Leeds four-piece Wild Beasts turned a lot of heads at Lollapalooza – well, those that weren’t already turned by the band’s Mercury Prize nomination for the album “Two Dancers.” No, Wild Beasts don’t look terribly wild, but their shimmering, insistent music has the untamed quality of an outsider fervently trying to make sense of the […]
Roadside Graves remind me of dusky afternoons spent in bars with wise friends when it’s way too early for whiskey. Lead singer John Gleason writes songs as brainy as they are boozy, with a penchant for putting his finger on exactly the way things feel in the world right now. With “You Won’t be Happy […]
[It’s Friday the 13th, but here at Buzz Bands HQ we only believe in the luck of the set times:] Going somewhere this weekend? Some picks … ‣ The Dollyrots and their spitfire singer-bassist Kelly Ogden keep the pop-punk flame alive on their new album, “A Little Messed Up.” They celebrate the the release, their […]
Thursday is the new Saturday and here’s 5 ways to prove it: ‣ A kick-ass double Josh Homme [pictured above] bill with Queens Of The Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal descends upon Club Nokia tonight to raise funds for Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O’Connor. Net proceeds from the show will be […]
Over the past decade, Frazey Ford rose to indie acclaim as part of Canadian trio the Be Good Tanyas, a group that typified the new roots folk movement of the early 2000s. Now solo, she’s redefining the sound of Americana with the near-perfect “Obadiah.” A marriage of sweet soul music in the vein of Al […]
Top 5 ways to get over the Wednesday hump: ‣ From the demise of Sleepy Jackson comes Empire Of The Sun [pictured above], a Boys For Lashes or AussieSpooner, if you will, if Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore were dressed by the creatures from “The Dark Crystal.” Last weekend at Lollapalooza, they managed to upstage […]
The New Collisions are kind of like our current L.A. weather pattern – a rather gloomy set of lyrics that is burst wide open by sunny power pop by the time it really kicks in. The Boston-based band was discovered by the Cars’ great Greg Hawkes last year and have already shared the stage with […]
Top 3 ways to spend your Tuesday: ‣ Lost In The Trees [pictured above] celebrate their release/re-release of their album “All Alone In An Empty House” by cramming a symphony on the tiny stage at Amoeba. The ensemble, led by Berklee grad Ari Picker, was assembled in Chapel Hill and fined tuned by producing great […]
The French act Revolver may be named for a well known Beatles album, but their jaunty download, “Get Around Town,” is reminiscent of a Merry Go Round song, back when Emitt Rhodes was still wet behind the ears, circa “Scarborough Fair”. The monsieurs were produced by the same guys behind our beloved Phoenix. Their album […]
