It’s weird the kinship you can feel by having long-distance musical “relationships” with people as their careers progress and meander. I feel that way about Midwesterners Headlights, whose third album “Wildlife” was just released on Polyvinyl. Headlights principal songwriters Tristan Wraight and Erin Fein were in Absinthe Blind, who put out two albums (“The Everyday […]
Here’s a little midweek detour into the mainstream for you: Anya Marina’s sweet ballad “Satellite Heart.” The song is on the soundtrack to the movie “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which its bazillion-dollar advertising budget tells me will debut Nov. 20. I could care less about the movie; I’m more liable to be (in fact, […]
“The Weight,” off Seasons’ “Summer” EP released this year, is a gorgeously shambolic anthem with a chorus that hit me right between the eyes the first time I heard it. This video, done by Ryan Maples and Thrillhouse Productions, is a winner too – the heart sometimes makes time stand still, doesn’t it? ||| Download […]
House music in Buzz Bands’ house? Occasionally. Especially when it’s as wildly eclectic as Basement Jaxx, the U.K. duo of Felix Buxton and Simon Radcliffe. The twosome has returned with “Scars,” theirs sixth album and best since 2004’s “Kish Kash,” featuring all kinds of four-on-the-floor flavors and an impressive lineup of guests, including Yoko Ono, […]
People for the Ethical Treatment of Cupcakes are obviously hard at work. There’s a price to be paid for all the unconscionable experiments conducted on baked goods – at least, that seems to be theme of the Pity Party’s new video for the song, “Stop, Stand Up, Be Quiet, Be Still,” directed by Ariana Natale. […]
I posted the download for the White Rabbits’ “Percussion Gun” way back in May, but running across the video reminded me how much I like it. (Plus, they’re coming to town next week.) The song is on “It’s Frightening,” the Brooklyn-based quintet’s sophomore album and first for TBD Records. ||| Download: “Percussion Gun” ||| Live: […]
Gil Kenan, who directed the film “Monster House,” did this great video for the propulsive title track off No Age’s “Losing Feeling” EP. Love the mouse’s-eye view – plus, now I know where Dean Spunt gets his super powers. ||| Live: No Age opens for the Pixies on Wednesday at the Palladium.
Here’s a little something in the Halloween spirit – it’s Leerone’s video for the song “Empty Houses.” The L.A. songstress collaborated with videographer/animator Hank Friedmann on the piece, which posits Leerone as the lone attendee at a woman’s funeral. ||| Live: Leerone performs Halloween night at the Dia De Los Vivos benefit at the 551 […]
Pavement co-founder Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg released a couple of impressive albums earlier this decade as” Preston School of Industry. He reverts to his ’90s moniker for the release Tuesday of “The Real Feel,” which the Seattle-based guitarist made with assists from Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) and Jon Auer (the Posies), among others. It’s […]
[This weekend’s concert calendar is more crowded than the 405 on a Friday afternoon. Superstars, stars, shoulda-been-stars, rising stars, fading stars – this weekend has it all. And it’s topped off by Sunday’s performance at the Greek by modern-day supergroup Monsters of Folks … see below for the word on the street about that. Here’s […]
