A fine Friday ahead: ‣ Folk-pop craftsman Matt Pond PA marks the 10-year anniversary of his brilliant album “Emblems” at the Roxy, part of a tour on which he’s playing the whole record. The Lighthouse and the Whaler open. This song from “Emblems” was always our favorite. ‣Â L.A. dream-pop quartet Superhumanoids headline the Echoplex and […]
The L.A. duo Linus Young has a rebel aesthetic, boy/girl harmonies and slow-burning songs that are ever-so-rough around the edges. Comprised of members Joseph Walker and Iris Belson, Linus Young joins the likes of In the Valley Below in offering sultry vocals, light percussion and moody atmospherics as a sexier alternative to duos like the […]
Topping a lineup that plays squarely to the masses, John Mayer and Imagine Dragons will headline the Jay-Z-curated Made In America festival Labor Day Weekend at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. The highlights include Kendrick Lamar, Weezer, Cypress Hill, Metric, Capital Cities, Juanes, Dr. Dog, Schoolboy Q, Classixx and Wolfgang Gartner. Two-day passes for […]
L.A. duo DWNTWN’s roots as folkies shine through in their latest single “Missing You.” Yes, tucked in among the whooshes of their electronic production, breathy girl/boy vocals and dreamy synths are a lovely tickle of banjo and coat of strummed acoustic guitar. It all makes for a drop-dead-pretty pop song, even before you see Lenny […]
Army Navy’s veritable wellspring of jangling guitars and dulcet melancholy is flowing again. The L.A. trio of Justin Kennedy, Louie Schultz and Douglas Randall have announced that their third album, “The Wilderness Inside,” will be out July 15 (via their own Fever Zone Records). It follows last August’s EP “Crushed Like the Car,” whose title […]
L.A.-based singer-songwriter Zella Day has been laying low since her debut at Bardot earlier this year, but her breakout single “Sweet Ophelia” is still riding a nice wave on the Hype Machine charts. Her second single “1965” is also picking up steam, so the Arizona transplant is heading out on tour to try out some […]
Australia’s Jagwar Ma, psych-pop veterans the Zombies, L.A. Latin sensations La Santa Cecilia and soul man Charles Bradley will highlight this year’s Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier. The free concerts, part of the KCRW Summer Nights Series, run for 10 Thursday nights from July 10 to Sept. 11. And, speaking of the […]
Shows for your Thursday: ‣ Gesaffelstein, the nom de tune of French techno artist/remixer/”Yeezus” contributor Mike Lévy, does the first of two nights at the Fonda Theatre. His debut “ALEPH” came out in October. ‣ Canadian electro-rockers Holy Fuck headline the Roxy Theatre, supported by L.A.’s James Supercave and Wunder Wunder. ‣ Pretty incredible night […]
Sometimes all you need is a sad voice and fuzzy, buzzing guitar tone to remind you that the simplest recordings can move you the most. Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, Sparklehouse and Slowreader have all bent and twisted many hearts with emotions on their early material, and L.A.’s Jack Stansbury – aka Princess Reason – may […]
Smoke Season, the duo comprised of L.A. musicians Gabrielle Wortman (TEMP3ST) and Jason Rosen (Honor Society), returns with a new single to follow up their “Signals” EP. “Badlands,” a track that still teases with their smoky Americana ambience, is a lush arrangement that lingers just 10 seconds over four minutes. Wortman’s soulful wails and Rosen’s […]
