After touring for nearly three years, MEN finally released their debut album in North America this week. Although MEN’s material doesn’t stray too far from the radical political-pop and post-punk stylings of JD Samson’s work with Le Tigre, disco and even reggae elements shimmer a bit more on “Talk About Body.” Of course, the fun […]
[It’s Shakira’s birthday today, and Gucci Mane’s too. And no jokes about Groundhog Day here …] Tonight’s touts: ‣ Coming off a strong show Tuesday at the Troubadour, Danish songstress Oh Land (born Nanna Øland Fabricius) does a second night in L.A., a 7:30 p.m. show at the Echo. That’s the video for “Son of […]
It figured, since Jónsi’s live performance at Wiltern last October was broadcast live on NPR.org, that the scintillating concert would emerge as product. Sure enough, “Jónsi Live at the Wiltern” was released today via iTunes. It’s directed by Dean Deblois (“How to Train Your Dragon”), who also captured the Sigur Ros main man in the […]
Los Angeles has a long lineage of female-fronted, New Wave-inspired pop, and Portland expatriates Oh Darling are about to fashion their own chapter in that history. The foursome of Jasmine Ash, Daven Hall, J. Marie Hall and Jake Endicott follow a familiar formula – sticky-sweet tunes, brawny riffs and rhythms, nifty lyrical subterfuge – and […]
Few artists have rooted around in the closets of the ’50s and ’60s – and emerged with something fresh and ready-to-wear – as Hanni El Khatib, the former skater kid, current LA Record cover dude and purveyor of spare blues and soul. El Khatib’s new 7-inch single “Build Destroy Rebuild” (with the B-side “Loved One,” […]
[Happy birthday to U.K. songstress Laura Marling, all of 21 years old today …] Tonight, a tip for every taste: ‣ Louisville electro-pop outfit the Pass (that’s their video for “Walk Away”) plays the Satellite, with locals Marvelous Toy and Airlines opening. ‣ Nashville singer-songwriter Tristen headlines the Echo, supported by Hi Ho Silver Oh […]
L.A. quintet Lonely Trees put the finishing touches on their debut album over the holidays, and based on their early outings [see also: “No Man’s Love” premiere], it should be a good one. Release plans are still fuzzy, though, and in the meantime Christian Stone, Annalee Fery and bandmates have made a video for their […]
The true value of those best-of-the-year lists that some love to pillory is to alert you to music you’ve slept on, or dismissed too quickly. So a tip of the cap to anybody who mentioned the Fresh & Onlys, the San Francisco quartet whose cocktail of winsome jangle-pop and brooding psychedelia is stirring indeed. The […]
[Thirty well-spent minutes on a rainy Sunday morning:] The Bronx are the most exciting (if not most honest and uncompromising) bands I’ve witnessed in eight years of writing about music around L.A. They also famously have a flip side, Mariachi El Bronx, and they’re playing Coachella this year. This documentary from Babelgum, filmed in London, […]
[Blues shredder Jonny Lang turns 30 on Saturday. In other celebrations:] Top picks for a frenzied Friday: ‣ Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub and Rocco DeLuca play tonight the El Rey Theatre. ‣ El Ten Eleven and Superhumanoids team up to rock the Central SAPC in Santa Monica ‣ Tonight in the final installment of the […]
