My touts for the weekend (UPDATED): ‣ We all know about Dawes. (Don’t we?) “North Hills” came out way back in 2009, and the L.A. folkies recently holed up to record some new music, some of which you might hear tonight at the El Rey Theatre. It’s one of those arrive-early shows – the Moondoggies […]
Top 3 pre-Thanksgiving shows: ‣ Psych-rock feast at the El Rey Theatre, with Black Mountain and the Black Angels. ‣ Talib Kwel’s “Gutter Rainbows” album-release party at the Roxy is free with a donation of a blanket, scarf, gloves or socks. (Subject to capacity, of course.) ‣ And for something a little more chill: A […]
Tonight’s top dueling parties: ‣ Franki Chan’s “Check Yo Ponytail” is back, bringing Aussie electro-rockers Midnight Juggernauts, New Zealand’s the Naked and Famous (who, reports have it, were great Monday night at Bardot) and Toronto’s Diamond Rings to the Echoplex. Of course, Ponytail is going head-to-head with Chan’s old partner, Steve Aoki – it’s the […]
The new music made by the hands of Hands – the L.A. quartet of Geoffrey Halliday, Ryan Sweeney, Sean Hess and Alex Staniloff – feels more like a cumulation (rather than derivation) of the a lot of the last decade’s indie-rock. Synths and samples do battle with insistent beats and tricky polyrhythms, with Halliday’s tenor […]
Hipsters who like their rock-Americana stripped-down, deconstructed or freaked-out should move along quietly. Truth & Salvage Co. get folky the classic-rock way, with sturdy, clean guitar lines, crafted arrangements and stadium-sized four-part harmonies. Not unlike their sonic brethren the Black Crowes (Chris Robinson produced their debut album, released in May), the L.A.-based sextet [previewed last […]
It’s been a rockin’ year for Eastern Conference Champions. The L.A. trio of Joshua Ostrander, Melissa Dougherty and Greg Lyons landed their song “A Million Miles an Hour” in the soundtrack to “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” They did a bang-up Spaceland residency. They finished work on their next full-length “Speak-ahh” while entertaining dalliances with record […]
[Birthday wishes go out today to Karen O …] Top 3 shows/events for your divergent musical interests: ‣ New Zealand quintet the Naked and Famous (taken from a Tricky lyric and not the Presidents of the United States of America song) seem to have taken MGMT’s ball and run with it. Well, the part of […]
Scottish rockers Dananananaykroyd, who were scheduled to arrive in the U.S. this week, have been forced cancel their appearance Saturday night at Spaceland because of visa problems. L.A. indie-rockers Wait. Think. Fast. – whose sophomore album “Luces Del Sur” came out earlier this fall, much to our delight – have agreed to join the bill […]
The weekend’s top 4 shows starring L.A. people who give us a warm-and-fuzzy: ‣ Avi Buffalo, back from a long tour or three, headlines the Echoplex tonight. ‣ Shadow Shadow Shade (pictured) ramps up its affecting, cinematic pop tonight at the Echo. ‣ Daedelus and the Gaslamp Killer represent for the beat scene when they […]
It’s no surprise that Pepper Rabbit has charmed the socks off indie-pop fans this year – not if you’re heard the L.A. duo’s debut album “Beauregard,” and especially not if you’ve seen frontman Xander Singh’s instrument-juggling during his live shows. What’s remarkable is that, after releasing two EPs in 2009 and “Beauregard” last month on […]
