It’s been six months and thousands of miles of touring since “Scott vs. the Volcano” – a battle that the volcano won but that did little to take the fight out of Scott Hutchison and his bandmates in Frightened Rabbit. The Scottish quintet was one of several bands marooned in European airports last April thanks […]
Top 1 show for a special occasion if were in charge of the special occasion: ‣ Teenage Fanclub and this blogger go way back. Not quite to when I was teenage, but I got “Bandwagonesque” early and never hopped off. Tonight, the Scottish quintet visits the El Rey Theatre behind their new album “Shadows,” supported […]
Few songwriters make mopery more interesting or revelatory than Mark Oliver Everett. And it turns out the 47-year-old E can turn a phrase or two about optimism too. His ninth Eels album – and third in a 14-month span (!) – is titled “Tomorrow Morning,” and it’s a bottle of happy pills compared to the […]
With a dusty voice and a penchant for the dramatic, James Apollo sings like a lovelorn urban cowboy, inviting you to join him on his lonely road. The New York-based, Minneapolis-bred crooner will be releasing “’Til Your Feet Bleed,” his third full-length for No Alternative records, on Tuesday. The songs are dark, but seductive, convincing […]
[Why, happy birthday, Thom Yorke …] Top 6 ways to fill your ears tonight: ‣ Arcade Fire simply made my Lollapalooza. They’re worth seeing, either during their two-night stand at the Shrine Auditorium, or next spring at Coachella, where I’m betting they will be a headliner. Non-believers can now move on to the next item. […]
Remember the movie “The War of the Roses?” In terms of true love gone south, it has a lot in common with the video for Tim Kasher’s “Cold Love.” The Cursive frontman’s new album “The Game of Monogamy” came out this week, and the video, starring Kasher and Molly Parker (“Deadwood”), is at once dark, […]
[Two of my faves, Matthew Sweet and Tommy Stinson, celebrate birthdays today. Have a happy one, guys …] Top 4 shows for your autumn evening: ‣ Has it really been four years since the Futureheads played L.A.? That’s what it says here. The U.K. quartet’s fourth album “The Chaos” (recommended) is happily post-post-punk, and they […]
No sooner had I finished posting about Essay (see below), a duo on the Polyamorous Affair’s Winter Palace Records, than the Mr. and Mrs. themselves checked in from Berlin. When we last heard from Eddie Chacon and Sissy Saint-Marie, the former L.A. residents were previewing their new album, “Strange Bedfellows.” Now, abetted by Danish director Nuka […]
[Birthday greetings go out today to Colin Meloy of the Decemberists …] Top 5 shows for your hand-holding urges and other date-night needs: ‣ Belle & Sebastian play at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, preceded by a screening of the movie “Trainspotting.” ‣ Australian folkies Angus & Julia Stone – who sold out three straight nights at […]
