It seems a lot of singer-songwriters have been drinking the Kool-Aid lately when it comes to electro-pop. Similarly to Madi Diaz‘s sonic shift from a folk foundation to a more dance-friendly sound palette, highly regarded songbird Priscilla Ahn is experimenting with some dream-pop elements. After briefly teaming up with Charlie Wadhams last year for Sweet […]
Can’t get enough of synth-pop? There’s certainly no shortage of it. Even Nashville sweetheart Tristen set out to conquer the genre when writing her sophomore effort “CAVES.” To ensure her follow-up to 2011’s “Charlatans at the Garden Gate” shimmered in a different light, Tristen enlisted famed New Order, Pet Shop Boys and OMD producer Stephen […]
Here’s your Monday: ‣ Drake holds forth at Staples Center. ‣ Big doings at It’s a School Night at Bardot, with Lo-Fang, Six60, Tristen and Jake Troth. ‣ A great bunch of November residencies wind up, with one twist – Night Terrors of 1927 at the Echo (supported by Cillie Barnes, Waters and Z Berg; Body […]
Incoming: Drake, the Limousines, Deltron 3030, Naturally 7, Ras G, Paws, Eastern Conference Champions, Yonas Michael, Pr0files, Jesus Suns, MONA, 3OH!3, the Futures League, Alice Cooper, Walla, Fever the Ghost, Run River North, Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, Bone Thugs-N- Harmony, Dom Kennedy, Morbid Angel, Ryan Beatty, Joan Sebastian, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Michael Buble, Rusko, American Tomahawk, […]
To call Julianna Barwick‘s work a collection of “songs” feels almost wrong. Instead Barwick’s slow-burning amalgamation of voice fractals, synthesizers and strings are majestic compositions, and the Brooklyn-based experimentalist has released her most breathtaking album yet. “Nepenthe,” her third studio album, is the first record on which she has collaborated with someone, and it’s full […]
Broken Bells – the mind-meld of James Mercer of the Shins and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) have a sophomore album coming in the new year. It’s titled “After the Disco” (aside: if only it were so) and what we’ve heard so far sounds like the Bee Gees in outer space. The duo is rolling […]
What’s up for your fabulous Friday: ‣ It’s a two-for-one night at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery – electro pioneer Thomas Dolby will perform music and narration live during his film “The Invisible Lighthouse,” with live effects by Blake Leyh, followed by music-in-film-and-TV panel discussion with featuring David Porter (“Breaking Bad”) and Michael […]
In early 2012, we noted the arrival of Tyler Lyle, the Atlanta-bred singer-songwriter who moved to L.A. on the heels of a breakup, and, notably, the making of his gorgeous album “The Golden Age & the Silver Girl.” This spring he released the equally moving “Expatriates,” a concept EP that, often bluntly, wrestles with the […]
Gavin Turek‘s energy and moves on stage frequently transform the singer/dancer/actress into one big blur, but the melodies and beats are always in focus. As shown in her latest video for “Suffah,” Turek’s got the fancy feet, the hair, the face and the voice, all qualities that make her a disco contender. She has dedicated […]
It’s easy to imagine the brilliant new Gap Dream album as a Jackson Pollock – an obsessive Gabriel Fulvimar splashing brightly colored synths here and chug-a-lug beats there, until, voilà , it all makes sense, or you can read sense into it. Students of history (or those old enough to remember the Carter Administration) might hear […]
