As much as I want to write something clever for this piece of delicious press, it's posing to be quite troublesome to actually compete with it. So, read below if you're into Daft Punk and stuff… Daft Punk's Electroma is an odyssey of two robots (played by Peter Hurteau and Michael Reich) who journey across a mythic American landscape of haunting, surreal beauty on a quest to become human. Their symbolic quest, which takes them from endless two lane highways...
Our fourth installment of Lunarcast features the Los Angeles rock band Amateurs. This break-the-rules quartet began working together behind guitarist/vocalist Keith Waggoner and drummer Stephen Garver as they honed in on what would eventually become the blueprint for their ultimate sound. After moving down to L.A., they added violinist Shannon De Jong and guitarist/vocalist Anthony Puglisi to round out the band’s set-in-stone lineup. The band began writing their debut full-length Speak Easy throughout 2006, entering the studio in...
Lately the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been making the move from hip replacement to placement in hipster vocabularies. Last year it was Belle & Sebastian teaming up with the orchestra, July sees them joining forces with the Decemberists, and now it's been announced that weepy troubadour Conner Oberst will get the chance to perform with an impeccably tailored backing band when Bright Eyes takes the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on September 29th. Bright Eye's Nate Walcott will be providing...
Actual brother-sister duo The Fiery Furnaces (and their stalwart bandmates) have let it be known that their forthcoming album, Widow City, will be released this fall on Chicago's Thrill Jockey records. In addition to–but not in support of–the album, titled Widow City, the band will be hitting the road in the latter part of June for their "Fourth of July" tour, which will not include a date on the Fourth of July. Even rockstars need hot dogs. Jun 21 Cleveland,...
Broken Social Scene's got a bastard bun in the oven. Deciding to expand the (metaphorical) family the old fashioned way, co-founder and lead singer Kevin Drew will be the first to slap his name on the new line of quasi-solo albums, the Broken Social Scene Presents series. Spirit If… was recorded over the past two years at the home of fellow BSSer Ohad Benchetrit, and was produced by Benchetrit, Drew and Charles Spearin. It features contributions from "the social scene...
The best thing about live radio is the on-the-fly amusement that comes about from the fact that you don't get a second take. So later, you look back on bits of banter (like this week's Brandy & Monica dissertation) and laugh at the fact that you would have that conversation in the first place. And thanks to the guys at Little Radio, everyone can look back via the podcast of the evening's show. Of course, the other best thing about...
The National is the United States of America—with guitars, and occasional piano, and a lead singer whose commanding baritone summons the storytelling majesty of Dylan (minus all the nasal whining and general suckiness). It’s true that–back in the days of Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers–they got off to a fumbling start. That album saw frontman Matt Berninger unleashing the occasional lyrical clunker, and the band itself straining too hard to ape the chiming guitars of early U2....
If you've never seen a show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, you really need to make it a priority. The main floor looks up at this beautiful stage (high up, not too high) while it's flanked by these warm browns and reds, amazing woodwork and late nineteenth century details. You could imagine gypsies up there on stage dancing in a circle, or French floozies revealing a bit in some sort of tasteful, turn-of-the-century style bordello-themed kicks....
Lookout, it's attack of the two-headed press darlings! Once upon a time, The White Stripes were a buzz band, heralded as the saviors of rock. If blogs had existed (and I'm not saying they didn't, but admit it, you didn't know what they were back then) then Jack and Meg would have been completely blog-worthy. The Cold War Kids are also a buzz band. They've been blogged into oblivion, and for good reason. Because they're good. And so are The...
Evil is lurking this summer, that’s all there is to say. Slayer and Marilyn Manson are teaming up for a tour that’s sure to bring two of the craziest groups of people together for one big show. We’ve witnessed how these things can work at tours like Sounds of the Underground, where fans of totally different metal/hardcore music can come together in harmony and co-exist like fans a Phish show—only slightly more sinister. In case you’re scratching your head, wondering...