It’s late at night and I’m feeling ambient, and not a little bit twee — a good time to discover London-based singer-songwriter Erin Lang (a collaborator and co-founder of the upstart label 99X/10 with former Cure keyboardist Roger O’Donnell). On the Canadian-born singer’s recent EP, Jimmy Tamborello (wearing his Dntel hat) gives the remix treatment […]
It’s Monday afternoon, and 26-year-old Nima Kazerouni is in a workshop in Gardena gutting vintage television sets and rigging them with LCD screens. In a manner of speaking, it’s a “rehearsal” for So Many Wizards’ upcoming shows. “It’s my new idea for a live show,” says Kazerouni, explaining that his “bassist” and “guitarist” for upcoming […]
Red Cortez, the unsigned L.A. rock quartet formerly known as the Weather Underground, has released a video for its new song “End of an Error.” The work of Leah McKissock and H. Scott Roth, it’s a fun collage that utilizes the flip-photography I’ve seen in a couple music videos recently. Great song, too. Expect more […]
I think I’ve been the faraway-eyed dishwasher in this video. Not that I could carry a tune like Los Angeles singer-songwriter Leerone. This track, “To Fill a Void,” appears on the album she released last year, “Imaginary Biographies,” which was produced by Christopher Fudurich (Jimmy Eat World, Nada Surf, Fishbone, Matthew Sweet) and earned her […]
On the cover of Obi Best’s debut album “Capades,” singer-songwriter Alex Lilly, faraway look in her eyes, is pictured in the tentative embrace of three figures sheathed in dark cloth. It’s an homage to her song “Who Loves You Now,” which trundles through a lot of loves lost in 4 minutes 28 seconds. “Those are […]
[Happy-hour nuggets as you head into your weekend …] ‣ “Chinese Democracy.” Sigh. You can compare the reviews by Chuck Klosterman and Ann Powers and draw your own conclusions. I will go listen for myself, maybe even record the stream, but I won’t set foot in a Best Buy. There’ll be a used copy at […]
[Lots and lots of things I noticed in between trying to teach myself InDesign …] ‣ Some of my favorite transplanted Midwesterners, the Vacation [pictured], are giving their new album away. Well, kinda. The quartet’s “Get Used,” originally self-released in May, is now available free through TrueAnthem. The release is sponsored by Playboy, though, and […]
Honeyhoney are the buskers you’d bring to a bar brawl. Sure, “First Rodeo” — the debut (out Tuesday) from the L.A. songwriting braintrust of Ben Jaffe and Suzanne Santo — rings with the pop-jazz-cabaret familiarity of your friendly neighborhood lounge act. But don’t mistake them for warm-and-fuzzy banjo-toters: Whether it’s Jaffe’s shadowy storylines or Santo’s […]
The Dears’ wonderful new album, “Missiles,” takes on some weighty topics yet never gets maudlin or preachy. The Montreal outfit’s single “Money Babies” doesn’t sag under the weight of its seriousness, either, although there are moments, in the striking video [download it here], you think it might. [Live: Oct. 30, Key Club] What to say […]
[Around in Internet quicker than you got tired of Britney’s new single:] ‣ OK Go’s next album is being produced by David Fridmann? Color me curious … ‣ You want something autographed by Ringo Starr? Better get it in the mail Monday. Yeah, right, peace and love … ‣ Great account of the Palladium’s reopening […]
