Twerps – Through the Day from Life or Death PR on Vimeo. This video is silly and fun but mostly I’d like you to hear how effortlessly Twerps pick up the banner of the Of Skins and Heart-era Church and just wave the shit out of it. Don’t ever leave me, ’80s guitar tones. The [...]
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Video: Twerps – ‘Through The Day’
2012 Grammys Coverage
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I went to the Grammy Awards last night, which is as #humblebrag-y as it gets, I think. Here’s my story on the ceremony for Billboard, 19 moments from backstage and my unofficial thoughts on the show (turns out Adele can sing!) over on Rawktumblr. What did you think? No pointless snark, please.
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Video: Azealia Banks – ’212′
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At the Echo on Friday night, sitting next to a handful of future lung cancer patients, staring at my phone, I was thinking about Azealia Banks. The Harlem rapper/singer is nothing if not a compelling personality; “212,” her star-making single after a few embryonic misfires, is her Don Draper carousel pitch. The video offers little [...]
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In Rotation: Promise and the Monster – ‘Red Tide’ (2011)
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Promise and the Monster is a Stockholm folk-rock act with a surprisingly frigid style. Compared to Swedish sun-seekers such as Jens Lekman or Peter Bjorn and John, the band might as well hail from Antarctica. Its music, driven by the barbed, breathy vocals of Billie Lindahl, shifts between gothic chamber assaults (“Swim,” spooky-girlfriend anthem “Dorothy”) [...]
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Writing at One Week One Band This Week
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The Softies’ Rose Melberg at a solo show / photo by David Greenwald If you’re not familiar with One Week One Band, founded by my friend Hendrik Jasnoch, it’s grown from a concept — that old music is worth talking about in the flood of Relevant New MP3s — into a sort of weekly blog [...]
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A Brief 2012 State of the Rawkblog
Hello, friends. Without breaking too deeply past the blogger fourth wall, I’d like to share some notes from the underground with you. As you may know, my non-Rawkblog hours have been occupied by full-time freelance work in recent months. You can now find my music writing regularly-ish on Billboard, MTV Buzzworthy, the Los Angeles Times, the [...]
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New Music: Charles Latham – ‘I’m Moving Back to My Parents’ House’
“I know a place where rent is free,” Charles Latham sings in “I’m Moving Back to My Parents’ House,” but his post-college malaise isn’t the satirical Portlandia variety. Instead, the ramshackle folk effort takes a sincere approach strengthened by its ’50s pop shoo-bops: “How, how long until things get weird?/Till we’re arguing about my curfew, [...]
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Video: The Holiday Crowd – ‘Pennies Found’
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Judging by “Pennies Found,” the Holiday Crowd are St. Morrissey’s latest acolytes. Also judging by “Pennies Found,” the Toronto band’s taking their religious obligations seriously: it’s excellent while sounding thoroughly like the Smiths, a tall order for anyone not named Johnny or Steven. The band’s debut album is out now on Shelflife and New Romantic. [...]
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Reviews: Nada Surf – ‘The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy,’ First Aid Kit – ‘The Lion’s Roar’
Photo by _FXR I wrote about Nada Surf’s The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy for the A.V. Club: Since 2003 comeback record Let Go, Nada Surf’s quietly built one of indie rock’s most consistent discographies. The Stars is a reliably crisp, tuneful addition, all racing snare hits, taut power chords, and Caws’ emotive tenor… New [...]
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New Music: Hospitality – ‘Friends of Friends,’ ‘Betty Wang’
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For my money, the mega-jams on Hospitality’s near-perfect self-titled debut are the gentle “Eighth Avenue” and “Liberal Arts,” two twee tracks that give Fred Thomas a run for his King of Indie-Pop crown. But singles “Friends of Friends” and “Betty Wang” come pretty close, offering singer Amber Papini’s coyly post-Chrissie Hynde melodic acrobatics and the [...]
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Video: Alphabet Backwards – ‘Big Top’
This is totally just British Jason Mraz BUT I LOVE IT. Stick around for the synth breakdown at the end. One concern: no Robert Pattinson/water/elephants cameo? Hear more from the band on Rdio or your cloud player of choice and look for a proper debut later this year.
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Video: Fiona Apple – ‘Paper Bag’
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I spent most of last night watching Fiona Apple performance videos on YouTube. She’s so remarkable live, so intelligent and brave, that the performances shine on despite the long-lost layers of video quality that the clips may have had upon their original airings. Nevertheless, it should be a crime for her Vevo page to carry [...]
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Video: First Aid Kit – ‘Emmylou’
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A lovely, Joshua Tree-set video for First Aid Kit’s sparkling country homage. Play it as loud as your heartstrings will bear.
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And Now, A Public Service Announcement From LA Font
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LA Font, one of L.A.’s best rock bands — and, obvious full disclosure, friends of Rawkblog — are raising funds via Kickstarter to make their sophomore album. This is the new reality: if you’re not on Pitchfork or NPR, no label is going to give your band money to make a record. Surely “Lipsmack” alone [...]
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Videos: Standard Fare – Groupee Session
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I’ve spent most of the past 18 months obsessing over Standard Fare’s The Noyelle Beat, a relationship vivisection as charismatic and emotionally potent as any electric break-up record since Cursive’s Domestica. In March 2010 (at SXSW, it appears), Groupee captured the band tearing through a handful of the album’s best songs like hungry bears. Please [...]
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New Music: Seeker Lover Keeper – ‘Even Though I’m a Woman’
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Best of ’11 supergroup Seeker Lover Keeper’s self-titled debut finally gets its U.S. release date on Jan. 17, and the group’s generously sharing my favorite track: Seeker Lover Keeper – “Even Though I’m a Woman”: mp3 Previously: First Look: Seeker Lover Keeper – s/t | 2012 Album Release Calendar
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Video Premiere: Keaton Henson – ‘Strawbear’
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For those for whom wounded folk feels like balm upon a wound, you’ll find fine medicine in Keaton Henson. The London songwriter’s music is almost violently spare, offering just enough melody and feeling to carve his way into your heart. Like Nick Drake before him, he’s intensely shy and has decided to avoid traditional forms [...]
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New Music: of Montreal – ‘Dour Percentage’
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Photo by Patrick Heagney of Montreal’s Paralytic Stalks — the formerly bedroom-bound band’s 11th album, by Wikipedia’s measure — is a largely successful marriage of frontman Kevin Barnes’ psych-pop beginnings with his recent sexy dance parties. New single “Dour Percentage” splits the difference nicely, nodding to Bowie and Supertramp amid the leonine orgasms of Barnes’ [...]
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2012: 8 Bands to Watch
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Allo Darlin’ / photo by David Greenwald Without using the word “best,” here are eight bands, all new (or maybe new to you?), worth keeping an eye on this year. Mostly indie-pop, because that’s mostly what I like. Release dates if they exist. What are you excited about this year? Let me know in the [...]
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Coachella 2012 Lineup Announced
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Real Estate / photo by David Greenwald Coachella 2012 will run on two weekends in a row, an expansion that feels like it could backfire: will Radiohead’s second headlining set feel as meaningful for those who’ve already watched the videos on YouTube and Pitchfork.tv? Will the bands, festival paychecks in hand, snooze through their second [...]
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