Love Inks layers fuzzily on third album, Exi
Funny thing about this album: I first heard it in reverse order. With a sticky-sweet, snail-paced request for “one more day” (“Spirit Communication”) to start and a more affirmative “long tone out...
Slow Magic to cloud then impress The Independent next Thursday with new album, How to Run Away
Slow Magic is "not from around here," but he won't be unknown for long. The elusive, mask-donning producer / "imaginary friend" releases his debut full-length album, How to Run Away, September 9th via Downt...
Everyone is Dirty put a haunting spin on grunge rock with Dying is Fun
Everyone is Dirty continues their streak of eclectic grunge rock bordering on performance art with their latest album, titled Dying is Fun. It has a fairly continuous sound -- each song seems to blend well wit...
British Isles band Joanna Gruesome kick off US tour in Oakland
UK-based band, Joanna Gruesome -- yes, it is a play on Joanna Newsom -- have finally made it over to the United States, starting their US tour off with a sold-out show. The band played Oakland's premier punk v...
New Cold Specks takes a stab dans l’obscurité
TORONTO, ON* -- She speaks low and softly into the lipstick-stained mic, cherry red from her own makeup, "This song is about decapitating your lover in their city." A burst of awkward chuckles resonate arou...
Scandinavian duo JJ could direct a feature film with dramatic upcoming release, V
Preceded by an eerie teaser trailer and its two lead singles, “All White Everything” and “Dean & Me,” V is classic JJ with a few surprises in tow. The fifth numerical release and third studio al...
BLAUS debut as an experiment gone right
On August 5th via Tricycle Records, Nathan and Zach Blaustone offer their debut work as BLAUS, a self-proclaimed “Booty House” duo. The brothers, based in San Francisco, “merge live instrumentation wi...
PS I Love You resonate strongly with third album, For Those Who Stay
PS I Love You’s third album, For Those Who Stay, out July 22nd via Paper Bag Records, will certainly warrant the Canadian indie rock duo yet another Polaris Prize nomination.
Fronted by multi-instrume...
Fink head south, grow progressive pessimism on Hard Believer
UK-based, DJ-turned-songwriter Fin Greenall’s orchestral folk trio, Fink, is the Django Unchained of their genre, rooted in a Southwest image of covered wagons and rolling tumbleweed but still progress...
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart play Copenhagen
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK* -- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart performed in Denmark this past Monday, June 23, on one of their European tour dates following the release of Days of Abandon (2014). They played with ...
Young & Sick to play The Independent: “Twentysomething” and making waves
Under the moniker Young & Sick, LA’s beloved album artist and fashion designer Nick Van Hofwegen’s own musical career has had a smooth liftoff. Three years in the making, Young & Sick boasts a spa...
OK Go explodes with new single and video: “The Writing’s on the Wall”
Power pop meets optical illusion science project in alt rock outfit OK Go's latest filmographic stint. Directed by vocalist Damian Kulash and 1stAveMachine's Aaron Duffy and Bob Partington, the video captu...
Klingande draws crowd at underground Canadian debut, leaves only positive energy
TORONTO, ON* -- The audience was primarily European, or so a girl from Berlin said to me Thursday evening at The Drake Underground. She laughed knowingly. “It’s the Klingande crowd.” And she was right.
...
Arcade Fire in London: a reflektive spectacle
LONDON, ENGLAND* -- Beneath transformative flashing lights and a mobile ceiling of mirrors, Arcade Fire staged a breathtaking coup of London’s Earls Court on Friday and Saturday night. The expansive hall was...
The Antlers add dimension, deepen texture on Familiars
Arriving two years after their 2012 EP, Undersea, The Antlers’ nine-track Familiars washes open with lead single “Palace,” a soft piano ballad. With its subdued tones and relaxed hi-hat beat, this in...