Music
Courtney Barnett @ Urban Lounge 07.02 with Your Friend
It’s true she owes a lot to the slacker rock martyrs of the ’90s like Lou Barlow and J Mascis. Nobody writes a song with the chorus, “I don’t want no nine to five, telling me that I’m alive!” without having at least listened to You’re Living all Over Me once. But, just as you pigeonhole Barnett as some slacker rock disciple, she rips the roof off the joint with hostile sounding version of “Avant Gardener,” giving me chills like I’d just heard Joe Cocker for the first time. … read more
Review: Lust For Youth – International
Lust For Youth International Sacred Bones Street: 06.10 Lust For Youth = (Cure / New Order) + (Real Lies x Kisses (The Heart Of The Nightlife era) Imagine a place where you can dance, cry and see the ocean all at once; welcome to International. It’s an album that’s never overtly sad or cheery, but
Review: Aurelio Valle – Acme Power Transmission
Aurelio Valle Acme Power Transmission Nuevo Leon Street: 03.30 Acme Power Transmission= Timber Timbre / Julian Casablancas + Dirty Beaches In order to appreciate the depth of this album, it’s important to understand a bit of Aurelio Valle’s background. He’s a Texas native, but he’s spent the last several years in Brooklyn, where this album
Review: Paul Cary & The Small Scarys – Coyote
Paul Cary & The Small Scarys Coyote Self-Released Street: 04.29 Paul Cary & The Small Scarys = Tom Waits + Howlin’ Wolf / The Gories Paul Cary’s music reminds you that no matter how bad you have it, someone’s probably worse off elsewhere. His debut album, Ghost of a Man, showcased Cary’s haunted soul by
Review: Thee Oh Sees – Drop
Thee Oh Sees Drop Castle Face Street: 04.24 Thee Oh Sees = (King Tuff x Ty Segall) + The Association Here’s to the Thee Oh Sees: one of the most consistent bands in the psychedelic rock scene. Drop, their eighth LP in the last six years, is a logical step in their evolution from a
Review: Ramona Lisa – Arcadia
Ramona Lisa Arcadia Terrible Street: 04.15 Ramona Lisa = Space Project + St. Vincent / Little Dragon Chairlift frontwoman, Caroline Polacheck, frequents an alternate universe known as Arcadia, inspired by European landscapes and the intricate beauties of insects. Her solo debut is an invitation to explore this realm, her offering of worthy art in the
FantasyCon 2014 Kickoff: Wooden Wisdom (Ft. Elijah Wood)
Starting out with the soundtracks to Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, it’s extremely clear that both Zach Cowie and Wood are quite familiar with and embracing of Wood’s nerd credibility. Have I mentioned that they also closed their set with a disco version of the Return of the Jedi Ewok dance? Spoiler Alert: That totally happened. … read more
Fitz and The Tantrums @ Red Butte Garden 06.30 with...
The sun was setting and I had a perfect view of the mountains surrounding Red Butte Garden—is this real life? … read more
Psych Lake City: Night 2 @ Urban Lounge 06.28 with...
The lineup and show from the previous night was pretty solid, and I was all too eager to see how tonight was going to play off in contrast. And the fact that Spell Talk’s name was on the marquee stood out in my mind as a proverbial safety net if, for whatever reasons, the other bands didn’t deliver. Of course—again—this didn’t turn out to be the case. … read more
Psych Lake City: Night 1 @ Urban Lounge 06.27 with...
At the end of the night, every band—whether strictly psych or loosely psych-related—gave killer performances that words couldn’t do more justice explaining than eyes and ears. But those who missed tonight had a chance of redemption at catching the second half of Psych Lake City tomorrow. And for those of us who did go tonight, we have every reason to be fucking stoked. … read more
Review: Minerva Superduty – Self-Titled
Minerva Superduty Self-Titled Self-Released Street: 03.09 Minerva Superduty = Lento + Pelican Minerva Superduty is an eccentric instrumental metal band that resides in the faraway Kalamata, Greece. Their new self-titled EP is a succinct yet powerful statement of how solid post-metal contains no geographic boundaries. Sludgy bass rhythms provide a general backbone throughout most of
Review: The Blue Angel Lounge – A Sea of Trees
The Blue Angel Lounge A Sea of Trees A Recordings Street: 05.20 The Blue Angel Lounge = Screen Vinyl Image + Nico The influence of German-born singer Nico on The Blue Angel Lounge doesn’t stop at their name, which is taken from the venue in New York City where she first played in the U.S.
