine, and the first single, “Murder Room,” reveals Singh […]
[Just because you’re steering clear of freeways during Carmageddon, doesn’t mean you have to sit still at home. Grab these fresh new remixes to keep your summer parties going…] CSS, “Hits Me Like a Rock (Dillon Francis Remix)” – Cansei de Ser Sexy, aka CSS, will be back with a brand new album titled “La […]
Here’s one for the kids: Ukulele-toting songstress Elina makes bright, chipper pop songs that don’t seem to have a cynical bone in their body. The new video for the title track off her recent album “Mesmerized,” released in April, feels like recess (and we could all use that once in a while), with director David […]
