Blog: SFCritic: Music Blog

James Blake didn't skip a beat. On the heels of his Weekend 1 Coachella performance, he came straight to San Francisco for not one, but two, nights of his soulful singing and bass heavy tracks. Last nights performance at the Mezzanine left me with a huge amount of respect for Blake: he knows how to make his experience one of a kind. James Blake has mastered the art of simplicity with intricacies. When performing "Digital Lion" off his new record  Overgrown , he gave life to every aspect of the song. The keyboard and drums built upon themselves with [...]

• James Blake - Order
• James Blake - Pan

 There’s a stigma to the end of a tour: a tired artist with their tired band gives a tired show. It happens to the best of acts, as tours can be utterly exhausting, especially when you add in the other appearances an artist has to make while they’re bopping around the country in the back of a van with a few too many people piled in. The Independent in SF was the last stop on the MS MR + Jessie Ware tour. It could have been a tired show with tired acts and a tired audience. [...]

• msmrsounds - Fantasy

The drums rumble on "Fantasy" like a war cry as Lizzy Plapinger sings repeatedly, "How could you be what I wanted to see?" Dissolution is a battle. On "Fantasy" Plapinger coyly details losing sight of herself, as she comes back to reality. This is the fifth song released off their debut album ,  Secondhand Rapture , which is scheduled for release on May 14th. Like "Fantasy" the aforementioned tracks are equally filled with hard hitting drums and sunny synths accentuated by sullen lyrics. Currently on tour supporting Jessie Ware, the duo is scheduled to [...]

The contemplative stillness looms over "Our Love Has No Rhythm." Simple words-direct and unwavering-wash cooly over the gentle loops of guitars and soft drums. "Talk and I will listen," sings Fiona Jane, and we do. But like the video's minimalism, even the most apparently mundane statements hold a weight of meaning that goes beyond anything said or shown. "Our Love Has No Rhythm" is the second video single by the UK group, Woman's Hour. Touted by the BBC Radio 6music and Radio One, the group has taken a perfectionist's amount time, meticulously crafting their music since emerging in 2011. Like [...]

Ever since the release of Vampire Weekend's self-titled album there has been a seeming void (and demand) for a sunny (indie) album imbued with the same Paul Simon inspired African guitars and rhythms. Meet Trails and Ways. Like the aforementioned Columbia grads, Trails and Way is comprised of four college friends from UC Berkeley freshly embarking from a nudist/idealist co-operative house. Talk about "indie." Their self-described "Bossa Nova pop" features bright infectious melodies and singing in Portuguese, Spanish and English. According to their press release, lead singer KBB was influenced by his time spent in Sao Paulo (presumably studying abroad). [...]

• theSFCritic - Trails and Way

If I said to Tyler the Creator that I thought his material was "growing up," I image he'd slap me across the face and say "bitch please." As one of the leaders of the OFWGKA crew,   the "horror-core" rapper seems to have chilled his tone on "IFHY." It's not like Wolf Haley hasn't sung a few broken hearted tracks. But on "IFHY" (I fucking hate you) Tyler laments the emotional instability of being in love, without the gory references. It's angry, honest, but not over the top like: “fucking it in my white van, beat her with white [...]

Thank goodness international musicians come to North America to "make it," otherwise we'd have to move to Australia. Home of San Cisco , Flight Facilities and Tame Impala , Australia has a new artist you need to take note: Flume. This isn't the first time we've mentioned the 20 year-old DJ . His self-titled debut blends Pretty Lights' (listen to " On Top ") energy with aforementioned, Flight Facilities, chilled-pop sensibilities (" Left Alone "). Along his tour north, Flume has stopped at BBC's Radio 6 ,  The Boiler Room  and [...]

Southern rapper, Big K.R.I.T., released the official video for "R.E.M." yesterday. Sampling James Blake's "Wilhems Scream," the added 808 drums add a gritty tone fitting for K.R.I.T.'s inflective style rapping. The track is off his upcoming mixtape, King Remembered In Time mixtape.

Almost seven years ago Alex Levy (ex Epic Records and Rolling Stone executive) started assembling a tribute party to Bob Dylan called, Dylan Fest. The idea was simple, get a backing band and a lot of great singers (past performers include Norah Jones, Steely Dan, Kings of Leon, etc) to pay tribute to the artist. Well, the idea has been applied to Tom Petty and BAM! this Wednesday Petty Fest will come to San Francisco's The Fillmore for the first time ever. The billing already includes a pretty stellar cast including performances by [...]

This is fifth installment of a series of post "Behind the Lens" of a music blogger. For the  full series click here .  Remember that whole "Behind the Lens" series we were doing? Well, we just finished it with a big bang here . We want to thank the folks of Sony for letting us participate in their Hidden Project. You can check out the best photos from all of the bloggers here .

The Silver Sun Pickups played host to the evening last Tuesday night, as streaming service, Slacker, kicked off their new and improved app campaign at Madrone Studios in the Mission. The new service, which was officially announced on February 13th, brought to life many features the company had in the works for quite some time. Highlights included the new tile based design, even more radio customization, and a new pay scale that gives you some great options on the go. The service has it's eyes set on the expanding Spotify and Pandora markets. Set-apart features include the ability [...]

Quite possibly a stack of hamsters pulling wires and pressing knobs, Rogus creates music that does not reside in simply one genre.  Half of his songs are melodic, almost old school sounding hip hop, while other half are a mix between progressive house and various electronic musings.The young Bay Area producer seems promised to make something that you'll be hearing about on more than just this blog.

• Rogus - Rade (Original Mix)
• Rogus - Waking Up

Next Wednesday, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Foxygen , will take the stage at the Great American Music Hall. And while everyone is abuzz about the two bands, it's worth taking note of the other band on the billing: Wampire. The Portland band signed to Polyvinyl, home to Unknown Mortal Orchestra and STRFKR, and a perfect fit for their reverb drenched and 80s rock nostalgia. In addition to making good music, the guys have a great sense of humor (see image above). Ok, I know what you're thinking: what's with the name? SF Critic [...]

In anticipation for San Cisco's performance at The Fillmore next week, I'll be jumping on the phone tomorrow to interview lead signer, Jordi Davieson. The band is opening along The Vaccines tour for the next few months, before showcasing at SXSW. If you haven't heard their catchy single "Awkward," I strongly urge you to take a spin. Everywhere but here, the group's Vampire Weekend sound is getting them quite the attention. So be on the lookout for their self-titled debut that's scheduled to be released in The States soon. Here's their latest music video "Fred Astaire."

This is fourth installment of a series of post "Behind the Lens" of a music blogger. For the full series click here .  We're excited to announce that Sony will be featuring our photographs from our recent series "Behind the Lens of a Music Blogger." ( Catch up on the reading here .) The photos will be displayed from February 4th-17th, along with several other bloggers' talented work, at Sony's store in Palo Alto. Make sure [...]

Considering the profusely energetic show Muse put on Monday night, it's crazy to think that the band has been around for almost twenty years. The show was sheer madness, as Muse rocked a packed Oracle Arena for the second time in three years. This time around, the performance was to promote their latest release, The 2nd Law . I was there, front row, when they last played Oracle in 2010 and also at the Vegoose Festival, in Las Vegas, in 2007. Each time, I have been blown away by Muse's amazing ability to perform. [...]

Let me start by saying that I feel like I got really lucky the other night. It's not very often you get an opportunity to see the rise of a star. I mean, I wish I got to see the Rolling Stones , Frank Ocean , or even Kanye West when they were just starting out? Once an artist hits a certain level of popularity, it's almost impossible to catch them at a small, intimate show. Last night, I felt that I got to see a small piece of history. When Jessie Ware took the stage at the [...]

• JessieWare - 110%
• JessieWare - What You Won't Do For Love

This is second installment of a series of post "Behind the Lens" of a music blogger. For the full series click here .  I'm torn if people actually think music blogging is all that  awesome.  Don't get me wrong-I love it. I just wonder: when people discover that I blog about music and reply, "Oh my god that's  awesome,"  are they actually saying "A wesome— you’re like six degrees of Kevin Bacon-famous" or "A wesome- you're probably a deadbeat that 'writes' while living with his mother." (Both, in my case, [...]

NPR First Listen is streaming Unknown Mortal Orchestra's new album  II . The 70s psychedelic rock will perk the ears of Tame Impala fans. Jangling guitars rev over vocal reverbs, melding into a surreal tone. Don't miss out on this, take a listen below.

Red Bull Thre3Style hits San Francisco again, this time for their Sub-Regional Qualifier taking place at The Independent this Thursday (January 24th). The worldwide DJ competition spotlights each artists crafting a fifteen minute mix that blends three separate genres. This year, Hot Pocket will open the night with a special performance to kick off the festivities with Franco Finn hosting the night. Competing DJs include: 1) D-Sharp 2) J Espinosa 3) DSTRUKT 4) Richie Panic and 5) Mei-Lwun. Amongst the judging panel will be Shortkut, Nate Mezmer, and DJ Platurn. The winner will then compete in the West Regional [...]