Talk about an anthem. Cold War Kids' first single "Miracle Mile" is packed with energy. [soundcloud url=" http://api.soundcloud.com/trac ks/74945345" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Yesterday, Four Tet released a 38min mix entitled 1081 . The album title is terrible. How crazy am I going to sound when I suggest to my friend to listen to Four Tet's "1081?" "It's called 1081. No! The album, it's called 1081. Why? I don't know. Ask Four Tet. What? You don't have to listen to it!" Well, so, the album title isn't stellar BUT-boy-is the album perfect...and free. Snag it. Cherish it. From the majestic harps to the stuttering samples, the varying cadence create a progression you can groove to, but also asks [...]
Youngblood Hawke played the Warfield with such a potent sound last Friday night I’m still feeling pops of energy as I write about it today. Falling in love with their main single, "We Come Running," several months back I have long since added "Forever and Stars" to my regular playlist. Coming out of this show, I’m on the hunt to add the rest of their work, a great young collection of tunes that vividly stick in my ears without any nasty pop aftertaste, to my lists moving forward. Rousing the Warfield was no small feat for two reasons. [...]
This image is an homage to Susannah Breslin , a journalist who had the right mind to tell me to stay the fuck away from journalism. "In the past, I’ve written my response to aspiring writers: Don’t. It’s just that simple," she explained. Well, Susannah, I didn't listen. My experiences were never as cool as Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. I've hung out on stage with Skrillex or chatted with Matt & Kim while watching the Local Natives' sound check, but my bluff stops there. (If you want those stories talk to Victoria . Her path is very [...]
Oh, how difficult breakups can be. Months, even years removed, the wounds of loneliness can still be felt. On this melancholy twist of Tony Bennet's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," a whimsical triangle understates woozy guitars as vocalist Sam France gently sings "I left my love in San Francisco." Amidst the fuzzy productions, emerges a timeless vinyl quality reminiscent of 50s croonings. The song is from the LA group's upcoming release We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic , scheduled for release on January 22nd. If you like this, listen [...]
Like many great musicians, Toro y Moi began in a bedroom as a solo project. To this day, Chazwick Bundick, the 24-year-old South Carolina native, still sees himself as underdeveloped despite his recent success. His work is clearly constantly evolving and there is a good change that it has yet to fully mature. His chillwave performance has grown into an immersive live experience, with auditory influences from the genres of R&B, freak folk, and even french house. Toro y Moi's academic prowess in graphic design thanks to his UC Berkeley roots is evident [...]
The Bay Area rapper Sayknowledge dropped "Lap Up" just the other day. I've got to show Yay Area love-because it's been too long; and, not for nothing, with a head bobbing beat that's easy to ride with, "Lap Up" with its humorous antics is worth just sitting back, pressing play and doing what the song says...
The music scene in 2012 can be characterized by the bold introduction of young artists, the extended use of new social distribution channels, and the continued blurring of genres. The end of the year is a great opportunity to look back on the previous twelve months of music and attempt to capture the biggest songs. This list is meant to address all genres, both mainstream and underground, and intentionally does not include the same artist twice. 50 A$AP Rocky - Goldie 49 Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs [...]
![Top 50 Songs of 2012 [50-41]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4699173_lg.jpg)
The music scene in 2012 can be characterized by the bold introduction of young artists, the extended use of new social distribution channels, and the continued blurring of genres. The end of the year is a great opportunity to look back on the previous twelve months of music and attempt to capture the biggest songs. This list is meant to address all genres, both mainstream and underground, and intentionally does not include the same artist twice. 50 A$AP Rocky - Goldie 49 Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs [...]
Abel Tesfaye–better known as The Weeknd –brought the heat to San Francisco on an otherwise frigid December evening. Tesfaye played over half the tracks off his recent 30 song reissue, Trilogy . The reissue was received with mixed reviews at its release this November. Some critics, like our very own David Johnson-Igra, began to question The Weeknd’s legitimacy. Some critics were puzzled as to why Tesfaye started selling music he had previously released for free. I, personally, appreciated the reissue. Not only are the tracks remastered, but we now get to enjoy the entire Weeknd catalogue [...]
I’ll be lucky, if throughout my lifetime I establish a list of 100 favorite albums. If I live to be 100, that would be one epic album for each year of my life. I’m not referring to the dime piece songs I encounter via homemade playlists, internet radio, party mixes, etc. I’m speaking of the collective albums, LP’s and EPs that have provided the soundtrack to my life. The ones that I still frequently play in entirety and look back on year after year. The solid albums that make me reflect on a significant moment in time but are simultaneously [...]
Photographs by Leticia Molina I wish I had something really good to say about Wildcat! Wildcat! , but I don't. Ok I do. They did a great cover of Tears For Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," but besides that they played a lot of Wes Anderson inspired 90s childhood nostalgic pop music. Yawn. I'm sorry. It's hard to believe alt-J have only been touring for a few months. Their debut An Awesome Wave was released in their native UK in May (and September domestically) to much fanfare. The [...]
In a youthful art form such as hip hop, age does not seem to be well received. Rappers seem to only be getting younger these days. For instance, arguably the most talked about rapper of 2012, Chief Keef, is only seventeen and on his way to a promising career if he can keep himself out of trouble. Careers often fade away as an artist gets older while only a select few can still come around and continue to have some sort of an impact in a game that is ever-changing. While a lot of young newcomers began to [...]
Santigold - Master of My Make Believe Oh, how quickly we forget. Early in 2012, Santigold’s Master of My Make-Believe turned heads, finding its way on many "Best of 2012-so far" lists (which for the record: what a gimmick). From the opening track “Go” listeners are swept up till the album's finish. Within the concise (under 40mins) eleven-track album-a lot happens. It's Santigold-remember. What do you call her music anyhow? Swagged out punk-rock infused hip hop with pop sensibilities. Give me a break! Lyrically, she boasts on “Look At These Hoes,” talk politics on “Disparate Youth,“ [...]
Tomorrow marks the release of T.I.'s new album, Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head. We were fortunate enough to catch up with T.I. for a listening session in San Francisco a few weeks back. In an interview with Meredith from SF Critic, T.I. talked to us about how he finds collaborators and the projects he's working on.
Tomorrow marks the release of T.I.'s new album, Trouble Man: Heavy is the Hand. We were fortunate enough to catch up with T.I. for a listening session in San Francisco a few weeks back. In an interview with Meredith from SF Critic, T.I. talked to us about how he finds collaborators and the projects he's working on.
Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE A few weeks ago Frank Ocean took to his tumblr and said “I can’t save the world.” And while this may be true, Frank Ocean is still my hero. This year was full of milestones for Ocean. In July, he released his first major-label LP, channel ORANGE, which was well received by both the public and critics. A couple weeks before this, Ocean made history in the R&B/hip-hop scene by coming out to the world that his first love was a man. And just days ago it was announced [...]
Make sure to to check out all of our Best of 2012 coverage. Brother Ali - Mourning In America And Dreaming In Color Along with three other artists on this list, I have been listening to Brother Ali for over ten years now. Back when I was 15, I slowly drew myself into the counter-culture of indie-skate hip-hop; Living Legends, Atmosphere, and Souls of Mischief ruled my 10gb 2nd generation iPod. As time passed, the world changed, [...]
Photography by Leticia Molina White Arrows warmed up their first show in Oakland on Wednesday night with their self proclaimed “psychotropical” synth-pop tracks. Hailing from Los Angeles, the five man group played a lively show with geometric kaleidoscope-like visuals (can you say psychedelic?) emphasizing tambourines, heavy drums, bass and stellar keyboard work. Their nouveau MGMT -meets- Geographer style has a slight indie-rock sound with similar vocal riffs to TV On the Radio . “Get Gone” was their final tune that most notably sold their fans to an energizing opening act. [...]
ALBUMS 1. Here We Go Magic – A Different Ship , because Nigel Goodrich and Here We Go Magic were destined to be together. Here’s to hoping they team up for a long time. Great top to bottom. 2. Andrew Bird –Break It Yourself/Hands of Glory , because the companion album (released later in the year) deserves a spot in the top 10 itself. [...]
SFCritic: Music Blog
Boards of Canada
The Weeknd - Kiss Land
Washed Out - Paracosm (Official Album Trailer)
Julia Holter - World (Official Video)
She & Him- I Could've Been Your Girl
Action Bronson - "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" (Official Video)
Daft Punk: When anonymity goes wrong
New Boards Of Canada - Reach For The Dead
[Listen] Stream Disclosure's Infectious New Single "When A Fire Starts To Burn"
