And so starts a seriously busy week: ‣ Riding praise from her recently released album “CYRK,” Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon plays the free, RSVP-only It’s a School Night at Bardot along with John C. Reilly and friends (those friends being Becky Stark and Tom Brosseau) and buzzing L.A. sister act Haim. ‣ Milo Greene […]
And me, without a statuette in sight. Oscars or not, the L.A. Buzz Bands Show makes its appointed rounds on KCSN (88.5 FM, streaming at KCSN.org) at 7 o’clock tonight, and we’ll have a red-carpet ceremony of our own. My weekly local-music show will feature a parade of new music from folks with new albums […]
British indie-rock veterans the Wedding Present are zooming back onto the radar for two reasons: First, their eighth album (and first since 2008), “Valentina,” will be out March 20, and it’s a doozy, full of barbed-wire guitar licks and frontman David Gedge’s sometimes-savage take on relationships. It’s oddly comforting that Gedge, now past 50 and […]
Your Oscar-night music agenda: ‣ Nineties indie-rock provocateurs Archers of Loaf are back, with a remastered, deluxe version of 1995’s “Vee Vee” just out on Merge and similar editions of “All the Nation’s Airports” and “White Trash Heroes” due later this year. Dipping into the Chapel Hill quartet’s vaults has yielded (previously only VHS) videos […]
Saturday’s slate: ‣ Maybe it’s time to go back to college? Today’s KXSC Festival (5 p.m.-midnight) brings headliners Nosaj Thing (pictured at Coachella last year) and Belgium’s Starfucker to Founders Park on the USC Campus. The free, all-ages event will also feature White Fence, TRMRS, Only You and Fiore, with Dublab, Downtown Lobby and folks […]
Greg Laswell may have packed up his gear and moved to New York, but he’s still got his SoCal roots. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise he’s recruited Hotel Cafe songbird Sara Bareilles to duet with him on his new single “Come Back Down.” Driving piano arpeggios, mighty vocals and tight harmonies […]
Allah-Las sound like four guys who just clambered out of a 1968 Volkswagen van to play in front of your Saturday night campfire at the beach – revelatory if you weren’t around in 1968 but a little samey if like your garage-pop with guts and hooks. Without a doubt, though, Miles Michaud, Pedrum Siadatian, Spencer […]
With a big week behind us and an even more monstrous one ahead, the Buzz Bands LA show glides into the weekend with a special program today on Moheak Radio. I will be joined in the noon hour at the Wavaflow Studios by Tim Williams and Matt Welsh of Soft Swells, whose debut album comes […]
I See Hawks in L.A. make good sound easy. Staples of the SoCal roots music scene, I See Hawks make twangy, ruminative country that despite its easy melodies and sticky harmonies always bears enough lyrical bite to make you squirm in your porch swing or smile into stiff drink. Their new album “New Kind of […]
Shaping up to be a frantic Friday: ‣ Grimes – that’s the nom de tune of Montreal’s buzzing Claire Boucher – brings her synth-pop magic to the sold-out Echo, with Born Gold supporting. Grimes recently signed to the 4AD label, which released her “Visions” album this month. Go here to download “Genesis.” ‣ Speaking of sold […]