The Rentals are back, and not a moment too soon, especially since it’s been 19 years since “The Return of the Rentals.” As Matt Sharp and gang show on “Lost in Alphaville,” the new album released last month, they still hold the key to a lot of pop hearts. At the Fonda Theatre on Friday […]
Happy Saturday:Â ‣ The Hollywood Bowls hosts a night with Elvis Costello and Ben Folds. ‣ If you’re looking for something else outdoors but a little more low key, Yuna performs at California Plaza as part of the Grand Performances. That’s Yuna’s video for “Come Back” above. ‣ Buzz Bands LA presents She Keeps Bees, […]
Norwegian-bred, Brooklyn-based crooner Sondre Lerche has always given pop music a quirky spin; this skill has yielded six jazzy yet highly accessible studio albums, a original movie soundtrack (“Dan In Real Life”) and a special live album (“Bootlegs”). Lerche returns with “Please” on Sept. 23, via his own imprint Mona Records. Heavily influenced by his […]
When the Ocean Blue came back round last year with “Ultramarine” – the Pennsylvania quartet’s first full-length in 14 years – it set plenty of ’90s hearts atwitter. Their jangling guitar-pop and beautiful melancholy found some new fans too, and both constituencies will be happy to learn that the quartet (David Schelzel, Oed Ronne, Bobby Mittan and […]
There is no better description of Slow Magic’s sound other than the self-described “sound made by an imaginary friend.†In a world desperate to categorize things, Slow Magic (artist and sound) manages to stay impressively enigmatic. New album “How to Run Away” will be released next week on Downtown Records and after an early sneak […]
Rock ’n’ roll and fashion have always had a snug relationship, and nobody knows that better than Steve Jones, he of punk-rock icons the Sex Pistols, a band formed to help sell clothes on King’s Road. Jonesy is the producer behind the debut EP from Jesse Jo Stark. The daughter of Richard Stark and Laurie […]
New music, old music, only-slightly-aged music – I have a little bit of everything on today’s Buzz Bands LA Show on The Independent FM. Tune in at 11 a.m. to hear fine folks like Francisco the Man, Cold War Kids, Joel Jerome, Ghostel, Castro, Jeffertitti’s Nile, Avi Buffalo, Los Angeles Police Department, Minnow, Meg Myers, […]
Hard to believe summer is almost over – and it certainly didn’t feel like it Thursday evening at the Santa Monica Pier, where the ninth of 10 shows in the Twilight Concert Series went off in a big way. Power-pop quartet OK Go headlined, showcasing tunes from their forthcoming new album “Hungry Ghosts” and the […]
Here’s what a fantastic Friday sounds like: ‣ An all-star benefit concert, “Jail Guitar Doors” – former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer’s effort to bring music programs into corectional facilties – goes off at the Ford Ampthitheatre, featuring Jackson Browne, White Fence, Ben Harper, Tom Morello, Jill Sobule and more. ‣ The Art of Elysium’s Genesis benefit […]
Following a rousing performance at FYF last month, Los Angeles’ Flying Lotus, née Steven Ellison, is gearing up to release his fifth studio album, “You’re Dead!” on Oct. 7 via Warp Records. It is set to feature appearances by Angel Deradoorian, Snoop Dogg, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat, as well as FlyLo’s rap alter […]
