Last year’s “Only In Dreams” from Dum Dum Girls was a mature departure from their 2010 debut, and “Coming Down” was the first taste of richer songwriting the second time around from frontwoman Kristen Gundred (aka Dee Dee). The heavy ballad finally has a visual companion, but it almost contrasts with the majestic choruses and […]
Here’s your Tuesday: ‣ Canadian songstress Kathleen Edwards visits the El Rey Theatre behind her fourth album (and finest yet), “Voyageur,” which was co-produced by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). That’s her video for “Change the Sheets,” above. ‣ White Arrows, their new EP “Fireworks of the Sea” out earlier this month, headline the Roxy on […]
Brass Tax is the musical (ad)venture of Jada Wagensomer, who also plays in Dante Vs Zombies and Jail Weddings. For her song “Man With the Tooth,” she enlisted filmmaker Burke Roberts to make a video – and it’s pointed and startling and a little bit deranged. Apparently it was too risqué for MTV. Buddyhead premiered […]
[Our look at the week ahead, starting with Nicolas Jaar, playing Monday, and his video for “Mi Mujer”:] Incoming: Nicolas Jaar, NO, Voxhaul Broadcast, the Henry Clay People, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Harriet, White Arrows, White Rabbits, Matthew Dear, Races, Kathleen Edwards, the Wedding Present and more. Our staff picks of the week: […]
The music of Tanlines – the pairing of singer-keyboardist Eric Emm and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Cohen – finds a lightsome spot in the nooks and crannies of ’80s revivalism, or at least one illuminated by a disco ball. Subtle polyrhythms, bouncy synths, swooping melodies – their album “Mixed Emotions” (out last week via True Panther) is enough to […]
With brother and sister Ethan and Barbara Gruska at the helm, humorous bits are bound to seep into all live sets from the Belle Brigade. But even as charming jokers, the duo’s close bond is apparent through both their musical gifts and stage banter. Their new video for “Where Not to Look for Freedom” takes […]
Italian Japanese isn’t some new fusion of cuisine. It’s the name of a San Diego indie rock quintet who recently released their follow-up track to 2009’s “The Lush Romantic Weirdness,” and the alternative rock that touches on nostalgic dream-pop in “Two Islands” has perked our ears up. Allen Nicolas (the only band member who is […]
If you attend a live Gotye show, one thing you’ll notice is how many different videos he’ll have. This is one Aussie who takes his art seriously, visually and musically. Gotye has displayed a keen sense of storytelling – long before a concept with body paint shot him and a certain Kiwi up the music […]
Tonight’s menu: ‣ North Carolina’s Lost in the Trees brings the choral chamber-pop on its second album “A Church That Fits Our Needs to the Echo, wher Poor Moon and Hi Ho Silver Oh support. That’s the headliner’s video for “Red,” above. ‣ Two artists who wowed us at SXSW, the Lumineers and Y La […]
“Isn’t There More,” Morgan Nagler asks rhetorically on the closing track to Whispertown’s new EP “Parallel” (out this week via Acony Records). Of course there is, there always is, and sometimes you have to dig deeper to find it. Whether dispensing woozy Americana or the piquant synth-pop of “Open the Other Eye,” Nagler and her […]
