Yes, this is a little late, but it doesn't really matter anymore. I've made some very slight changes to the list - some songs I lost interest in after a while, some I moved around, but the top thirty have remained the same. 2009 has been a good year for music, perhaps better than its predecessor, but these songs take some beating. I think the best thing to do is to stream the tracks while reading. Or just download them all, whatever's good for you. All the rather lovely artwork for this list is by Anika , who also [...]
Here's my twist on a best-of-the-Noughties list : It's 3 a.m. on a recent chilly evening and I'm on my couch, away from my record collection and my iTunes, with a notepad in my lap. I've assigned myself to come up with 50 songs from 2000 to '09 that I love — at least the ones I can remember at this moment, in this mood, with this much caffeine in my system. The only rule is that after I remember a song and jot it down, I ask myself, "Do I still love this song?" [...]
So here we are. It only took me a month to unveil my top 50 albums of the decade. And by "only" I mean - what the hell is my problem? In case you missed it, the first part of the list (##31-50) is here , the second (##21-30) is here , and the third (##11-20) is here . Let's get this over with, shall we? [...]
Jenny Lee Lindberg, Theresa Wayman, Emily Kokal and Stella Mozgawa make up the talented and lovely group. They are a Los Angeles based band with an ethereal indie shoegaze sound. They have released their EP, Exquisite Corpse, under Manimal Vinyl and are currently recording a full-length album in Portland, Oregon. Warpaint already has CMJ under their belt and is scheduled to play SXSW in 2010. I had a chance to chat with them when they performed at the Echoplex in Los Angeles,CA earlier this month. Check out the interview! [...]
At last there's a (sort of) open mic night worth attending. Instead of hearing struggling folky folks butcher your favorite Bob Dylan or Joan Baez anti-war anthems, you can witness Scott McPherson (who's currently Beck's touring drummer) jam with a rotating cast of buddies at Posies Cafe (8208 N. Denver) starting every Tuesday in January. And who might these buddies be? Well, McPherson has been the beat man for several notable acts, such as Elliott Smith , She and Him (featuring M. Ward and some actress), Earlimart , Neil [...]
[File under: Things I have seen, heard or read:] There is plenty of intriguing music in the cooker for 2010, but one release I'll be particularly interested in hearing is the album made by a band called Admiral Radley. The foursome is a collaboration between Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray and Grandaddy's Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch. Espinoza and Grandaddy go way back, of course, to their days in the Central Valley. The music was recorded at Espinoza's studio, the Ship. Lytle's first solo album, [...]
It's the wrap-up of Buzz Bands Playlist 2009 — beginning at noon today on Indie1031.com , I will finish counting down my favorite SoCal songs of the year. But first, a confession: A friend and loyal reader asked me at the Buzz Bands party on Sunday night where, in my list, a certain band would appear. My jaw dropped. I'd flat-out forgotten somebody. Which was bound to happen, I suppose, considering as many songs/bands as I did. So I hope you'll forgive me today for having 41 songs in my Top 40. ... And who knows, I've [...]
I strolled through the books of Job to unfold and open bibles / instead of hopin' on revivals. V/A: Hyperdub, 5 - 5 Years of Hyperdub [ Hyperdub ] This wasn't supposed to happen-what with Internet-era Jeremiahs prophesizing the demise of regionalism and the end of localized movements. Steve Goodman and company intuitively understood that change could come from keeping your head down [...]
1. Caribou: Up in Flames 2. Dungen: Ta Det Lugnt 3. Spoon: Kill the Moonlight 4. Clark: Body Riddle 5. Broadcast: Ha Ha Sound 6. Doves: Some Cities 7. Boards of Canada: Geogaddi 8. Autolux: Future Perfect 9. [...]
Join me on Indie 103.1 at noon today as Buzz Bands LA Playlist 2009 — the countdown of my favorite local tracks of the year — continues. Today's show will pick up where last week's left off, at song No. 72. The final week, on Dec. 16, I will be sharing the top 40. After the jump, the list so far: Buzz Bands LA Playlist 2009 The Dec. 2 show 103. Crash Kings, [...]
It's one of those nights to rekindle old friendships. The Good Listeners [pictured], the L.A. duo of Nathan Khyber and Clark Stiles, just released their third album, "Don't Quit Your Daydream," a record conceived on the road and to be accompanied by a documentary about two musicians who travel the country in an RV. I took an immediate shine to the duo's first album, "Ojai," back in the day and the follow-up "Crane's Point Lodge" was great too. Tonight they are joined by Grand Hallway , Cave Country and Buddy at [...]
It's the Buzz Bands LA Playlist 2009 — the recap. Today marked the first of my three shows on Indie 103.1 counting down my favorite local tracks of the year. Thanks to Indie for the invite, thanks to all the bands who reached out to me for sending their music. Next Wednesday will be Part 2, with the final show scheduled for noon on Dec. 16. For now, here's the first segment. Comments welcome. I promise to add links to all the bands. Really. Buzz Bands [...]
Paul's kid is making pops proud with his solo debut at the ripe old age of 37. Harper Simon's self-titled CD (which he put out on his label, Tulsi Records) was a pleasant surprise in the batch of 20+ CDs I reviewed for the new issue of The Big Takeover (in stores in the next couple of weeks). Not a big surprise is that Harper sounds quite a bit like his dad but he's got a certain contemporary feel/sound not unlike [...]
Enfim, saiu o primeiro clipe da banda , totalmente feito na raça. Ele foi gravado na casa dos caras e nos arredores da vila Madalena. Semana que vem, pinta na MTV. Termos relacionados: sabonetes , __Videos LEIA TAMBÉM: [...]
Mais um single e clipe da Marina and The Diamonds , que está com o debut " Family Jewels " previsto pro começo de 2010. Esse single " Mowgli's road " sai agora em Novembro, mas segundo o twitter dela já está por aí ou eu não entendi direito :) Termos relacionados: marina and the [...]
Speechless. That's what I was after the local show I caught recently at Kansas City's Davey's Uptown. I wish I could say that the performance was so spectacular that the music left me speechless. Unfortunately, it was a weird chain of events that led to my loss for words. Before I explain the strange events, I must say that the music was in fact, quite good. The more local shows I go to, the more respect I have for Kansas City's local scene (There's a lot more here than the Get Up Kids!) The young [...]
Port O'Brien no se cansan de cantar y apenas un año después de que muchos les descubriésemos con "All We Could Do Was Sing" (City Slang, 08), éste ya tiene continuación. "Threadbare" está producido por Jason Quever de Papercuts (en cuyo salón se grabó el disco) y Aaron Espinoza de Earlimart. El resultado: cálido e intimo ya que el suyo es un pop de cadencia neofolk que conquistó en su momento a M. Ward, orgulloso padrino, y que les ha hecho girar con gente como Bright Eyes o Modest Mouse. Por Almudena [...]
De nuevo tengo que hablar de un grupo al que he descubierto gracias a MySpace, se trata de The Hectors, cuarteto de Los Angeles compuesto por Robert Bonilla, Corinne Dinner, Erik Greene y Jim Saunders. Realizan una música pop-rock muy estimulante, con la que nos acercan al sonido que años atrás nos ofreciera Pavement, suavizado por la cálida y dulce voz de su cantante Corinne Dinner. Su última grabación data del año 2007, es un Ep de 5 canciones llamado Sometimos They Collide , para el que contaron con la colaboración del productor Rick Parker (Black Rebel [...]
On this day - October 13th, skilled troubadour Harper Simon, who adeptly utilizes the fabled vocal gift inherited from his father Paul Simon, releases his debut album to the world – 10 tracks paying tribute to the hallowed long play format and the seamless arc and structure that it traditionally has brought us when executed correctly. Harper recorded his new album in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles with a storied cast of collaborators including multi-generational legends that you'll hear numerous audio fingerprints of throughout the record. Notable names include legendary producer Bob Johnston (Dylan, Cash, [...]
Blk Jks Play Spaceland On Thursday Nights like Thursday are just a cruel joke to live music fans. It's another insane week of shows - old legends, new legends, 90's heroes and current Pitchfork darlings. I caught Polvo last Saturday. The problems I had with their set list a few months back at the Echoplex were corrected. Great set. They played everything I wanted to hear. Monday 10/12/09 [Pick of the Night] Light FM [...]
Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Review)
New Releases V2.9
2010 Bonnaroo Artists Unveiled
Massive Attack is inconsistent, but ultimately gratifying, on Heligoland
