Rival Sons, “Pressure and Time” – When Jay Buchanan first surfaced, he was a pop songsmith trading in “middle-of-the-road adult alternative” (iTunes’ description), and he did it better than most. Whatever Kool-Aid he drank with new bandmates Scott Holiday, Robin Everhart and Michael Miley … well, bottle it. The L.A. quartet’s debut album “Pressure and […]
The first time I heard an advance of Cold War Kids’ third album “Mine Is Yours” last fall, “Skip the Charades” stood out as its thematic core. A simple plea for emotional truth, deftly executed, spiked with Jonnie Russell’s pinprick guitars and soaring on Nathan Willett’s aching vocals. Willett has not been a married man […]
Singer-songwriter-composer Keren Ann is something of a quiet riot. The 37-year-old globetrotter, born in Israel to Russian and Dutch parents and reared in the Netherlands and Paris, sings in hushed tones, amid lush orchestration, about frequently stark (if not dark) themes, her keen melodic sense often exuding the innocence of a French chanson. American audiences […]
Happy Wednesday, have fun: ‣ My Morning Jacket roars into the Pantages Theatre behind its new album “Circuital,” and if you aren’t lucky enough to see the sold-out show, there’s plenty of footage online – including director Todd Haynes’ narrative for the “Unstaged” series from MMJ’s May 31 show in Louisville (which included a guest […]
What better way to mark the official beginning of summer than to share Crystal Antlers’ new video for “Summer Solstice?” The Long Beach noiseniks are bouncing back after the meltdown of their first label home, Tough and Go Records, and releasing their new album “Two-Way Mirror” via their own Recreation Ltd. imprint. The album, mixed […]
Around town tonight: ‣ Panic! at the Disco, Fun and Funeral Party play to a sold-out Wiltern. Love it when pop-punk bands bust out the strings. ‣ Strong local bill at the Satellite, where Manhattan Murder Mystery is joined by Death to Anders and George Glass. ‣ Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel, aka Two Gallants, […]
It’s been less than a month since Other Lives graced the stage at the Satellite in support of their album “Tamer Animals,” and the Stillwater, Okla., quintet’s return trip is one you’ll want to mark on your calendar. The band’s lush orchestrations are almost surreal on album, but to see the the members swap instruments […]
Local stuff first, then the other stuff: ‣ Nice surprise in store at the Californian’s residency at the Satellite — She Wants Revenge will play the opening slot, setting the table for the One AM Radio and the residents. And leading the late dance party will be San Francisco’s the Hundred Days – whose video […]
Big weekend, big Saturday: ‣ Make Music Pasadena: brings a truckload of great bands to venues throughout and around downtown Pasadena. Among them: The Morning Benders, Ra Ra Riot, Saint Motel, Kisses, Best Coast, Hello Seahorse!, Seasons, Jenny O, the Lonely Wild, Rocky Dawuni, Zola Jesus, Tijuana Panthers, Carla Morrison and NewVillager. ‣ Dutch producer/DJ […]
On the One AM Radio’s fourth album “Heaven Is Attached by a Slender Thread,” songwriter Hrishikesh Hirway’s finest outing yet, the juxtaposition of chamber-pop and electronic elements provides for some mighty ephemeral moments. “Sunlight,” the song we touted back in March, is one of them, and Andrew Huang’s new video for the track give it […]
