King – “Hey”
Our elders like to always tell us about “the good ol’ days,” when things were simpler, love was less tawdry, and the world less corrupt. And while I think this is mostly a human construct made from...
View Articlealt-J (∆) – “Ms”
Cambridge quartet alt-J have been one of the more unexpected debuts of the year thus far. Arriving without much context, An Awesome Wave has been a refreshing 2012 release largely in part of its lack...
View ArticleAriel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, with their punchy gimmicks, pops with enough unmistakable style and punk fuzz to forgive most charges of corny-kid rock. Mature Themes ironically disobeys any...
View ArticleThe xx – “Sunset”
Let me start off by saying this is reportedly an unfinished version. Okay, now, here is a new xx song. They are a crafty little bunch, that xx—the songs they’ve released, preceded by “Chained” and...
View ArticleCaveman – “A Country’s King Of Dreams”
Native New York quintet Caveman make music that’s easy on your ears, whose appeal doesn’t require much effort to understand. The 2011 debut Coco Beware made clear their ear for melody and moody...
View ArticleJohn Tejada – The Predicting Machine
For the legions of neon clad, saucer eyed neophytes to the electronica movement, the ear-shattering four on the floor cacophony and its requisite desensitizing visual accompaniment are harbingers of...
View ArticleVideo: Chairlift – “I Belong In Your Arms” (Japanese Version)
Are we surprised Caroline Polacheck can sing in Japanese? Maybe, but thirty seconds into watching the Japanese version of Chairlift’s video for “I Belong In Your Arms,” it’s easy to forget you ever...
View ArticleThe Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
From the light-filled strums opening The Tallest Man on Earth’s third proper album, there’s an immediate sense of shifted perspective, a return to see the world and a life through the lens of a fixed...
View ArticleCRMNL HYGNE – “Andrew’s Song”
Los Angeles band CRMNL HYGNE may not be alone in the punk revival movement coming out of this city, but they have a keen sense of something genuine behind the dated aesthetic, and effectively capture...
View ArticleCat Power – Sun
The cover art for Cat Power’s newest release gives pretty plain insight into the spirit of her first album in six years (to be fair, Jukebox, 2008’s album of covers, came out in that time as well). A...
View ArticleKanye West – “To The World” (feat. R. Kelly)
I’ve made no secret of my feelings about Kanye and R. Kelly here in the past, so hearing of their collaboration on today’s release of G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer had me just shy of giddy. This is...
View ArticleIsaac Delusion – “Midnight Sun”
Isaac Delusion is the French duo who are curiously neither named Isaac. Friends since high school, Jules Paco and Loic Fleury make music that seems to be influenced by both Icelandic pop and American...
View ArticlePearls and Lazer – “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”
Traditional blues-based rock is not the flavour of the day, but Pearls and Lazer relish in their authenticity. The howling saxophone solos are a throwback to an elder breed of rock ‘n’ roll musician...
View ArticleMad Planet – Ghost Notes
If you’re one of the many children of the 21st century who have completely emasculated their attention spans and now find themselves incapable of dedicating more than thirty seconds to reading a...
View ArticleChad Valley – “Fall 4 U” feat. Glasser (Lissvik Remix)
A good remix is like a good……….nevermind. Swedish producer Dan Lissvik dips Chad Valley track “Fall 4 U” in a Balearic pop bath from the start, giving the lovestruck material a feeling of euphoria...
View ArticleHarriet – “Have A Little Faith in Me” (John Hiatt Cover)/ “Lost” (Frank Ocean...
Los Angeles band and QM friends Harriet have been recording a new album and releasing cover videos while they’re doing it. They put up the first session on YouTube the other day, and it’s a split of...
View ArticleHarriet – “Have A Little Faith in Me” (John Hiatt Cover)/ “Lost” (Frank Ocean...
Los Angeles band and QM friends Harriet have been recording a new album and releasing cover videos while they’re doing it. They put up the first session on YouTube the other day, and it’s a split of...
View ArticleWild Belle – “It’s Too Late”
Our current generation of “alternative” music revels in the re-appropriation and blending of past genres. It is not uncommon for bands emerging from Brooklyn or Echo Park to pull from a long list of...
View ArticleSchultz and Forever – “Falling”
Eighteen year-old Danish singer Jonathan Schultz (not Daniel Radcliffe) is behind Schultz and Forever, whose lead single “Falling” is an early morning stroll through the woods. Its quiet, simple...
View ArticleOn An On – “Ghosts”
Certain music lends itself to a heightened form of driving, that makes the entire experience, even here in good ol’ Los Angeles “melt outside the lines.” What may be our subconscious admiration for...
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