Talk about tough acts to follow. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, the band concocted by singer-songwriter Alex Ebert almost five years ago as he pulled himself from his personal abyss, have sold 300,000 copies of their 2009 debut “Up From Below,” much of it on the strength of the single “Home,” a timeless declaration […]
A very happy Friday: ‣ Garbage has a pair of sold-out shows on the horizon at the El Rey Theatre, but the resurgent quartet, with their comeback album “Not Your Kind of People” due May 15, do something of a warm-up show at 10 p.m. at the Bootleg Theater. Then, in the adjacent Bootleg Bar, […]
Although the last “Three Artists. One Song” collaboration from Converse was something we can’t say we cared much for, the latest free download from the hipster shoe company almost makes up for the previous mess. With rising star Kimbra, Mark Foster (of Foster the People) and DJ/producer/Fool’s Gold label owner A-Trak all teaming up to […]
The alt-rock of L.A.-based Neon Hymns has a lot in common with locals Voxhaul Broadcast – prickly guitars, a sprinkling of soul and enough anthemic arch to make you think those U2 records are never more than arm’s-length away. The quartet is the creative marriage of Australians Josef Cruickshank, Simon French, Rob Ellmore and James […]
I’m not sure what I expected visually from L.A. trio Wildcat! Wildcat!, but it wasn’t a breakdancing feline. Director Tyler Rumph’s video for “Mr. Quiche” tracks a costumed Kian Khiaban as he frolics to the falsetto-spiked single in some familiar L.A. locales. Worth the tips, or not? ||| Live: Wildcat! Wildcat! plays April 9 at […]
Jessica Dobson has, in today’s parlance, mad skills. She was signed to Atlantic Records at age 19, back in the middle part of last decade, and in typical major-label fashion they had no idea what to do with an artist whose work could not be plugged neatly into some format. The Orange County native persevered, […]
Here’s what’s up on this Thursday evening: ‣ Brooklyn’s Bear In Heaven, their new album “I Love You, It’s Cool” out this week, bring their icy electro-pop to the Echo, with Blouse and Doldrums opening. Above is Bear in Heaven’s video for “Reflection of You.” ‣ Strong local lineup at the Airliner, where the Dead […]
Before there were Bon Iver and Megafaun, there was a band featuring Justin Vernon called DeYarmond Edison, which was founded in Wisconsin and relocated to North Carolina in 2005. Chris Porterfield stayed behind, and now more than six years later and with his former bandmates having won acclaim for their projects, Porterfield has resurfaced under […]
New York City’s Morningwood had its 3 minutes, 55 seconds of fame in 2005-06 with “Nth Degree,” an oh-so-silly but very, very catchy single that should have its author, bassist Pedro Yanowitz, cashing checks well into the next decade. Some minor hoorahs followed, but nothing that spelled huge success for the band or its wispy-voiced […]
Christopher J. Ewing’s video for the Judson McKinney song “Meet Me in the Morning” reminds me of a bad dream I once had – only instead of colored plastic guns, bearded would-be musicians were pointed fake plastic guitars at me. The song, off Judson’s late-2011 release “Drink the Wine,” seems innocent enough, but between firing […]