By Seraphina Lotkhamnga It’s been a great year of music. My ears have had such a good year that the task of selecting my top albums has never been harder. Perhaps it’s because I’ve whittled down my usual list of 25 albums to 20 this year. Some artists on this list made their L.A. debuts […]
Sunday’s shows: ‣ Big Sunday evening of rock at the Wiltern, where Slash featuring Myles Kennedy, as well as the Conspirators, turn up the volume. The show was originally scheduled for October but was postponed then because vocalist Kennedy was ill. ‣ Rockdrive, a benefit for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, goes off at the […]
Friday night fever? Here’s where temperatures will rise: ‣ Simian Mobile Disco headlines the Fonda Theatre. The U.K. duo recently released the four-song EP “A Form of Change,” the follow-up to its album “Unpatterns,” released earlier this year. That’s the video for “I Waited for You,” above. ‣ Nas and Ms. Lauryn Hill wind up […]
A fabulous Friday: ‣ Lord Huron celebrates the release of its stellar album “Lonesome Dreams” with a sold-out show at the Echo. The Lonely Wild opens. ‣ There’s a huge Dia De Los Muertos celebration at Grand Park downtown. It’s free, runs from 5 p.m. to midnight and features Mariachi El Bronx, El Conjunto Nueva […]
‣ Aimee Mann visits the Wilshire Ebell Theatre behind her new album “Charmer,” yet another addition to her catalog of smart, tuneful works. Field Report supports. Above is the video for “Labrador,” which is hilarious in the way that only Mann can be. It’s a shot-by-shot recreation of her ’Til Tuesday hit back in the […]
Tuesday night in the city: ‣ Singer, multi-instrumentalist and looping wizard Emily Wells visits Largo behind her new album “Mama,” which was recorded on a horse ranch in Topanga. That’s her homemade video for “Passenger,” above. Appearing with her: The Portland Cello Project, whose own new album “Homage” features arrangements of hip-hop songs. No kidding: […]
“Four years. Never again!” Meiko says. Yes, it’s taken that much time for her sophomore album, “The Bright Side,” to arrive. The former Hotel Cafe waitress-turned-singing sensation was the first artist signed to then-booming MySpace Records back in the day, shooting up the songwriter charts on iTunes and finding her songs in hit TV shows. […]
Nothing mundane about this Monday: ‣ If this isn’t the most helter-skelter It’s a School Night ever, you can slap my hand with a ruler. On the bill (chronologically) for the RSVP-only night at Bardot are Malibu-bred beach-vibe duo Brandon & Leah; followed by Bobby Woods’ horn- and string-laden Les Deux Love Orchestra featuring special […]
The first taste from Meiko‘s long-awaited follow-up to her highly-regarded 2007 self-titled album was not too much of a stretch from the singer-songwriter’s notably intimate allure. “Stuck On You” was sweet, innocent and paired with a charming melody, but the first official single, “Leave the Lights On,” from Meiko’s forthcoming record “The Bright Side” (out […]
Happy Wednesday – there’s plenty afoot tonight: ‣ The long-awaited second album from Meiko, “The Bright Side,” will be out May 15, the L.A. songstress announced yesterday. It’s the follow-up to her self-titled debut, released in 2007 and picked up by MySpace Records (R.I.P.) in ’08. She returns to her home base, the Hotel Cafe, […]