[File under People Who Impressed Us at SXSW, the Follow-Up:] What we saw at SXSW. Sixty-six seconds is the total time for Parquet Courts‘ “Smart Aleck Kid,” and that’s all the Brooklyn punk quartet needs to grab your attention. With spiraling lyrics and aggressive guitar riffs to drive the melody into your head, the tune […]
[Sometimes you get caught up in the frenzy and euphoria of SXSW and your snap judgments don’t feel so snappy a week later. So over the next few days, we’ll have a handful of posts like this. File under People Who Impressed Us at SXSW, the Follow-Up:] What we saw at SXSW. All hail the […]
Beat-scene goddess Jennifer Lee, aka TOKiMONSTA, made her mark on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint, her nimble production and oh-so-cool textures stretching boundaries in a world they’re already elastic. She steps up to Ultra Music for her new release “Half Shadows” (due April 9), which features collaborations with rapper Kool Keith, L.A. songstress Gavin Turek (April’s […]
Here are your Tuesday show options: ‣ Flume, the nom de tune of Sydney, Australia’s Harley Streten, brings his electro constructs to the Echoplex, supported by Para One and Dauwd. That’s his video for “Sleepless,” above. ‣ It’s an electro night at the Satellite too, with Ghastly – the nom de tune of David Crow […]
When Caveman released its first album “Coco Beware” in 2011, it didn’t take long for Fat Possum to snatch up the New York quintet of Jeff Berrall, James Carbonetti, Sam Hopkins, Matthew Iwanusa and Stefan Marolachakis to re-release the record. Their debut was intricate yet expansive with soaring folk harmonies, and singles like “In the City” […]
As an exercise in surgical studio precision, the debut album from L.A. duo Inc. “No World” is masterful. But the first full-length from brothers and accomplished session guys Andrew and Daniel Aged aspires to little more than that. Last year’s release by Frank Ocean and this year’s rousing debut from Rhye show that R&B and […]
Brothers Andrew and Campbell Scarborough, the driving forces behind the L.A. quartet Black Apples, have moved out of the garage, if their forthcoming EP “Tales and Truths” is any indication. Their 2011 debut established the band, newly arrived from Colorado, as purveyors of a psych-meets-soul-meets-surf riot, perfect for any party where there were no breakables. […]
As the Milk Carton Kids, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan have parlayed the simple vehicles of two voices and two acoustic guitars into something much greater. Just for grins, let’s call it “raconteurism.” From their early days as Hotel Café regulars, the pair found a special chemistry in their collaborations – folk music in the […]
Two of L.A.’s most inventive indie alchemists get together in this new version of “Roll Forever,” the lead track on White Arrows’ 2012 debut “Dry Land Is Not a Myth” – here, the track is sent rolling down a steep hill by Hands. The L.A. quartet of Geoff Halliday, Ryan Sweeney, Sean Hess and Alex […]
Something about the letter “H” today: ‣ Hot As Sun’s debut album “Night Time Sound Desire” is out this week on Last Gang Records, and tonight the band [pictured] hosts the second of its “Sweaty Disco” nights” at Los Globos, syupported by TV Girl and Mirror Talk. ‣ Hunter Hunted wraps up its residency at […]