The music of South Carolina-bred folk singer Judson McKinney goes down easy, like sun-brewed iced tea in a world of canned caffeine drinks. McKinney, who for a while made music with his wife as Judson & Mary and now has gone the eponymous route, keeps it earnest with a touch of bittersweet on his ‘People […]
Friday fun: ‣ Filter’s Culture Collide festival continues its multinational merriment at various venues in Echo Park, highlighted by some some folks you probably already know (Yacht, Avi Buffalo, Ximena Sarinana, the Postelles) and some you might want to investigate – including Australia’s WIM (that’s their video for “See You Hurry,” above), Demark’s the Asteroids […]
Providing proof that the apple doesn’t fall from the tree, New Zealand singer-songwriter Liam Finn (the son of Split Enz and Crowded House’s Neil Finn) has had a dynamic career of his own. Now touring in support of his sophomore album “FOMO” (his acronym for “fear of missing out”) on Yep Roc Records, Finn takes […]
Ben Cooper, who does business as Radical Face, crafts songs that are somehow more than just words and melody. They have presence, a mystical quality that suggests they are more the sum of their parts. The Jacksonville, Fla., songwriter’s new album “The Family Tree: The Roots” (out this week), based on a strange, fictitious family […]
[From our Dept. of Alt-Rock, tunes from three bands with new releases:] Standing Shadows, “Freakshow” (e-mail required) – The L.A. quartet of David Miltenberger, Dan Silver, Mike Green and Michael Ascolese has a new EP, and the title track bursts with searing riffage and artillery-fire percussion. They celebrate the release by play the Roxy tonight […]
Midweek madness: ‣ The Smashing Pumpkins visit the Wiltern, promising to preview some material off their forthcoming album “Oceania” (due in 2012). Fancy Space People (featuring Don Bolles) and Light FM open. ‣ Blondie plays Club Nokia behind their new album “Panic of Girls,” and L.A. trio Nico Vega opens. ‣ Devotchka does a cozy show […]
If the late Amy Winehouse had been influenced by Wanda Jackson and rockabilly instead of soul and jazz, she might have turned out to be a fast-moving rock ‘n’ roller along the lines of Australia’s Lanie Lane (pronounced “Lanny”). Her smokey yet sassy sound has earned her tour spots with artists such as Justin Townes […]
Jolie Holland’s distinctive vocals, dusky and deep-throated, are a deal-breaker for some – is the 36-year-old Texas native swallowing or singing? But in timbre and phrasing, they are well-suited for her barroom folk and its point-blank take on affairs of the heart. Her fifth album “Pint of Blood” (out this summer on Anti-) runs red […]
As Florence + the Machine offers a clip to accompany “Shake It Out,” the first official single off her sophomore album “Ceremonials,” those Kate Bush comparisons (Stevie Nicks gets mentioned too) don’t seem much of a stretch. Whether Florence Welch dislikes this label the media has slapped on her style, there’s no denying that this […]
Top shows to get your week started right: ‣ With their first album in eight years “The Great Escape Artist” on the way Oct. 18, Jane’s Addiction does the first of two nights at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. That’s the band’s video for “End to the Lies,” above. ‣ Dum Dum Girls headline the […]
