Ok, Ok so I’m loving Warpaint. Although their name may be better suited for a hardcore metal act, they are an all-girl alternative rock band from L.A. Comprised of actresses, musicians in other L.A groups, and a former Chili Pepper for a brief time they flew quietly under my rock radar until this song, “Undertow” [...]
As I anxiously await the next golden nug from the boys in My Morning Jacket I find myself digging deeper into their old stuff. “Tyrone” is originally an Erykah Badu number, I think, but Jim James adds his haunting take on the vocals while the band builds a stripped down (for MMJ) and straightforward rock [...]
Oh man. I haven’t thought about these guys in a while. The SoCal punk with a weird angst-y gang influence, turned thrash, then prog-metal, then funk-metal band is certain to shred Firestone with energy and volume. Although Mike Muir (the badass with the low-slung blue bandanna) is really the only original member, I’m sure the [...]
Swedish shoegazers, The Radio Department, released an album a few months back. Clinging to a Scheme is their third full-length release and features a spacey, relaxed, low-fi feel something like Wilco meets Saint Etienne at a chill wave concert. “Heaven’s on Fire” – not to be confused with the awesome single from KISS‘ 1984 album [...]
Thievery Corporation opened up the double headlining show and powered through a more uptempo set than usual. They were heavy on the reggae and the percussion, pumping up the large crowd for one of the most anticipated electronica shows I’ve seen. Thievery dug into tunes from Radio Retaliation like “Sound the Alarm,” “Radio Retaliation,” and [...]
Phoenix put on a hell of a penultimate show in Orlando the other night. Although they did not stray far from setlists I viewed, they were able to really amp up their sentimental indie rock for the live setting. The performance was loud and bright with a pulsing light show. The band was tight and [...]
Massive Attack is back with a lush and powerful new album in Heigoland and Thievery Corporation is on the heels of their first retrospective release, It Takes a Thief, and debut of the Eric Hilton produced, conspiracy tinged, attack-on-the-establishment film, Babylon Central. My guess is Massive is headlining, but Thievery is sure to steal the [...]
I absolutely adored “Time to Pretend” off their first album, but as other songs from Oracular Spectacular were released MGMT came off sort of flat to me. That, coupled with reports of their live performances being somewhat lacking or flat made me lose interest as well. Apparently they have juiced up the live show and [...]
Caribou was fucking brilliant. The one-man, moody, atmospheric trip pop, elegant and beautiful in its own right, was kicked in the balls with a stout dose of rock. Lead Caribou, Daniel Snaith, moved from drum kit to synthesizer and sampler assisting a full-time drummer (that had some serious chops), bass player, and guitarist. The show [...]
Are guys that look like “Jesus” charismatic or are they charismatic because they look like Jesus? Lead singer, Alex Ebert, played the gregarious front man (cult leader), engaging the crowd, dancing, leading sing-alongs, and talking to fans. The band wasted no time, kicking off the night with “40 Day Dream” and the ubiquitous “Janglin’.” They [...]