[If you’re near a computer, watch Buzz Bands this evening for a live webcast, courtesy of Spaceland Recordings, of the Yeasayer/Warpaint sets from First Fridays at the Natural History Museum.] Tonight: Brooklyn quartet Yeasayer, the electro-soundscapers (soundscapists?) whose suddenly dancey sophomore album “Odd Blood” comes out Tuesday, headlines the sold-out First Fridays event at the […]
[This weekend’s concert calendar is more crowded than the 405 on a Friday afternoon. Superstars, stars, shoulda-been-stars, rising stars, fading stars – this weekend has it all. And it’s topped off by Sunday’s performance at the Greek by modern-day supergroup Monsters of Folks … see below for the word on the street about that. Here’s […]
[I was fulfilling a previous obligation on Saturday and was not able to attend downtown’s FYF Fest, which, according to people I’ve spoken with in the past 24 hours, was either an unmitigated disaster or an unqualified success. Funny how experiences can vary on a 100-degree afternoon. I solicited Michael Bauer, frontman of the L.A. […]
The Black Lips, Lucero, No Age [pictured], Lightning Bolt and the Thermals will be among the acts playing Sean Carlson’s FYF Fest (formerly known as the F Yeah Fest), scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, at Los Angeles Historic State Park in downtown. The lineup, announced today, includes locals such as Darker My Love, Dios, Avi […]
File this under feel-good local stories: Silver Lake favorites Division Day are signing to Dangerbird Records, the L.A.-based home to Silversun Pickups, Darker My Love, Sea Wolf, the Dears and Eulogies, among others. The band’s sophomore album, “Visitation,” is tentatively set for release in August. The formal announcement of the new alliance is expected later […]
When we last checked in with local heroes Silversun Pickups, they were basking in the glow of having captured lightning in a bottle. Songs that had warmed in Silver Lake’s incubator since around 9/11 had been hatched into 2005’s “Pikul” EP, then their 2006 debut “Carnavas.” Two Top 10 singles, 350,000-plus in album sales and […]
Cincinnati two-piece Bad Veins, who spent much of last year recording their album (some of it in L.A.) and played some impressive dates around town (including a September gig at the Viper Room), are signing to Dangerbird Records. The L.A.-based indie, home to Silversun Pickups, the Dears, Sea Wolf and Darker My Love, will probably […]
There are 112 albums in my “L.A. stack” for this year, and a few might have been misplaced in my job transition. Here are my favorites: 1. Darker My Love, “2” (Dangerbird) — A wide-ranging psych-rock record with the legs to take you almost anywhere. 2. Everest, “Ghost Notes” (Vapor) — Indie Americana that will […]
The Top 10 1. M83, Saturdays=Youth” (Mute) 2. The Whigs, “Mission Control” (ATO) 3. The Futureheads, “This Is Not the World” (Nul Records) 4. Friendly Fires, “Friendly Fires” (Beggars/XL) 5. Cut Copy, “In Ghost Colours” (Modular) 6. Portishead, “Third” (Island) 7. MGMT, “Oracular Spectacular” (Columbia) 8. Mercury Rev, “Snowflake Midnight” (Yep Roc) 9. The Duke […]
[I will be off the grid much of the coming week — and regrettably missing so many good shows — but I will be posting some material I have written in advance. E-mail response will be slow, and the phone will be off. However, I am fortunate to have procured the services of an intern, […]
